Pesto Pizza with Zucchini and Cherry Tomatoes
In this savvy skillet recipe for pizza, you start the pie in a cold pan on the stove top, where the pan gets good and hot. Then the pizza is finished in the oven, where the toppings cook and the crust crisps and browns beautifully.
Ingredients
- 1 lb. (500 g) pizza dough, store-bought or homemade
- All-purpose flour for dusting
- 2 tsp. olive oil, plus more for brushing
- 3 Tbs. pesto
- 1 small zucchini, trimmed and thinly sliced
- 2 cups (1/2 lb./250 g) shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1/2 red or yellow onion, cut into 1/2-inch (12-mm) slices
- 1 cup (6 oz./180 g) cherry tomatoes, halved
- Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
- Grated Parmesan cheese for garnish
Directions
Divide the pizza dough in half, place on a well-floured surface, and let stand at room temperature for about 20 minutes. Preheat an oven to 425°F (220°C).
Using a well-floured rolling pin, roll out each dough half into a 10- to 12-inch (25- to 30-cm) round about 1/2 inch (12 mm) thick.
Sprinkle a pinch of flour evenly across the bottom of a large ovenproof skillet. Fit a dough round in the skillet and place on the stove top over medium heat. Drizzle 1 tsp. of the oil over the dough, then spread with 1 1/2 Tbs. of the pesto. Arrange half each of the zucchini, mozzarella, onion and tomatoes over the pesto, and season with salt and pepper. Cook until the crust begins to set, 2 to 3 minutes.
Transfer to the oven. Bake until the cheese is melted and the crust is crisp and golden brown, 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from the oven, transfer the pizza to a cutting board, and keep warm.
Let the skillet cool slightly, then repeat with the remaining dough round and toppings.
Brush the pizza crusts with oil, sprinkle the pizzas with Parmesan and serve. Serves 4.
Adapted from Williams Sonoma The Skillet Supper Cookbook (Weldon Owen, 2016)