We’re getting into Caprese season and I’m not mad at it!! Any excuse to eat basil, mozzarella and tomatoes is fine by me… hence this Pesto Caprese Pizza!
Things are about to get real busy around here. Literally this all happened last night. I was planning on being in LA for the next few weeks before our next big trip but all of a sudden I’m jetting around the west coast like it’s my job… well technically it is. Events in Seattle, Sonoma, San Francisco and San Diego here I come! There will be plenty of time for stuffing my face, naturally, and I’m on the hunt for good pizza in each of those cities. But in the meantime, I made THIS killer Pesto Caprese Pizza a few weeks back and I’m hooked.
Like I said up above, caprese season is coming and I LOVE IT. Really delish tomatoes mixed with fresh mozzarella and some basil. What more would you ever need in life? It’s the trifecta of perfection. Naturally the sauce is my all time favorite basil vinaigrette and it’s topped with nothing more than mozzarella and tomatoes and fried basil for a little something special. It’s a veggie lovers dream but any meat eater would love it too!!
Ingredients
- 1 pound pizza dough
- 1/2 cup Basil Vinaigrette
- 8 ounces mozzarella cheese
- ½ cup heirloom cherry tomatoes, halved
- handful of fresh basil, fried and torn into pieces
- red pepper flakes
Instructions
- Pre-heat your oven to 500 degrees. Thirty minutes before cooking the pizza, put your pizza stone in the oven.
- Stretch out your pizza dough using your hands in a circular motion, then lay it on a flat surface and flatten it out using a rolling pin. If you have a pizza peel, sprinkle some flour on it and place the stretched out dough on the peel. Once your dough is flat and ready to be heated, use a spoon to spread the basil vinaigrette all around the dough leaving a little bit for the crust. Top with the mozzarella and halved cherry tomatoes and pop your pizza peel in the oven and slide it over the stone for 12-15 minutes.
- Once the pizza is done, remove and top with fried basil, salt, and red pepper flakes. Cut into 6-8 slices and serve immediately.
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Photo by Matt Armendariz / Food Styling by Adam Pearson / Recipe from What’s Gaby Cooking
