I love playing around with gluten free pizzas, trying to make new and tasty options as opposed to my usual cheese and sauce. From white pizzas with ricotta cheese to tomato pies topped with grilled chicken and tomato slices, each concoction I’ve tried, I’ve loved! One ingredient though that translates well not just smothering pasta but also on pizzas is pesto sauce. I’ve always loved pesto sauce, which thank goodness is gluten free by nature! I’ve thrown pesto sauce on a number of gluten free pizzas, and no matter which crust or toppings I chose, each time the sauce married perfectly.
In search of a different take on my pesto pizza, I came upon Musings of a Housewife’s Pesto and Goat Cheese Pizza. What a fantastic twist on my usual mozzarella cheese, goat cheese! I actually don’t eat goat cheese very often so I was excited to add it to a pizza. Short on time, rather than mixing up my pizza dough from scratch, I opted to use my favorite thin crust pizzas by Udi’s. With my husband and daughter not requiring a gluten free crust, I used a premade regular crust for them and my Udi’s gluten free crust for myself. And voila! A unique twist with some of my favorite ingredients that my whole family enjoyed! Yes, even my 16 month old enjoyed the unique flavor and creaminess of the goat cheese combined with the pesto sauce. I can’t wait to make this dinner again, which by the way took only 15 minutes to prep and 10 minutes to cook!
Ingredients:
- 2 Udi’s gluten free pizza crusts
- 1/2 – 3/4 cup pesto (you can prepare your own as I did or use your favorite jarred version; my favorite jarred pesto sauces are Wegmans store brand which states gluten free on the label (how fantastic!), Cento (states gluten free on website), and Bellino (states gluten free on website))
- 2 plum tomatoes, sliced or diced
- 3.5 – 4 oz crumbled goat cheese (Alouette or Chavrie, both brands state gluten free, might be on the packaging, but definitely on their websites)
- salt and pepper to taste
Homemade Pesto Sauce Ingredients:
- 1/3 cup olive oil and 2 additional tbsp for blending (I like Pompeian which states gluten free on its label)
- 2 cups firmly packed fresh basil
- 1/2 cup pine nuts (make sure these are gluten free; although these by nature are gluten free, they can share equipment with wheat products)
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 3 to 4 garlic cloves, peeled and quartered
- 1/4 tsp salt
- pepper to taste
- Add all ingredients to food processor blender; cover and process or blend until mixture is smooth (make sure you stop and scrape sides); while blending or processing, add up to 2 additional tbsp of olive oil to reach creamy consistency; add black pepper to taste.
- This recipe makes about 3/4 cup of pesto sauce, enough for this recipe!
- 1/3 cup olive oil and 2 additional tbsp for blending (I like Pompeian, which states gluten free on its label)
- 2 cups firmly packed fresh basil
- 1/2 cup pine nuts (make sure these are gluten free; although these by nature are gluten free, they can share equipment with wheat products)
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 3 to 4 garlic cloves, peeled and quartered
- 1/4 tsp salt
- pepper to taste
- Add all ingredients to food processor blender.
- Cover and process or blend until mixture is smooth (make sure you stop and scrape sides).
- While blending or processing, add up to 2 additional tbsp of olive oil to reach creamy consistency.
- Add black pepper to taste.
- This recipe makes about 3/4 cup of pesto sauce!
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
- Add 2 Udi’s pizza crusts to baking sheets.
- Prepare pesto sauce using the recipe above. My pesto recipe is derived from my favorite cookbook from my pre-gluten free days, Better Homes and Garden Cookbook, but of course is made to be gluten free. Even though they certainly don’t have an allergy friendly section in this one, I still refer to it for recipe ideas and cooking staples, like sauces. If you are short on time or just prefer to use a jarred pesto sauce, just make sure to choose one that is gluten free (I recommended a few of my favorites in the ingredients section).
- Once pesto sauce is ready, divide evenly between the two pizza crusts, adding to the center of each. Using the back of a spoon, gently spread the pesto sauce across the surface of the pizza crust, to about half an inch from the edge.
- Slice or dice two plum tomatoes. I prefer slices on my pizzas, but use whatever you’d like.
- Layer tomatoes on top of pesto sauce.
- Add crumbled goat cheese to tops of pizzas.
- Finish pizzas with a sprinkle of salt and pepper.
- Cook pizzas for about 5-7 minutes until crust turns a light golden brown.
- Cool slightly and slice to enjoy!
If you love pesto sauce as much as I do and haven’t tried adding it to a homemade pizza, you absolutely must give it a try! There’s just something about the combination of the olive oil based basil sauce and the pizza crust that just works. Top the sauce with any cheese or toppings of your liking, but if you’re in the mood for something a bit different, pick up some goat cheese and tomatoes and put this Gluten Free Goat Cheese Pesto Pizza together. The creaminess of the goat cheese combines perfectly with the pesto sauce and sliced tomatoes. It’s so simple and easy to put together and will quickly become a family favorite!
Sincerely,
Lindsay
- 2 Udi's gluten free pizza crusts
- 1/2 - 3/4 cup pesto (you can use homemade or jarred, my favorite jarred pesto sauces are Wegmans store brand which states gluten free on the label (how fantastic!), Cento (states gluten free on website), and Bellino (states gluten free on website))
- 2 plum tomatoes, sliced or diced
- 3.5 - 4 oz goat cheese (Alouette or Chavrie, both brands state gluten free, might be on the packaging, but definitely on their websites)
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1/3 cup olive oil and 2 additional tbsp for blending (I like Pompeian which states gluten free on its label)
- 2 cups firmly packed fresh basil
- 1/2 cup pine nuts (make sure these are gluten free; although these by nature are gluten free, they can share equipment with wheat products)
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 3 to 4 garlic cloves, peeled and quartered
- 1/4 tsp salt
- pepper to taste
- Add all ingredients to food processor blender; cover and process or blend until mixture is smooth (make sure you stop and scrape sides); while blending or processing, add up to 2 additional tbsp of olive oil to reach creamy consistency; add black pepper to taste.
- This recipe makes about 3/4 cup of pesto sauce, enough for this recipe!
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
- Add 2 Udi's pizza crusts to baking sheets.
- Prepare pesto sauce using the recipe above. My pesto recipe is derived from my favorite cookbook from my pre-gluten free days, Better Homes and Garden Cookbook, but of course is made to be gluten free. Even though they certainly don't have an allergy friendly section in this one, I still refer to it for recipe ideas and cooking staples, like sauces. If you are short on time or just prefer to use a jarred pesto sauce, just make sure to choose one that is gluten free (I recommended a few of my favorites in the ingredients section).
- Once pesto sauce is ready, divide evenly between the two pizza crusts, adding to the center of each. Using the back of a spoon, gently spread the pesto sauce across the surface of the pizza crust, to about half an inch from the edge.
- Slice or dice two plum tomatoes. I prefer slices on my pizzas, but use whatever you'd like.
- Layer tomatoes on top of pesto sauce.
- Add goat cheese to tops of pizzas.
- Finish pizzas with a sprinkle of salt and pepper.
- Cook pizzas for about 5-7 minutes until crust turns a light golden brown.
- Cool slightly and slice to enjoy!