Summer calls for a lighter, fresher, more vibrant pizza. Earlier this week I splurged on some fresh mozzarella for my Kale Pesto Pasta and I wanted to make sure the rest of that delicious cheese didn’t go to waste. My first thought was Margherita pizza, but then I decided to do a little something different. Instead of topping this simple white pizza with thin ribbons of fresh basil, I made a small batch of zesty parsley pesto and drizzled it over top after cooking. OMMMGGGG. Best thing ever.
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Do I need a food processor?
This parsley pesto is kind of a pesto-chimichurri-gremolata hybrid, but it’s super easy and because it’s such a small batch you don’t need a food processor or anything to make it. Just grab a knife, cutting board, bowl, and spoon. It only takes a few minutes and then you’ve got a super fresh drizzle of goodness. I even dribbled a little onto the leftover sliced tomatoes while the pizza was cooking and it made me weak in the knees. I think I need to make more just for dipping some crusty bread.
Use Homemade or Store-Bought Pizza Dough
You can use any 14″ pizza dough for this recipe, but I would suggest something fairly light and crispy. I whipped up a batch of my Thin and Crispy Pizza Dough because it’s fast and easy, but made one pizza out of the batch instead of two so that it would be a little thicker. I also hand stretched the dough instead of rolling it, which makes it fluffy instead of crispy-crackery. If you prefer a more classic pizza crust, try my Homemade Pizza Dough.
White Pizza with Parsley Pesto Drizzle
Servings 8 slicesIngredients
GARLIC OIL
- 1 Tbsp olive oil ($0.13)
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder ($0.02)
PARSLEY PESTO
- 1 cup fresh parsley leaves, minced ($0.50)
- 1 clove garlic, minced or crushed ($0.08)
- 1 Tbsp grated Parmesan ($0.10)
- 1/4 tsp salt ($0.02)
- Freshly cracked pepper ($0.05)
- Pinch red pepper flakes (optional) ($0.02)
- 1.5 Tbsp lemon juice ($0.07)
- 3 Tbsp olive oil ($0.39)
PIZZA
- 1 14-16″ pizza dough ($0.60)
- 4 oz. fresh mozzarella ($2.00)
- 2 Roma tomatoes ($0.50)
Instructions
- In a very small bowl or dish, stir together 1 Tbsp olive oil and the garlic powder. Let the mixture sit and infuse while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.
- To make the parsley pesto, finely mince 1 packed cup of fresh parsley leaves (about 1/2 cup once minced). Add the minced garlic, grated Parmesan, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes. Add the lemon juice and olive oil to the mixture, starting with just 1 Tbsp lemon juice and 2 Tbsp olive oil, and adding more if needed to create a mixture that is loose enough to drizzle over the pizza. I used 1.5 Tbsp lemon and 3 Tbsp oil total, but this will depend on the volume of your minced parsley. Set the parsley pesto aside.
- Move your oven’s rack to the top position and begin preheating the oven to 500ºF. Thinly slice the tomatoes and fresh mozzarella.
- Stretch or roll your pizza dough out to a 14-16″ disc. Place it on a pizza pan or baking sheet*. Stir the garlic and oil, then brush a thin later over the entire surface of the dough, including the outer crust.
- Arrange the tomato slices evenly over the pizza dough, then top with torn slices of mozzarella.
- Bake the pizza in the fully preheated 500ºF oven for 10 minutes, or just until the outer crust is golden brown and the cheese is melted, but not browned. After removing the pizza from the oven, drizzle the parsley pesto over top, slice into eight pieces, and serve.
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Notes
Nutrition
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How to Make White Pizza with Parsley Pesto – Step by Step Photos
Star by making the garlic oil so that the flavor has a little bit of time to infuse. In a very small bowl or dish, stir 1/4 tsp garlic powder into 1 Tbsp olive oil. Set the oil aside.
Next prepare the parsley pesto. First, finely mince about 1 cup of packed parsley leaves (about 1/2 cup once minced), then combine the parsley with 1 clove of garlic (minced), 1 Tbsp grated Parmesan, some freshly cracked pepper, 1/4 tsp salt, and a pinch of red pepper flakes (optional).
Starting with just 1 Tbsp lemon juice and 2 Tbsp olive oil, stir the lemon juice and olive oil into the parsley mixture. Add a little more lemon and olive oil until you get a mixture that is loose enough to drizzle. I used 1.5 Tbsp lemon and 3 Tbsp olive oil total, but this will depend on the total volume of your minced parsley. Set the pesto aside.
Move the rack in your oven to the top position and begin preheating the oven to 500ºF. Thinly slice 2 Roma tomatoes and 4oz. fresh mozzarella.
Stretch or roll your pizza dough out to a 14-16″ circle and place it on a pizza pan (affiliate link) or baking sheet, then brush a thin layer of the garlic oil over the entire surface (stir the garlic in the oil first to make sure some of the garlic powder gets on the pizza as well).
Arrange the tomato slices over the surface of the pizza, followed by torn slices of the mozzarella.
Once the oven is fully preheated to 500ºF, bake the pizza for 10 minutes, or just until the crust is golden and the cheese is melted but not really browned (you don’t want to over cook the cheese to the point where it separates). After removing the white pizza from the oven, drizzle the parsley pesto generously over the surface.
Slice into eight pieces and enjoy the fresh taste of summer. :)
Can you freeze half the dough if you only want 1 pizza
Yes. Wrap in plastic and then aluminum and then store in a freezer safe container. XOXO -Monti
Could I bake it using a cast iron skillet? Would I have to change anything in the recipe?
You could definitely do this with a cast iron skillet. Since cast iron conducts heat differently than a thin pizza pan, the baking time may be different, but I’d need to test it before offering a suggested cook time.
I used the same crust recipe but fresh basil for the pesto. I cut the pesto amounts in half which was more than enough for the pizza. Ten minutes on the very top rack of the oven was perfect.
I have made this recipe a few times now and I just think it’s amazing! The pesto really makes it! It can be difficult to eat a variety of meals when vegetarian and this recipe is one of the best to eat frequently – it’s delicious! Thanks!
Could not get the dough to cook through. I followed the link to the thin crust dough and still had issues :( I cooked two pizzas, one for 10 minutes and one for 20, at 500 degrees. The crust somehow burnt but was still uncooked in the middle.
usually happens because of the toppings, either too many or too wet
Love this – awesome pesto with fresh lemon juice!!! Definitely a keeper!! :)
Hello,
Would this recipe be as good on cauliflower crust (doing keto/low carb)?
Unfortunately I’ve never tried cauliflower crust, so I’m not sure.
I made this last night and it was ridiculously good! The pesto was my favorite part. Great recipe!
I tried this recipe a week ago, and it didn’t turn out quite right. But I had leftover fresh mozzarella and extra Roma tomatoes, and I hadn’t used up all of the pesto so I put the leftovers in the fridge to try it again later. I made it a second time this evening, and it turned out really well! I made a thinner crust than the first time, so the flavors of the toppings were more pronounced and not swallowed up in the amount of crust per bite. I also sliced the tomatoes a bit thicker than previously so I got more tomato flavor, and I added small strips of red onion for color and more flavor. The pesto also seemed to have better flavor after having soaked in the fridge for a week! (I did use dried parsley because that’s what I had on hand, and I left out all pepper.) The only thing I don’t especially love is that the top of the crust gets a bit soggy from the tomatoes, but still, it’s delicious! And I love that I could come home at 5:00, start it at 5:30, and have it ready by 6:30. So nice!
Just tried this and it tastes great, especially the pesto!
This is probably a no-brainer for most people, but for absolute cooking beginners like me, could you add that the pizza pan should be greased before putting the dough on it? I’m sitting here pain-stakingly scraping the pizza off, haha…
Ah, good point!
Something about white pizza that gets me every time! But love the idea of fresh tomatoes (now that they are in season!) and pockets of herbs! i need to try! You’ll have to check out my page too ( http://www.behindtheplates.com ) for lots of seasonal tomato recipes!!!
This looks amazing! Have to try it sometime ;D
-Michaila
theseventytimesseven.blogspot.com
This looks so great! I can’t wait to try it. I am not ashamed to say I’m a pizza junkie. I love it with all kinds of cheese and toppings. Years ago when I first came to this blog it was to learn no knead bread. My first attempts weren’t that great but I kept going until I could do a pretty darn good focaccia. Then came the thick crust pan pizza, ciabatta, focaccia rolls and finally I moved to flatbreads/pizzas. I never in my wildest dreams thought I could learn to make a really good artisanal pie. The best part about your wonderful blog is all the other recipes that help me to maintain a balance within my food budget (and diet) so that I can afford pizza on a regular basis. Thank you so much for all your hard work.
No shame! :) Me too.
I have searched this kind of recipe. Finally, i found this great one.Thanks for sharing this with us.
I have everything but lemon juice? Can I sub with something else? or should I try to grab a lemon on my way home?
I would guess that, although it would have a different flavor, lime juice or a mild vinegar might work as a substitute. Try it on your mind’ tongue and if it seems all right there, go for it. I haven’t made this recipe but I have swapped lime juice or vinegar for lemon when I don’t want to make a special trip to the store.
You can do red wine vinegar and then it will be very close to my chimichurri recipe. :)
This pesto recipe is similar to an Italian salsa verde,, a parsley based sauce that uses anchovy and capers to up the ante. Don’t hyperventilate at the idea of anchovies–I can’t abide even the idea of encountering a recognizable piece on a pizza, but use anchovy paste in a tube that lasts weeks in the fridge to enrich a lot of recipes in which the fishy taste disappears leaving behind a wonderful indefinable essence. Most of us eat dishes using Thai fish sauce and Worcestershire sauce contains anchovies. Capers, are fairly inexpensive and used in small quantities can add another level of flavor–a little finely minced dill pickle is a cheap substitute. Pesto recipes usually include nuts, and although they are pricey, I might add 1/4 c of walnuts (they have more flavor than very expensive pine nuts and are more reasonably priced–or just use some of the packaged lemon artichoke pesto I spent too much on last week).. This looks delicious and since succulent ripe fresh local tomatoes have shown up in my farmers market, it’s going to find a spot on my table in the next few days. Thanks, Beth, for another wonderful idea!
I agree about the anchovies 100% :)
Oh. My. Gosh. Pizza is my biggest weakness. I’m going to have to make this recipe very soon!!!! :-)