Make dinner easy with these flavorful, veggie-packed pita pizzas topped with pesto, peppers and zucchini! Ready in just 30 minutes and perfect for summer meals.
Pesto pita pizzas celebrate all things summer with seasonal vegetables and pesto! Pita pizzas are one of my favorite vegetarian lunch recipes because they are really quick and easy to throw together.
Recipe features
- The base of these pizzas is homemade basil pesto but you can save time by using storebought pesto. They are topped with bell pepper and zucchini but any veggies work.
- Great for weeknight dinners: These pita pizzas come together in just under 30 minutes using a handful of simple ingredients.
- Dietary features: This recipe is easy to make vegan by using your favorite vegan cheese, or nut-free by omitting nuts in the pesto.
What you'll need
- Pesto: Walnuts are used in place of the more traditional pine nuts. I use chopped walnut pieces. Cashews or pecans also work (I use cashews in my avocado pesto pasta!). This pesto is very similar to my homemade pesto recipe.
- Bell peppers and zucchini: I use red and orange bell pepper but yellow or green also work. Yellow squash is also a good option.
- Cherry tomatoes can be replaced with grape tomatoes.
- Pitas: I like to use whole wheat pita but white wheat also works. Flatbreads and even naan work as well.
Step by step instructions
Make the pesto
Start by making the pesto in a blender or food processor. Pulse together all ingredients, except the olive oil, into a coarse texture.
Slowly drizzle in the olive oil while blending until the pesto is smooth. Use a spatula to scrape down the sides as needed. Adjust for salt and garlic as desired.
Cook the vegetables
Heat a skillet over medium-high heat. Once hot, drizzle in olive oil. Add the peppers and zucchini and cook for 4-5 minutes, until starting to sweat and soften. Add in the sliced cherry tomatoes and sauté for another 1-2 minutes.
Sautéing the peppers before adding them to the pizzas makes them a lot softer and sweeter. It also coats them in olive oil which helps them cook more evenly in the oven.
You can skip the sautéing step if you want crunchier veggies.
Assemble the pita pizzas
Step one: This recipe makes five pita pizzas. Put the pitas on a sheet pan with the inside facing up. Spread 2 tablespoons pesto over each pizza, leaving room at the edge for a crust.
Step two: Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of shredded mozzarella on each pizza.
Step three: Top with as much pepper, zucchini and tomato as you'd like.
Step four: Add another tablespoon of mozzarella on top of the veggies.
Step five: Bake on the middle oven rack at 400F for 8-10 minutes, until the cheese is melted and golden and the pita is crisped like a thin crust pizza.
You may end up with extra pesto and veggies. You can store these in the fridge to use in tofu scrambles, burritos, etc.
Tips and variations
- Make it vegan by using vegan Parmesan in the pesto and your favorite vegan shredded cheese on the pizzas. I like Miyoko's mozzarella best. A dollop of tofu ricotta would also be delicious here.
- Make it nut-free by omitting the walnuts from the pesto or using your favorite nut-free pesto.
- Cut down prep time by using a store-bought pesto.
- Try other veggies like eggplant, a handful of spinach, summer squash or whatever you have on hand.
- Make it a real pizza with this whole wheat pizza dough. But really, the pesto and pepper are so good as a regular pizza too.
- Sauce: These pita pizzas also work with regular tomato sauce instead of pesto. Just use the same amount of homemade tomato sauce or jarred sauce.
- Leftovers: I recommend assembling the pizzas as you're ready to eat them. For best quality, keep all ingredients (except the pitas) refrigerated in a closed container for 3-4 days.
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📖 Recipe
Pita Pizzas with Roasted Veggies and Pesto
Ingredients
Homemade Basil Pesto
- 2 cups basil I include stems and leaves
- ½ cup walnut pieces
- 3 cloves garlic roughly chopped
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice from 1 small lemon
- ½ cup shredded Parmesan
- ½ teaspoon coarse salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil
Pita Pizzas
- 5 whole wheat pitas
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 medium red bell pepper sliced into thin strips
- 1 medium orange bell pepper sliced into thin strips
- 1 medium zucchini sliced into strips
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes sliced in half
- ½ cup plus 2 tablespoons shredded mozzarella
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400F. Place five whole wheat pitas on a sheet pan.
- To a blender or food processor add the basil, walnut pieces, garlic, lemon juice, Parmesan, salt and pepper. Pulse together until coarse. With the blender still running, slowly drizzle in the olive oil until all of it is combined and the pesto is smooth. Stop the blender and scrape down the sides as needed.
- Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Once hot, drizzle in 1 tablespoon olive oil. Add the peppers, zucchini and salt and cook for 4-5 minutes, until starting to sweat and soften. Add the sliced cherry tomatoes and sauté another 1-2 minutes. Turn off the heat and set aside.
- Assemble the pizzas: Spread 2 tablespoons pesto over each pita, leaving room at the edge for a crust. Top each pita with 1 tablespoon shredded mozzarella. Top with peppers, zucchini and tomato. Top each pita with another tablespoon of mozzarella.
- Bake on the middle oven rack at 400F for 8-10 minutes, until the cheese is melted and golden and the pita is crisped like a thin crust pizza. Remove from the oven and enjoy immediately.
Video
Notes
- Leftover pesto and any extra veggies can be kept refrigerated in a closed container for 3-4 days.
- Make it vegan by using vegan Parmesan in the pesto and your vegan shredded cheese on the pizzas. My favorite is Miyoko's mozzarella.
- Make it nut-free by omitting the walnuts from the pesto or using your favorite nut-free pesto.
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