This pizza. I can barely believe how easily this came together and how delicious it turned out. Plus, it felt pseudo healthy which is amazing when eating a cheesy/carb situation.

The dough is CRAZY simple. You only have to let it proof for five minutes, it comes together in a food processor, roll it out and you’re ready to go. If you wanted to trim it down to make a nice pretty circle go for it but make sure you roll it out as thin as possible. I had no desire to round out the size; I simply wanted the largest pizza in the shortest period of time.

You could use arugula, spinach, basil whatever you want for the pesto. This is a greens-heavy pesto which made spread ability a bit of an issue. I justified this effort by convincing myself I was basically eating a salad.

Feel free to choose any toppings you want. I went heavy on the toppings. I put the tomatoes on first, then the cheese (would rather have more cheese visible than tomatoes since cheese>everything).

Inspired by CookieandKate

You’ll need:

For the Pesto

• 1.5 cups of packed fresh arugula
• 1.5 cups of packed fresh spinach
• 0.75 cup chopped almonds
• ½ to ¾ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 to 3 garlic cloves, peeled and roughly chopped
• 0.5 teaspoon salt
• 0.5 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• Salt/Pep

For the Dough:

• 1 cup water, heated to 110 degrees (very warm, almost too hot for comfort)
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2.25 teaspoon active yeast
• 2.75 cups white whole wheat flour
• 0.25 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 teaspoon sea salt

For the Toppings:

• 10 ounces fresh mozzarella, sliced thin
• 1-2 tomatos, sliced thin
• Sprinkle of fresh arugula or chopped basil
• Red pepper flakes, to taste

To Make:

1. Preheat the oven to 500 degrees Fahrenheit with a rack in the upper third of the oven.
2. Toast the almonds in a large skillet until lightly golden.
3. To make pesto: In a food processor, combine arugula/spinach, almonds, Parmesan, garlic and salt. Pulse while drizzling in the olive oil. Stir in lemon juice and season to taste with salt/pep.
4. To make the dough: Whisk water, sugar, oil and yeast in a small bowl. Allow yeast to proof for 5 minutes. It should puff and get frothy.
5. Pulse flour, Parmesan, and salt in food processor until combined. While running the food processor, slowly pour in the water mixture and process until a shaggy ball forms, about 1 minute.
6. Dump the dough onto floured work surface and knead a few times until it comes together. Halve the dough.
7. On a floured surface, use a rolling pin to roll dough into two large rounds.. Roll dough as thin as possible, don’t’ worry about the shape. Transfer dough to two baking pans lined with parchment paper. Brush the outer 1-inch of the dough with olive oil
8. Spread each pizza with half of the pesto. Top each pizza with tomatoes and cheese.
9. Transfer one pizza to the oven. Bake 10-12 minutes.  If desired, broil for last minute to get some browning on the cheese. Repeat with remaining pizza. Top each pizza with a light sprinkle of fresh arugula or basil and, if desired, a dash of red pepper flakes. Slice and serve.