Skip to main content

Grilled Goat Cheese and Pesto Pizza





Oh my.

I tasted my first grilled pizza and I don’t think I’ll ever look back.

Nope, I am completely and totally a grilled pizza brat now—and for good reason! Think chewy, slightly charred crust topped with fresh summer flavors, just perfect for outdoor entertaining this season. 

I topped my grilled pizza with some quick homemade pesto because basil is everywhere right now and I wanted to put it to good use! You know what goes great with homemade pesto? Creamy goat cheese! Pretty much a match made in heaven, right there. Trust me, this will be a pizza you’ll be craving this summer and be making time and time again.

So, light up your grill, grab some dough and get started. You’ll probably want to make an extra batch of this pesto to serve up later in the week over gnocchi—my favorite! It also freezes well and tastes great six months later in the middle of a snowstorm when fresh basil and long, hot days are just distant memories.

Enjoy!


Grilled Goat Cheese and Pesto Pizza

Yield: one 12” pizza

Ingredients:

For Pesto:

  • 3 cups lightly packed basil leaves
  • 2 tsp minced garlic
  • 2 tbsp toasted pine nuts (toast pine nuts in a dry skillet over medium/high until toasty)
  • 1/3 cup olive oil
  • juice of ½ lemon
  • ½ tsp sea salt
  • ¼ tsp pepper
  • ¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

    
For Pizza:

  • Pizza dough for one pizza (make your own or grab some prepared dough from your favorite pizza place!)
  • 5 oz fresh goat cheese
  • Toppings of choice: I used sliced tomato and sautéed cremini mushrooms


Instructions:

  1. First, make your pesto. Combine basil leaves, garlic, pine nuts and two tablespoons of the olive oil in a food processor and process until just slightly chunky. With the motor running, slowly drizzle in the remaining olive oil in a steady stream. Add lemon juice, Parmesan cheese, sea salt and pepper and continue processing until smooth.
  2. To prepare your pizza, heat up your grill (either gas or charcoal is fine) and spray the grates well with non-stick spray. Also, spray the BACK of a cookie sheet well with non-stick cooking spray. Set aside.
  3. Roll out your dough on a lightly floured surface to roughly about 12” in diameter. It doesn’t have to be perfect! Carefully transfer the pizza dough to the back of the greased cookie sheet and carry outside to the grill.
  4. Gently, lift the dough off the back of the cookie sheet and onto the grill. Close the grill and cook for about 5 minutes, checking occasionally. The dough should be starting to bubble up and if you check the bottom, it should be looking a little charred.
  5. Slide the dough off the grill and back onto the back of the cookie sheet. Flip pizza so the charred side is on top then spread pesto all over the top. Add toppings of your choice (I used sautéed mushrooms and thin tomato slices and it was great) followed by soft mounds of goat cheese.
  6. Carefully slide dough back onto the grill, close top and cook for another 5-6 minutes, checking often. When done, the crust should be puffy, the bottom slightly charred and the cheese melted.
  7. Slide your finished pizza back onto your cookie sheet, let cool and slice up! 


Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Ruth's Chris New Orleans-Style BBQ Shrimp

I came across this recipe by way of my Facebook news feed a couple weeks back.  I decided to attempt to make this shrimp and it didn’t hurt that I had several of the ingredients handy. I haven’t actually tasted the original, but based on the reviews I read online, this is spot on. It was quick and super easy to recreate. If you are sick of eating the same proteins, give this a try. Your tastebuds will thank you! Ruth's Chris New Orleans-Style BBQ Shrimp Ingredients: 20 large (16/20) shrimp, peeled and deveined 1 ounce canola oil 1 tablespoon plus 5 teaspoons green onions, chopped 2 ounces dry white wine 1 teaspoon fresh chopped garlic 4 tablespoons Lea & Perrins Worcestershire Sauce 1 teaspoon Tabasco 1/2 teaspoon cayenne 1/2 teaspoon paprika 8 ounces (2 sticks) salted butter Instructions: Place a large cast iron skillet on a burner and heat over high heat. Add oil and cook shrimp until they are just done. It's best to prepare shrimp in batches

13 Cookie Recipes You Need in Your Collection

These 20 best cookie recipes have earned top ratings from home cooks far and wide. These are the must-bakes that belong in your recipe box! These cookies are gorgeous, delicious, and guaranteed show stoppers at any cookie swap or holiday party. Whip up a batch or two of these  cookies for teachers, hostess gifts, coworkers, or for your family to enjoy on a cozy night in. 1. Best Snickerdoodle Cookie The рорulаr сіnnаmоn-ѕugаr ѕоft аnd сhеwу ѕugаr cookie rесіре. A rесіре that hаѕ bееn in thе fаmіlу for оvеr 30 years! Recipe >> Best Snickerdoodle Cookie @ lilluna.com 2.  Bear Paw Cookies These easy, delicious chocolate cookies should earn lots of paw applause! Recipe >> Bear Paw Cookies @ kitchenfunwithmy3sons.com 3. Perfect Sugar Cookies Thіѕ recipe іѕ еаѕу enough thаt mу 5-year-old dіd іt basically unѕuреrvіѕеd (mіnuѕ thе оvеn раrt). Pluѕ thеу taste grеаt! Remind mе a lіttlе of ѕhоrtbrеаd cookies. Sоft, buttеrу, melt іn уоur m

Slow Cooker "Melt in Your Mouth" Pot Roast

This recipe has proven to produce thee best pot roast I've ever made.  Every component is pure perfection.  The meat is juicy and fall-apart tender.  The vegetables are cooked just right and are full of flavor.  The seasonings are simply spot on and the broth yields a fabulous gravy-like sauce that is divine when poured over everything prior to serving. We usually have leftovers of this, so we often make hash the following day.  The leftover roast is, also, fabulous utilized in a hot roast beef sandwich for lunch. Yields 4 - 6 servings. Slow Cooker "Melt in Your Mouth" Pot Roast Ingredients: 1 chuck roast (mine was 3 pounds) Olive oil 1 pound carrots, peeled and cut into large chunks 2 pounds potatoes, peeled and cut into large chunks 1 onion, peeled and cut into large chunks 2 stalks celery, cut into large chunks (optional) 1 cup beef broth 1 tablespoons corn starch SEASONING MIX : 2 tablespoons steak seasoning (mine is store-bought