Caprese Pizza with Basil Pesto

The best of both worlds: gluten-free pizza + Caprese Salad in one quick and easy meal! This recipe gives two basil pesto options: a classic basil pesto and a vegan, nut-free basil pesto. Both are easy, gluten-free and delicious!

Caprese Pizza with Basil Pesto gluten-free #glutenfreerecipes www.healthygffamily.com
Caprese Pizza with Basil Pesto

Simple, Savory and Delish!

Pizza night is an easy family favorite!

The boys usually opt for a classic cheese pizza, and some days my husband and I do too!

Margherita Pizza gluten-free #glutenfreerecipes www.healthygffamily.com

But my husband and I also love this fresher take…. gluten-free pizza crust topped with basil pesto, fresh mozzarella, tomatoes, fresh basil and balsamic glaze.

This Caprese Pizza is beyond yummy…

Caprese Pizza with Basil Pesto gluten-free #glutenfreerecipes www.healthygffamily.com

Either way, this was the easiest meal because we used already prepared pizza crust gifted to us from Senza Gluten NYC  because they wanted us to help spread the word that they are now shipping nationwide!

Senza Gluten  NYC is a 100% gluten-free restaurant in New York City that holds a special place in our heart.

It is the first 100% gluten-free restaurant we ever ate at — we went there in January 2015 when they first opened and ordered everything!

It was such a pleasure for my son to be able to order and eat anything a restaurant prepared and know he’d be safe (remember, he was diagnosed with celiac disease in 2010 and follows a strict gluten-free diet)…

And the food is amazing! We’ve been to Senza Gluten many times since and enjoyed bruches, lunches and dinners there… it’s all delicious!

senza gluten nyc

To help keep business going due to the impact of COVID 19, Senza Gluten has begun shipping nationwide! And we are all the lucky ones!

They are now shipping their pizza crusts, breads, rolls and a whole assortment of yummy baked goods!

Special shout out and thank you to Senza Gluten for gifting us the pizza crusts shown here as well as an assortment of baked goods! We will certainly be ordering more soon!

Want to make the pizzas?

As a bonus, I’ve added the pizza sauce recipe on the printable recipe below, for the pizza sauce my son made for the gluten-free Margherita Pizza.

Let’s take a closer look at the gluten-free Caprese Pizza...

All you need is

a gluten-free pizza crust

basil pesto (I have recipes below for a vegan, nut-free option and more classic option, or use store bought)

fresh mozzarella

fresh tomatoes

balsamic glaze (optional)

Caprese Pizza with Basil Pesto gluten-free #glutenfreerecipes www.healthygffamily.com

And it couldn’t be easier to assemble...

Prepared the gluten-free pizza according to package instructions (some say to bake first, other says place topping on pizza).

Top with a few spoonfuls of pesto, then mozzarella and fresh tomatoes and bake!

Alternatively, if the tomatoes aren’t super fresh, you could roast the tomatoes for 10 minutes while you prep the other ingredients, melt the cheese on the pizza, then top with roasted tomatoes… that’s a favorite of mine in the winter!

Now let’s take a quick look at the Basil Pesto…

I have two pesto recipes I love!

One is vegan and nut-free, a recipe I fell in love with years ago from an instagram friend, Urban Kitchen Apothecary. The other is a more classic, non-vegan version.

First, the vegan version...

All you’ll need is:

fresh basil leaves
1 large garlic clove
pepitas (pumpkin seeds)
nutritional yeast
extra virgin olive oil
pinch of sea salt + black pepper

Caprese Pizza with Basil Pesto gluten-free #glutenfreerecipes www.healthygffamily.com

Blend all the ingredients in a food processor… that’s it!

Now let’s look at the classic pesto, I’ve made this for you before in both our Caprese Zoodles and Pesto Penne

For this basil pesto recipe, you’ll need 8 ingredients:

fresh basil

freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano

extra virgin olive oil

raw unsalted almonds

garlic cloves

rice wine vinegar

salt and pepper.
 gluten free #glutenfreerecipes www.healthygffamily.com

And it couldn’t be easier!

Using a food processor (we’ve had a basic Cuisanart – Amazon affiliate link forever and it’s great for this!), pulse the basil, garlic and almonds a few seconds to get them break down a bit.

It will smell amazing immediately! And the almonds give it a little texture which is so satisfying!

Then add the salt and pepper and pulse again. Pro tip: Scrape down the sides to make sure it’s all blended well.

Next, add in the Parmesan cheese and with the food processor running stream in the oil. Pulse in the rice wine vinegar (just a touch but adds a nice brightness!) and your done!

Whether you opt for the vegan or non-vegan Basil Pesto, or even an already prepared one, it adds the most delicious flavor to the pizza!

Bonus: On the recipe below I added the recipe for the pizza sauce my son made for the gluten-free Margherita pizza. It’s simple and delish!

Hope you love these pizza as much as we do!

Scroll down for recipe and leave a comment if you try.

Recipe

Share on Facebook Pin Recipe Print Recipe Rate this Recipe
5 from 1 vote

Caprese Pizza with Basil Pesto

The best of both worlds: gluten-free pizza + Caprese Salad in one quick and easy meal! This recipe gives two basil pesto options: a classic basil pesto and a vegan, nut-free basil pesto. Both are easy, gluten-free and delicious! Plus, as a bonus: we've provided the recipe for my son's pizza sauce for a Margherita pizza.
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time10 minutes
Total Time20 minutes
Course: Appetizer, Lunch, Dinner
Cuisine: Gluten-Free, Vegetarian, Vegan optional
Servings: 1 pizza
Author: Healthy Gluten-free Family

Ingredients

Caprese Pizza

  • 1 gluten-free pizza crust prepare according to package
  • fresh mozzarella 4-6 slices according to taste and size of pizza
  • 1-2 fresh tomatoes sliced (option to roast them first if not super fresh)
  • a few spoonfuls of prepared basil pesto see recipe for vegan and non-vegan version below
  • balsamic glaze optional(we used Monaro Federzoni).
  • 1 handful of Fresh Basil chopped for topping

Vegan Basil Pesto (recipe from Urban Kitchen Apothecary)

  • 2 cups fresh basil leaves
  • 1 large garlic clove
  • cup pepitas pumpkin seeds
  • 1 tbsp nutritional yeast
  • cup olive oil
  • pinch of sea salt + black pepper

Alternatively, Basil Pesto (non-vegan)

  • 2 cups fresh basil leaves
  • ½ cup freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano
  • ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons raw unsalted almonds
  • 2 garlic cloves chopped
  • 1 teaspoon rice wine vinegar
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • teaspoon black pepper

Pizza Sauce for Margherita Pizza

  • 1-2 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  • 2-3 cloves garlic minced
  • 28 oz can San Marzano Tomatoes
  • 1-2 tablespoons oregano
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt more or less to taste
  • 3-4 fresh basil leaves

Instructions

Caprese Pizza

  • Preheat oven to 400 degrees or temperature recommended by the pizza crust you're using.
  • If roasting tomatoes, gently toss tomatoes in olive oil and a dash of salt. Place in a single layer on a baking sheet and roast for 10 minutes.
  • While tomatoes roast, make the pesto.
  • If not roasting tomatoes, Add the pesto to pizza crust leaving an inch around the edge, then fresh mozzarella, tomatoes and bake 10 minutes or until cheese melted and tomatoes warmed.
  • If roasting tomatoes, top pizza crust with pesto, leaving an inch around the edge, top with cheese, and bake 5-10 minutes or until cheese melted. Then top the melted cheese with the roasted tomatoes.
  • Finish with a drizzle of balsamic glaze and fresh basil.

Vegan Basil Pesto

  • Blend all the pesto ingredients together using a food processor or blender.
  • Note: I didn't have any trouble blending it in a blender but if too thick or difficult to blend add an additional 1-2 tbsp olive oil
  • Set aside

Basil Pesto (not- vegan)

  • Place basil, garlic and almonds in a food processor and run/pulse several times until finely minced
  • Add salt and pepper and pulse a few more times.
  • With the food processor running, stream olive oil into the top of the food processor. Scrape down the sides as needed and run food processor until well combined and mixture is smooth.
  • Add cheese and process briefly until just combined.
  • Add rice wine vinegar and pulse a few times until just combined.
  • Can be made ahead and kept in seal container in the refrigerator.

Pizza Sauce for Margharita Pizza

  • In a medium sauce pan, heat olive oil over medium heat until shimmering, not burning. Add garlic and let cook 30 seconds - 1 minutes, until just starting to brown and fragrant.
  • Add entire can of tomatoes including liquid. Using the back of a wood spoon, break apart tomatoes until mostly crushed. Add oregano and stir to combine. Once tomatoes begin to boil, reduce heat to low and let simmer 15 minutes.
  • Add salt and fresh basil, let simmer another 10 minutes.
  • Using an immersion blender, blend sauce until tomatoes all broken down and sauce well combined.
Tried this recipe?Mention @HealthyGFFamily or tag #HealthyGFFamily!

 

2 thoughts on “Caprese Pizza with Basil Pesto

  1. 5 stars
    Thanks s much for the link to the gluten free bakery. I put them on my list. We do not have anything like that in this small town. What are your thots on corn? I have never seen be answer. Some say yes, and some say no. I guess it is like lots of other things. Thank you for the long list of ingredients. I did no cook that much. But, I love the recipes, I just do not do very good with so much volume. I am better off making enough keto pancakes for me. I would not enough room to store them

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating