Homegrown vegetables, a tender whole wheat crust, and a quick and easy herb pesto make this pizza an unforgettable summertime treat. Roasted red peppers, yellow squash and zucchini top a homemade pizza crust covered with a basil-mint pesto; and that’s not all, fresh and peppery arugula and creamy rounds of fresh mozzarella cheese round out the flavor profile and elevate this homemade pizza to a regal status.
The homemade pesto spread on the uncooked crust
(To view this recipe, click on the blue title of the blog post above*)
Whole Wheat Pizza with Summer Squash, Arugula & Pesto
Ingredients:
- 1 whole wheat pizza crust (store bought or homemade; my favorite recipe is: http://www.marthastewart.com/316808/whole-wheat-pizza-dough)
- For the pesto:
- ½ cup fresh basil leaves
- ½ cup fresh mint leaves
- ¼ cup pine nuts
- 1 garlic clove, peeled
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- Squeeze of lemon juist
- Pinch of salt and pepper
- For the roasted vegetables:
- 1 yellow squash, cut into rounds
- 1 zucchini, cut into rounds
- 1 red bell pepper, cut into rounds
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Salt & Pepper
- For the other toppings:
- Arugula
- Fresh mozzarella cheese
- Crushed red pepper flakes
Directions:
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Spray a nonstick round pizza pan with cooking spray.
- Place the squash, zucchini and red pepper pieces on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and season with ¼ teaspoon salt and a grinding of fresh pepper. Roast in the preheated oven for 20-15 minutes, or until the veggies are tender.
- In the meantime, make the pesto. Place all of the ingredients in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse until smooth. Adjust seasonings as needed. Roll the pizza dough out onto the greased pizza dough pan. Spread the pesto on the crust in an even layer.
- Increase the heat of the oven to 450 degrees. Place the fresh arugula on top of the pesto sauce; then cover with the rounds of mozzarella cheese. Top the cheese with the roasted vegetable pieces. Season the top of the pizza with the crushed red pepper flakes.
- Bake the pizza in the 450 degree oven for 15 minutes, or until the crust puffed and tender and the cheese is melted. Let rest for 10 minutes before cutting into pieces and serving warm.
Tagged: Arugula, homegrown vegetables, pesto sauce, pizza, red peppers, roasted red peppers, summer squash, vegetarian, vegetarian pizza, whole wheat pizza dough, yellow squash, zucchini
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