Broccoli Tomato Pesto Pizza
Broccoli Tomato Pesto Pizza is topped with fresh tomatoes, chopped broccoli, grated Parmesan cheese, shredded mozzarella, and fresh basil pesto sauce. Then it’s baked until the crust is golden and crispy brown. With a bonus of a few tips on how to make pizza easier than ever.
Fresh Broccoli on Pizza…
Homemade pizza is one of my family’s absolute favorites!
I haven’t made a pizza in a while and since my family was craving for one.
So I decided to “swap out” the usual pizza sauce and marinara sauce for fresh vegetables, making this pizza a little healthier.
Broccoli Tomato Pesto Pizza…
- loaded with fresh vegetables…
- turned out to be one fabulous pizza!
- the secret to its amazing flavors is without a doubt, the additional splash of fresh basil pesto across the top. So don’t leave it out.
Nowadays, I make a simple fresh basil pesto sauce without nuts.
The flavor is so much better, and fresh-tasting without the nuts!
My daughter took one bite and said it as an explosion of wonderful flavors in her mouth.
The melted cheese over the veggies making it SO flavorful!! Everyone LOVED it!
Cook’s Notes and Tips for Success!
- Always buy store-bought pizza dough.
- Then, allow the pizza dough to rise on the counter for a few hours before working with it.
- Just untwist the tie from the bag and move it forward as far as you can, then seal it again. This will allow the dough to expand all on its own – right in the same bag.
How to Prepare the Broccoli for Pizza?
- Clean and chop the fresh head of broccoli and place it in a medium-size pot with 2 inches of water. Cover and bring to a low boil, and allow broccoli to simmer for 2 minutes.
- Next, drain the water, and leave the broccoli in the pot (covered) to steam for 3 to 5 minutes, until it’s tender to the bite. Remove from stove and uncover to stop the cooking. Set it aside. This step can be done ahead of time and even the night before. Then the broccoli is ready to add as a pizza topping.
Prepare the Pizza Dough… 1. WORK WITH THE DOUGH: Use a large serving tray as your working surface for the dough. I prefer to use a large serving tray to keep the flour from flying all over the counter, and onto me. This method also works for me, making clean-up much faster. Don’t have a pizza pan? Don’t worry, I prefer to use my cookie sheets instead. Yes, I use an old cookie sheet, not a fancy pizza plate or dish to bake my pizzas. You could say, I’ve become a minimalist. My motto lately is – Less is More!
2. BAKE THE DOUGH FIRST: It’s BEST to partially bake the dough in the oven without pizza toppings for about 6 to 8 minutes.
3. ADD THE TOPPINGS: Then place pizza toppings on top (and once the oven has reached 450F degrees) and bake for an additional 10 minutes, until the crust is crispy and golden brown.
This will ensure the pizza crust will turn out well done and not mushy or undercooked in the middle.
Making our broccoli tomato pesto pizza is not as difficult as you may think.
Once you master the technique of making the crust, think about changing up the toppings as you like.
Swap out the pesto sauce for some of our Best Pizza Sauce, or try our Easy Kale and Spinach Pesto Sauce instead.
Put a spin on pizza with some of your family’s favorite veggies! You may even enjoy our Fresh Asparagus Tomato and Cheese Pizza.
Creating your own pizza can be a lot of fun in the kitchen!
Enjoy!!
Yield: 8 servings
Broccoli Tomato Pesto Pizza
Broccoli, Tomato, Pesto Pizza ~ is simply made with pizza dough crust topped with sliced tomatoes, chopped broccoli, grated Parmesan cheese, shredded mozzarella, and fresh basil pesto sauce. Then baked for 10 minutes until the crust is golden and crispy brown.
Prep Time
10 minutes
Cook Time
18 minutes
Total Time
28 minutes
Ingredients
- 1 Ib. fresh prepared pizza dough, at room temperature
- All -purpose flour, for work surface
- 2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil - divided
- 2 to 3 ripe tomatoes - sliced about 1/4 or 1/2-inch thick
- 1 head of fresh broccoli - trimmed, rinsed and chopped
- 1/4 tsp. kosher or sea salt
- fresh ground black pepper
- 1/4 cup of grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- fresh basil pesto sauce (about 3 to 4 Tbsp.)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Position oven rack in the center of the oven.
- Drizzle 1 tablespoon of olive oil onto your baking dish or a large cookie sheet and brush surface to spread the oil evenly on the pizza tray (or baking sheet) and set it aside.
- Next, generously flour a work surface. I use a large serving tray to keep the flour contained in one area.
- Then take your pizza dough out of the bag and start to work with it. You can use a rolling pin to roll it out. Or your hands and pat it and stretching it as you work with it to shape the dough to fit your pizza pan. Here, is where you will need a little patience to shape it to fit the size of your baking pan or pizza dish. Don't worry, it doesn't have to fit the pan perfectly.
- Place it into the oven (center rack) and partially bake the dough (alone, no toppings on it) for about 8 minutes; even as the oven is still in preheating mode until it's golden.
- When the dough is partially baked, remove from the oven.
- Lightly drizzle about a tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil over the partially baked crust. Next, add a layer of sliced ripe tomatoes and scatter with chopped broccoli.
- Sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese, sea salt, fresh cracked black pepper, and shredded mozzarella. Then lightly drizzle with basil pesto sauce on top.
- Bake pizza again for additional 10 minutes or until it is golden brown on the bottom and around the edges. Cut into squares or triangles and serve immediately.
- Serves 8 to 10
Thanks again Susan! Have a great week! 😉
Gorgeous pizza! What a delicious way to get your veggies and great tip for using store bought dough too!