Pesto Pizza and Basil Salt

Bake homemade pizza in a cast iron skillet to produce a crispy crust! This delicious pesto pizza is topped with made from scratch basil salt for that extra basil flavor!

Pizza can be made a million different ways with a plethora of toppings and ingredients.  There are dessert pizzas, deep-deep pizzas, thin crust pizzas, all sorts of pizzas, but I say, homemade pizza is best.

However, for a long time, I did not make pizza at home.  That is until I crafted the perfect homemade pizza dough recipe and began baking pizza using a cast iron pan!

Knead a double, triple, or quadruple batch of this easy pizza dough recipe. Use one immediately and store the rest in the freezer for later use. If you’re not ready to made yeast pizza dough from scratch, this this super simple two-ingredient pizza dough! It’s made with self-rising flour and Greek yogurt. Or, of course, you may use your favorite store-bought pizza dough.

The biggest problem people have with pizza dough is its difficult to roll out and the dough keeps shrinking back.  My advice– work with room temperature dough.  Let your dough (be it store-bought or home-made) rest at room temperature for 15-30 minutes until it is no longer cold.  Allowing your dough to rest relaxes the gluten that makes the dough super elastic and tough.

Ingredients

The ingredients for this pizza are simple and few. You need a pound of pizza dough, pesto sauce, and cheese. For additional flavor, add sliced tomatoes and homemade basil salt.

While I can make my own pesto sauce, I prefer to buy it for applications such as this.  The pizza only needs a couple of tablespoons of pesto.  

I only bother making a fresh batch of pesto if I’m using it to dress a pasta.  There is nothing wrong with buying pre-made products.  It saves you a whole lot of time and lessens your cleaning.

There are plenty of options for cheese. Stick with classic shredded mozzarella cheese or fresh mozzarella cheese. Shredded fontina or grated parmesan cheese are equally delicious in this recipe.

How to Make Basil Salt

I came across this basil salt idea in an old Food Network Magazine.  It’s such a great concept! Super quick and easy, as well.  Place basil leaves and kosher salt in a food processor. Pulse until blended and basil is ground. Spread mixture onto a parchment lined baking sheet and bake until dry.

What to do with Basil Salt?

It is wonderful to sprinkle on summer tomatoes, french fries, corn on the cob, roasted tomato soup…the possibilities are endless.  And obviously, basil salt is amazing on this pesto pizza with mozzarella and homegrown tomatoes. 

Cast Iron Skillet Pizza

I like to make my pizza in a cast-iron skillet.  It works similar to a pizza stone in the oven.  I like how it helps keep the nice round shape of the pizza.  The skillet also helps to cook the pizza faster by distributing the heat evenly.  

To ensure a nice bottom crust, I preheat the skillet and pizza over the stove.

Pizza should be cooked in a high temperature oven for a short amount of time.  I crank my oven up to 500 degrees F and cook the pizza for about 8 minutes, until the cheese has melted and is bubbling.

And my biggest pet peeve about pizza– it needs to be portable and handheld, meaning it should not fall apart when I pick it up.  See photo below.  It makes me very happy.

More Pizza Recipes

• French Bread Pizza
• Bagel Pizza Bites
• Mushroom Kale Pesto Pizza
• French Onion Pizza