Name: Broccoli Tomato Pesto Pizza
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 18 min
Total time: 28 min
Yield: 8
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.)

Broccoli Tomato Pesto Pizza. Pizza dough is partially baked for a few minutes then it’s topped with fresh tomatoes, chopped broccoli, grated Parmesan cheese, shredded mozzarella, and fresh basil pesto sauce. Then it’s baked again for an additional 10 minutes until the crust is golden and crispy brown. With a bonus of a few tips on how to make Pizza easier than ever.

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, I decided to swap out the usual marinara sauce for fresh vegetables instead, making this pizza a little healthier.

Loaded with fresh vegetables, Broccoli Tomato Pesto Pizza 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!! She absolutely loved it!

With years of experience, I can now make pizza much easier than ever before.

Cook’s Notes and Tips for Success and Make Homemade Pizza Easier:

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.

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. Then 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.
Option: 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!
It’s BEST to partially bake the dough in the oven without pizza toppings for about 6 to 8 minutes. Then place pizza toppings on top 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.
When the dough is partially baked, remove and add the toppings and put it back into the oven (once the oven has reached 425F degrees) and bake for additional 10 minutes. It’s that easy!

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.

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