It only takes 20 minutes (including baking time) to make delicious individual Pesto Pizzas. We’re using a shortcut (naan bread) in place of regular pizza dough to have dinner on the table in a flash!
Pair easy Pesto Pizzas with a simple salad like this Panzanella Salad, Kale Avocado Salad, or this Apple Salad.
20-minute Pesto Pizza
Pesto Pizzas are one of my favorite, easy go-to recipes. They’re so fast to make, relatively healthy, delicious, and the whole family loves them. Making pizza crust from scratch is not too difficult or super time consuming, but it does require raising time and a longer bake time.
So, these “cheater” pizzas are a lifesaver when it’s dinnertime, the family is ready to eat, and no other dinner prep has been started. While nothing will beat a homemade pizza crust, these are pretty darn good, especially when you consider the effort required. And if you’ve tried this popular Margherita Pizza recipe, you know I’m not exaggerating how fast they are to make!
How to make naan bread Pesto Pizzas
- Start with store-bought naan bread. For these pizzas, I always use Stonefire® naan (not sponsored). You can choose from original, whole-grain naan, or roasted garlic. Any work for this pizza, but we prefer the original. In our local grocery store, the naan bread is typically in the bakery section with bread and rolls.
- Quickly toast the naan bread in the oven with a little olive oil while the mozzarella cheese, Monterrey Jack cheese, corn, and tomatoes are prepped. Thinly slice the cheeses, cut the corn off the cob, and halve the cherry tomatoes.
- On top of the toasted naan bread we add marinara or pizza sauce.
- For marinara sauce (our preferred pesto pizza topping!) I recommend Rao’s® Marinara (not sponsored).
- Spread the sauce over the toasted naan, layer with the two cheeses, corn, and tomatoes, and slide into the oven.
- While the pizza is baking, chiffonade basil leaves. Right out of the oven, add a little bit of salt and pepper, a quick drizzle of olive oil, and plenty of fresh basil leaves. Last, but not least, generously drizzle pesto over the pizza.
Quick Tip
Since there are so few ingredients, make sure to use a good marinara or pizza sauce. For pizza sauce, I love and recommend Muir Glen® (not sponsored).
Pesto
True to the quick-prep theme of this recipe, we use a store-bought pesto for these pizzas. Of course, homemade will work and is absolutely delicious, but it increases overall prep time.
I recommend using freshly made basil pesto, not the preserved or jarred kind. Freshly made pesto is typically near the fresh (not dried) pasta or in the produce section of the store. My absolute favorite on these pesto pizzas is Rana’s® Basil Pesto (not sponsored).
Pesto Pizza tips
- Quality ingredients: The best ingredients make the best pizza. Go for good naan bread, quality pizza sauce or marinara, whole milk mozzarella cheese, fresh tomatoes and basil, and good basil pesto.
- Drizzle of olive oil: A drizzle of high-quality olive oil adds a delicious richness to these Pesto Pizzas.
- Eat quickly: Don’t let these pizzas sit around for long after being baked or they will get soggy. Eat them fresh from of the oven!
- Watch closely: Ovens differ and naan bread differs, so watch the pizzas carefully. As soon as the cheese melts, pull them out.
Quick Tip
Not too much cheese: Go lighter than you might think on the mozzarella cheese. Since the crust isn’t super thick, the cheese can easily overtake it. I recommend very thin slices and about 1.5 ounces total of cheese per pizza.
Pesto Pizza variations
- Add some heat by sprinkling some red pepper flakes on top.
- Make it herb-ilicious by adding some Italian seasoning on top of the pizza sauce/marinara.
- Use Campari tomatoes in place of the cherry tomatoes.
- Add a few more veggies. Sprinkle on some chopped bell pepper, sautéed mushrooms, red onion, spinach, or artichokes.
How many servings does this recipe make?
While I’ve done my best to include measurements in the recipe, this pizza recipe is more of adding however much of whatever you like. Eyeball the amounts to fill up the naan bread. This recipe is also easy to scale up or down, so you can make as many pizzas as you’d like. In our home, the boys share one pizza, my husband can eat one plus a half of another, and I’ll usually eat one full pizza.
More super-fast recipes
- Chicken Salad served on croissants
- 30-minute Chicken Ramen
- Easy French Dip Sliders with au jus
- Ham and Cheese Quiche in a pre-made crust
- Chicken Tortilla Soup 20-minute prep
Pesto Pizza
Ingredients
- 1 package (8.8 ounces) naan bread (2 breads in a package)
- 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil, divided
- 1/2 cup pizza sauce
- 1.5 ounces whole milk mozzarella cheese, very thinly sliced (~1/3 cup)
- 1.5 ounces Monterrey Jack cheese, very thinly sliced (~1/3 cup)
- 1/2 cup ripe cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1 ear fresh corn on the cob, sliced off the cob
- For topping: fine sea salt and freshly cracked pepper
- For topping: fresh basil pesto (homemade or store-bought; Rana's Basil Pesto is my favorite on these!)
Instructions
- PREP: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. While the oven is preheating, line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set the naan on the cookie sheet (2 per sheet). Lightly drizzle the naan bread with olive oil (about 1/2 teaspoon per naan). Bake in the oven for 2 minutes and then remove.
- CHEESE/VEGGIES: While the naan is baking, thinly slice the mozzarella and Monterrey Jack cheeses. Halve the cherry tomatoes and cut the corn off the cob. Pull the naan out of the oven after 2 minutes and spread about 1/4 cup of marinara or pizza sauce evenly on each bread, leaving about 1/2 inch of crust around the outside.
- BAKE AGAIN: Divide sliced mozzarella cheese and Monterrey Jack cheese evenly between the 2 naan breads and arrange over the sauce, leaving some of the sauce exposed. Add the halved tomatoes and corn kernels. Return pizzas to the oven for 6-8 minutes, or until cheese is melted.
- FINISHING: Remove from the oven and immediately drizzle a tablespoon of olive oil on top, add a sprinkle of salt and pepper, and add fresh basil to taste (full leaves if small or chiffonade larger leaves). Cut the pizza into slices and generously spoon fresh basil pesto over all the pizza. Serve immediately.
- STORAGE NOTE: This recipe isn't great for leftovers; I recommend eating everything once baked; otherwise the naan bread becomes soggy.
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This is one of our favorite go-to-recipes! It’s easy to make and my whole family enjoyed it. I made this with my kids and we all had fun. The end result was just amazing!
Yum, my family made these last week and they’re out of this world good! The family is already asking to do them again!
It is so fresh and delicious, I am obsessed!