The holidays are over and I was READY for some easy dinners. Pizza is a go-to in our home because it’s fast and you can throw whatever you want on it (obviously) . But I created this pesto pizza since Nathan particularly enjoys green sauce.
I knew I had to blog this one after I made it for my parents and my dad ate it up. He used to ONLY get the meat lovers pizzas (plus mushrooms and peppers), but he seemed to really enjoy this totally vegetarian one!
I said this last time I made pizza, but I use Half Baked Harvest’s simple pizza dough recipe (although I can’t find a direct web page to link). I could try to make my own recipe, but I wanted to share the truth – IT’S THE BEST (so far). I listed what you need below and it’s very quick and painless. You can definitely use store bought pizza dough if you want to skip that step.
Speaking of which, you can also get store bought pesto if you don’t want to make your own. I happen to have a bag of pine nuts so I’m always down to whip up some pesto sauce, but totally understandable if you don’t want to get all of those ingredients. However, it is delicious when it’s fresh (Ina Garten moment).
If you do make the dough and pesto, just know the dough takes a couple hours to rise. If you use store bought, this recipe can be finished in 30 minutes flat!
The brie and mozzarella make a delicious duo, and the Brussels will toast just enough in the oven to provide a roasty crunch. However, the arugula topping might be my favorite part. It’s kind of like a fresh salad on top of the hot pizza, and the vinegar and honey mixture will seep into the pizza and make a delicious glaze that is slightly sweet. I know this pizza has a longer list of ingredients, but I’m telling you, it’s worth it.
Feel free to put other vegetables on top, like spinach, corn, or onion. Anything left in the fridge will likely work.
Want more vegetarian pizza recipes? Be sure to check out my Harvest Beetroot and Butternut Squash Pizza with Arugula and Mozzarella (I like arugula!!!)
If you are curious to know where I got my rolling pin, it’s Anthropologie. Unfortunately it’s out of stock pretty much everywhere right now, but they have some cute ones on their site right now.
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Pesto Pizza with Brussels, Arugula and Brie
Equipment
- baking sheet
- large bowl
- large spoon or spatula
- Rolling Pin
- sauce pot
Ingredients
Pizza dough
- 3 cups all purpose flour plus more as needed
- 2 tsp instant yeast
- 2 tsp salt
- 1 12 oz beer such as Budweiser
- 1 tbsp olive oil
For the Pesto
- 1½ cups basil leaves
- 2 tbsp pine nuts
- 1 lemon zest and juice
- ⅓ grated Parmesan
- ¼ olive oil
- 1 pinch red pepper flakes
For the pizza toppings
- 1 mozzarella ball sliced
- 1 heirloom tomato sliced
- 1 small wedge brie torn
- 15 brussel sprouts quartered
- 3 cups arugula
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 tbsp white vinegar
- zest of an orange
- ¼ cup honey
- 1 pinch red pepper flakes
Instructions
Pizza dough
- In a bowl, mix together the flour, instant yeast and salt. Then add the beer and olive oil. Stir together with a large spoon or spatula until the ingredients are combined. Make sure the dough isn't too sticky or gooey – if so, add more flour, adding only ¼ cup of flour at a time. You may need to add a whole cup extra if the dough is super wet.
- Once complete, cover the bowl with foil or a towel and leave in a warm, dry place. Let the dough rise for at least 1-2 hours. If making a day in advance, you can store the dough in the fridge before going to bed.
- When ready to make the pizza, preheat the oven to 450°. On a floured work surface, roll out the pizza dough with a floured rolling pin, spreading the dough wide enough to cover the entirety of a standard baking sheet (around 13×18). The crust will be a bit thin. Then transfer the dough to the baking sheet. It's okay if it tears, just reshape it with your fingers.
Pesto Sauce
- If you are making homemade pesto, combine all the ingredients above in a food processor and pulse until smooth. Sprinkle in salt to taste if needed.
Pizza
- Spread the pesto sauce on the raw pizza dough, leaving about a ½ inch border for the crust. Evenly spread out the Brussel sprouts on the pizza, placing them face up if possible. Next, add the tomato slices followed by the sliced mozzarella and brie. You can leave the rind on the brie or remove it if you prefer.
- Bake in the oven for about 15-18 minutes, or until the edges of the pizza begin to look slightly brown and the cheese has some brown spots.
- In a small sauce pot, heat the honey and red pepper flakes over high heat, and bring the honey to a boil for about 30 seconds. Remove from the heat and add the white vinegar, apple cider vinegar and the orange zest. Stir together and then add the arugula to the pot. Stir to ensure that the arugula is coated.
- Once the pizza has been removed from the oven, top it with the arugula mixture. Slice and enjoy!
