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!
Table of Contents
Why I Love This Recipe
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!! If you love burrata, I do a charred tomato pesto pizza which is also amazing.
Ingredients & Substitutions
- Pizza Dough
- Basil Vinaigrette
- Mozzarella Cheese
- Cherry Tomatoes
- Fried Basil
- Red Pepper Flakes
- Salt
*For a full list of ingredients and instructions please see recipe card below.
How to Make Pesto Caprese Pizza
Step 1: 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.
Step 2: 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.
Step 3: 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.
Step 4: Once the pizza is done, remove and top with fried basil, salt, and red pepper flakes. Cut into 6-8 slices and serve immediately.
How to Store Pesto Caprese Pizza
You can put leftovers in the fridge for 1-2 days in an airtight container and can eat your leftovers however you like eating your leftover pizza, cold or warmed up in a toaster oven or oven.
You can also store the basil vinaigrette for a week in the fridge.
How to Freeze Pesto Caprese Pizza
You can freeze leftover pizza in the freezer in an airtight container or zip top bag for 2-3 months.
Tips & Tricks
Swap out the vinaigrette for any of your favorite flavors from my site. You can either make your own pizza dough or pick some up at the deli.
FAQs
What is caprese?
A Caprese salad is an Italian salad that is made up with fresh mozzarella sliced up with tomatoes and basil, usually topped with olive oil and balsamic vinegar.
What else can I add to this salad?
You can add your usual pizza toppings if you prefer that!
Similar Recipes
If you tried this recipe, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it goes in the 📝 comments below. Thanks for visiting today
Pesto Caprese Pizza
Ingredients
- 1 pound pizza dough
- ½ 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.
Notes
Nutrition Information
Photo by Matt Armendariz / Food Styling by Adam Pearson / Recipe from What's Gaby Cooking
Hi Gaby! I love basil but have never heard of frying it. Is it as easy as it sounds?? Do you simply toss it in a skillet with a little oil? Thank you for sharing your talent...recipes never disappoint 🙂
I'll do a video asap
Hi Gaby. I am going to make 1 of your pizzas tomorrow, but don’t have a pizza stone. Could I use a baking sheet instead? I’ve recently started following u, and love what you do. Thanks so much for sharing your talent with us all!
absolutely!! that works
This pizza looks so amazinggg!!!
This looks mouth-wateringly yummy.
In Seattle, consider checking out Serious Pie & Biscuit for some delicious and unique pizzas.
Walking to the market now, to pick up some pizza dough! This will be a winner for sure!
Gorgeous pizza! Let me know when you're going to be in San Diego!
I'm there this Sunday at williams sonoma at UTC!! Would love to see you! xx
I mean, it's 7AM and I'm just drooling all over my keyboard!!
These flavors sound perfect together!
OMG Gaby!!!!!!! I need to make this right now! I don't think you can make a recipe that isn't amazing. You are the definition of food blogging goals! To be honest, I sometimes go on WGC just to stare at all the yummy food. What an inspiration! Keep being insanely awesome!