Spicy Cilantro Pesto Pizza

It's rare for me to get bored with foods, but for me pizza is one of those things that gets old fast. I also tend to be a minimalist when it comes to pizza, my favorite being a traditional neopolitan-style pie on a thin crust fired in a brick oven. A few months ago I stumbled upon a frozen pizza that used a cilantro pesto in place of traditional red sauce, and it was absolutely delicious! Of course that means my grocery store promptly stopped carrying it. In protest of losing access to a favorite go-to quick dinner option from the freezer section, I decided to rewrite the book on frozen pizza.


Whether you are a follower of this blog or if you're just popping in from Google, you'll notice I rely heavily on fresh herbs in my cooking. This is intentional. If you are watching your waistline, using fresh herbs is a great way to add variety and flavor to your cooking without adding extra salt, sugar, or fat. You can think of fresh herbs as akin to using fresh vegetables in your cooking; they're loaded with vitamins and antioxidants that are often lacking in most American diets. The other thing I love about using pesto in place of a red sauce is I can use less cheese and not notice a difference in taste. If you aren't a fan of cilantro, try this substituting Italian flat leaf parsley for a similar take on fresh herb flavor.

The whole point of this recipe is speed, it should go from oven to table as quickly as possible making this a perfect quick meal for busy weeknights. To save time, I use naan from the grocery store rather than making it from scratch. If you can't find naan you could use any flatbread or even a regular pizza crust for this recipe.  I am a fan of a cracker crisp pizza crust, so if you have a pizza stone definitely use it for this recipe. If you don't have a stone, place this directly on the top rack with a baking sheet on bottom rack of your oven for a crisper crust. For a softer style crust, bake on any cookie sheet. Enjoy!

Spicy Cilantro Pesto Pizza, Serves 4
1 bunch fresh cilantro
3 T. olive oil
1/2 T. garlic
1/4 - 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp salt
1 T. lime juice
2 tomatoes
4 oz Monterrey Jack, shredded
2 pieces naan

Mix cilantro, olive oil, garlic, red pepper flakes, salt, and lime juice in a blender or food processor. Puree until smooth and spread evenly over the naan. Remove seeds from tomatoes by cutting off one end and using a finger to scoop out the seeds and flesh from the tomato. Slice seeded tomatoes into thin slices, about 1/8" thick. Place tomatoes evenly on top of the pesto. Top with shredded cheese and bake at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until cheese begins to brown.