Vibrant basil pesto, crisp bacon, garlickly mushrooms and sun-dried tomatoes with rich balsamic, and plenty of melty sharp provolone and creamy fontina take this simple pesto pizza or flatbread OVER. THE. TOP. Use prepared homemade dough or store-bought naan for a wholesome, hassle-free, showstopping meal.
I’m plagiarizing somewhat here from my balsamic mushroom sun-dried tomato pizza (my other most favorite pizza ever) by swapping the marinara or roasted red pepper sauce and thyme for prepared basil pesto and pizza seasoning. Either way, the result is sophisticated pizza bliss that all at once delivers cheesy comfort, exciting flavor, max filling satisfaction, pure healthy ingredients, and disbelief at how easy it was to do.
Lately I have been loving (read: obsessively consuming) pizzas made on whole grain naan. The naan toasts perfectly on the bottom, stays chewy in the center, holds up to a hefty load of toppings, and is flavorful on its own. Of course, if you want to make your own pizza dough or use another type of flatbread, 100% go for it. The only adjustment for a thin dough crust would be to go lighter on the toppings (about half the mushroom mixture) to limit the moisture.
Any number of Italian cheeses or blends would be excellent on this pizza. I used half aged provolone (sharp, more intense flavor with ultimate pull when melted) and half fontina (mild and nutty with a hint of sweetness, perfectly soft and creamy). Just pretty please try if you can to avoid pre-shredded cheese from a bag; the small extra step of shredding high-quality cheese has massive returns on flavor and texture, promise.
Pesto Pizza with Bacon and Balsamic Mushrooms
A richly flavorful combination of bright basil pesto, bacon, balsamic mushrooms and sun-dried tomatoes, and melty fontina and provolone ready in minutes on crispy and chewy naan or your own homemade pizza dough.
Notes
Amounts are per individual serving. Multiply for bigger pizzas.
For homemade pizza dough, try this homemade whole wheat pizza dough and follow instructions for baking on a pizza stone. Use only a light coat of the balsamic mushrooms (about half this recipe for a personal pizza).
*Shoot for high quality balsamic if possible. It should be thick and rich-tasting.
Ingredients
- 1 medium whole grain naan (about 8")
- 1 Tbsp basil pesto
- 1 slice bacon (such as Applegate turkey bacon)
- ~1/4 cup thinly sliced yellow onion
- 2.5 - 3 oz cremini mushrooms, very thinly sliced
- 1/2 - 1 clove garlic, minced
- chili flakes or pizza seasoning, to taste
- ~7g sun-dried tomatoes
- 1/2 - 3/4 tsp balsamic vinegar*
- 1 - 1.5 oz fontina, mozzarella, and/or provolone, freshly shredded
Instructions
- If using dry-packed sun-dried tomatoes, place about 2 pieces in a small bowl or measuring cup with about 2 Tbsp water. Soak while preparing other ingredients, and save the soaking liquid.
- Preheat oven to 450ºF.
- Cook bacon over medium heat in a small skillet on each side until crisp. Set aside.
- Slice the mushrooms and onion very thin. After removing the bacon from the skillet, add the onions and mushrooms to and sear about 2 minutes over medium heat. Add a light sprinkle of chili flakes/pizza seasoning or Italian seasoning with pepper, to taste. Add the garlic; cook another minute.
- Deglaze the pan with a splash of the reserved sun-dried tomato soaking liquid (or white wine)--enough to scrape up browned bits, but keeping liquid to a minimum to avoid a soggy crust later. Continue to sauté over medium heat a few minutes, until mushrooms and onions are tender. Meanwhile, thinly slice the sun-dried tomatoes.
- Remove the skillet from heat. Stir in the sliced sun-dried tomatoes and balsamic vinegar.
- Place the naan on a pizza pan, preferably with holes for a crispy bottom. Spread prepared basil pesto over the naan. Assemble torn bacon pieces then mushroom mixture evenly on top. (Not the cheese yet.)
- Transfer to oven and bake 8 minutes.
- Remove pizza and reduce oven temperature to 425ºF. Now add the cheese, then return pizza to the oven. Bake 4-5 minutes longer with cheese, or until crust is crisp and cheese is melted.
- Slice and enjoy!