Pesto Pizza

I adore Pizza. I could eat it everyday! Tonight I made a pizza with some garden fresh basil and lemon balm pesto, some ripe tomatoes, and some leftover Minute Sausage. It is a gourmet taste for sure. I loved it more than the guys did, but I could never get them to try the specialty pizzas when we used to buy pizza out, either...

Walnut Pesto
1 cup fresh basil and lemon balm leaves
1/2 cup olive oil
1/3 cup walnuts
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
3 teaspoons minced garlic

Blend all ingredients in a food processor and let flavors blend for an hour.

I made the pizza crust recipe which is located here. Love that crispy crust. I made them in my muffin top pan again. I ate two and now I am way too stuffed. I think I should have left it at a single and packed the other for lunch. Next time, I'll remember, but it was so good. It was hard to stop.

While the crusts were baking in the oven, I sauteed mushrooms, bell peppers, fresh tomato slices and a touch more garlic. When the crusts were ready to top, I spooned on the fresh pesto sauce. Then I added sausage, pepperoni (not on mine), cheese and the veggie mixture. It was a designer pizza for sure. I wish you could see the pesto sauce in the photo. It really makes the dish flavor wise. Because I sauteed the fresh tomatoes, they didn't water down the crust. The sauteed mushrooms also picked up that wonderful garlic taste. With recipes like this, I really don't miss fancy Italian restaurants--except for the service! Never had to do the dishes there.