Dinner is easy with these flavorful, veggie-packed pita bread pizzas that are topped with pesto, peppers, and zucchini! Ready in just 30 minutes and perfect for quick meals.
Pita bread pizzas are one of my favorite vegetarian lunch recipes because they are ready in just about 30 minutes using simple, nutritious ingredients.
My seasonal summer take on pita pizzas features sweet peppers, grape tomatoes, and a delicious homemade pesto base.
If you're seeing this recipe and it's not summer, don't worry. It's easy to make pizza out of pita bread year-round using store-bought pesto and any kind of vegetable.
Not a fan of pesto? Check out these Roasted Vegetable Flatbread Pizzas instead.
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Why this recipe works
- Nutritious: With tomatoes, bell pepper, and zucchini, these pita pizzas are an easy way to add a serving of vegetables to meals without sacrificing flavor.
- Like pizza but quicker: Okay, so pita bread pizzas aren't the same as homemade pizza dough or homemade pizza, but they are a great option if you love thin-crust pizzas and don't have much time to spend in the kitchen.
- Versatile: I love using basil pesto when I have it on hand, but storebought pesto also works. You can even use marinara sauce in place of pesto for a more traditional pizza base.
- Make it your own: Pita pizzas are single-serve, so each person can make their pizza just how they like it.
Ingredients
- Pita bread: I like to use whole wheat pita but white pita bread also works. Flatbreads and even naan work too.
- Pesto: This recipe includes my go-to homemade pesto recipe, which uses walnuts in place of pine nuts. You can use an equal amount of storebought pesto or marinara sauce in place of homemade pesto.
- 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 and grape tomatoes can both be used here.
- Shredded mozzarella: Every pizza needs a good cheese, and we're keeping it classic with shredded mozzarella. Feel free to switch things up by using fresh slices of mozzarella instead.
How to make pita pizzas
Step one: Start by making the homemade pesto sauce. If using store-bought pesto or marinara sauce, skip this step.
To make the pesto, use 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.
Step two: 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.
Step three: Put the pita bread on a sheet pan. Spread 2 tablespoons of pesto or sauce over each piece of bread, leaving room at the edge for a crust.
Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of shredded mozzarella on each pizza. Top with as much pepper, zucchini, and tomato as you'd like. Add another tablespoon of mozzarella on top of the veggies
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, vegetarian burritos, or vegetarian pesto pasta.
Tips and variations
- Make vegan pita pizzas: Use 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.
- Make more traditional pizzas by using tomato sauce in place of pesto and sauteed sausage or pepperoni in place of the vegetables.
- Try other vegetables 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.
Storage tips
- Leftovers: I recommend assembling the pita 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.
- Reheating: The sauteed vegetables do not need to be reheated before assembling pita pizzas. They will warm up quickly in the oven.
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Recipe
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Pita Bread Pizzas with 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
- ¾ cup pesto homemade (above recipe) or store bought
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
- Pizza sauce: Feel free to use an equal amount of store-bought pesto in place of homemade pesto. This recipe also works with marinara sauce or pasta sauce.
- 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.
- Make it nut-free by omitting the walnuts from the pesto or using your favorite nut-free pesto.
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