This Veggie Garden Pizza Pesto recipe is the perfect summer or early fall recipe to use up those garden vegetables or to take advantage of the farmer's market. There is a homemade pesto sauce and it's topped with arugula for a fresh, healthy, and delicious pizza.
This Veggie Garden Pesto Pizza is inspired by one of my favorite restaurants I used to frequent when I lived in San Francisco called Park Chow. It's no longer in business, but I've tried to recreate my favorite pizza and I think I got pretty close.
Jump to:
Why I Love This Recipe
This pizza has fresh heirloom tomatoes, fresh corn, homemade pesto, fresh mozzarella cheese and is topped with fresh arugula. If you are looking for a way to use up your summer and early fall vegetables from your garden or just love veggies in general, this is the pizza for you!
If you love making homemade pizza, check out my Fig and Prosciutto Pizza recipe and my Taco Pizza Recipe. And if you need more recipes for fresh veggies you will love my Air Fryer Bruschetta and my Roasted Vegetable Cheese Quesadillas.
Key Ingredients Needed For This Recipe
All of the ingredients for this pizza are either fresh produce or made from scratch. But, if you don't want to make everything from scratch, you can use store-bought pizza crust and/or pesto.
The veggies I love on this pizza are heirloom tomatoes, sweet corn, and arugula. This pizza tastes like summer!
You will also need cheese, of course. I used pre-sliced fresh mozzarella. Fresh mozzarella is always a good idea on pizza, but you can use whatever cheese you love or have on hand.
*See the recipe card for the complete list of ingredients and quantities.
What are Heirloom Tomatoes?
Although heirloom tomatoes can look a little strange in shape and color, they taste unbelievable and have so much more flavor than your typical grocery store tomato, in my opinion. Since heirloom tomatoes have become much more popular over the years, you can find them in most grocery stores in the summer and early fall.
According to Bon Appetit, "The seeds are what make an heirloom tomato an heirloom tomato. They are passed down from season to season, taken by the farmers from the tomato plants that produce the best fruit. This process allows farmers to select for certain desirable traits like juiciness, size, shape, or color."
How To Assemble This Pizza
Roll out the pizza dough to a 12" round (if you made my homemade crust, this will be half of the dough). Once the oven is preheated, place the rolled-out crust in the oven and bake for 3-4 minutes.
Spread on a layer of pesto then add the cheese, tomato slices, and corn. Bake for an additional 11-13 minutes until the cheese is melted and the crust is brown around the edges.
Remove the pizza from the oven and place the arugula on top. Slice the pizza and enjoy!
Tools for Making Pizza at Home
A pizza stone is a must-have for making pizza at home. When you preheat the stone, it helps achieve a crispy crust. Don't forget the pizza wheel or cutter to make serving easy.
Having a pizza peel to move the pizza to and from the oven is also helpful. This set from Cuisinart has all of your pizza-baking needs all in one!
Expert Tips for This Recipe
- I like to bake my homemade crust for 3-4 minutes before adding the toppings. This helps prevent a soggy middle, especially when using fresh tomatoes, and it also makes it easier to move the crust after topping.
- For an extra layer of flavor, coat the fresh arugula with a light coat of olive oil before placing it on top of the baked pizza.
- Use a pizza peel for an easy and safe way to place the crust on the pizza stone and remove it as well.
- No pizza stone? Use a large baking sheet or pizza baking pan. There is no need to preheat the pan and make sure to adjust bake time as needed.
If you get a chance to make these Veggie Garden Pesto Pizza, tag me on Instagram or Facebook and show me, or leave a review below! You can also follow me on Pinterest and sign up for my e-mail list to receive more fun and delicious recipes right in your inbox.
Veggie Garden Pesto Pizza
Equipment
- pizza stone or pizza pan
Ingredients
- 1 pizza crust homemade or store-bought
- 4 tablespoons pesto sauce homemade or store-bought
- 6 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese (I used pre-sliced)
- 2 medium heirloom tomatoes, sliced
- 1 cob fresh sweet corn, remove from the cob
- 1 ounce fresh arugula (about a cup)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven and pizza stone to 500°F. Roll out the pizza dough to a 12" round (if you made my homemade crust, this will be half of the dough).
- Once the oven is preheated, place the rolled-out crust in the oven and bake for 3-4 minutes and remove it from the oven. This step is optional, but I find that it creates a crispier crust and prevents a soggy bottom from the heavy ingredients.
- Spread on a layer of pesto then add the cheese, tomato slices, and corn. Bake for an additional 11-13 minutes until the cheese is melted and the crust is brown around the edges.
- Remove the pizza from the oven and place the arugula on top. Enjoy immediately!
Notes
- I like to bake my homemade crust for 3-4 minutes before adding the toppings. This helps prevent a soggy middle, especially when using fresh tomatoes, and it also makes it easier to move the crust after topping.
- For an extra layer of flavor, coat the fresh arugula with a light coat of olive oil before placing it on top of the baked pizza.
- Use a pizza peel for an easy and safe way to place the crust on the pizza stone and remove it as well.
- No pizza stone? Use a large baking sheet or pizza baking pan. There is no need to preheat the pan and make sure to adjust bake time as needed.
Nutrition
Any nutrition calculations are only estimates using online calculators. Please verify using your own data.
Linda says
Love the addition of pesto in this pizza. So refreshing and flavorful
Emily says
Pesto and pizza just go together, right? Thanks for checking it out.
serena says
Such a great way to use those fall veggies.
Emily says
Yes! Use up veggies and have pizza...what could be better?? 😉
Jessica Stroup says
Absolutely delicious! So fresh and yummy.
Emily says
I'm so glad you liked it. Thanks for trying it out.
Will says
Trying this next pizza night!
Emily says
That's great to hear, I know you are gonna love it!
Kayla DiMaggio says
I love that I was able to get all of this at the farmer's market! So delicious! We always eat pizzas on Fridays so I am making this again tonight!
Emily says
Farmer's markets are the BEST! Happy Pizza night!!
Dannii says
What a vibrant and delicious pizza. Definitely one to try for our next pizza night.
Emily says
I hope everyone loves it for pizza night 😁
Shadi Hasanzadenemati says
This was amazing and such a treat! Thank you!
Emily says
Thanks, Shandi! I love to hear that.
Marlynn says
This is such a yummy pizza for family pizza night at our house! Love the sweet corn and arugula together.
Emily says
There are a lot of different flavors going on in this pizza but they just seem to work together. I'm glad you and your family liked it.
Nora says
Great recipe! So healthy and delicious!
Emily says
Thanks, Nora!
Kylie says
The perfect weeknight pizza!
Tatiana says
Arugula on top of pizza adds so much flavor, crunch and actual vitamins. I can eat it all day!
Emily says
Isn't it great when you find something delicious AND nutritious?? Enjoy!
Jean says
delicious vegetable pizza and I like the use of pesto, have to try!
Emily says
Pesto and veggies are magical together. I hope you get a chance to try it!
Amy says
Great recipe! Love the use of pesto!
Emily says
Thanks, Amy!