Tl/DR – Tomato Pesto Naan Pizza. Tomato pesto is an easy alternative to pizza sauce with tomato paste, pine nuts, parmesan, olive oil and garlic. Any toppings work, but fresh mozzarella and basil are fantastic. –
I first made tomato pesto because I really, (and don’t get offended,) don’t like pizza sauce. It works with whatever toppings feel right. It’s tomato-ey and garlicky and the perfect consistency. The ingredients are easy: tomato paste, pine nuts, parmesan, olive oil, garlic and salt and pepper. If you don’t like the bite of raw garlic, you can chop the clove in 4 pieces and blanch for 2 minutes in boiling water, then drain.
Naan bread makes an easy and tasty base for small pizzas. It’s soft, but baked at a high temp it will crisp up around the edges. If you use a pizza stone you can get it even crispier. Stonefire, in addition to naan bread, makes a great artisan thin pizza crust, which I use in place of the naan bread if I can find it in stores. It’s great. It tastes fresh and holds up in the oven really well.
Also try Oregano Pesto Flatbread Pizzas.
Tomato Pesto Naan Pesto
Ingredients
- 4 regular sized naan breads, not frozen
- 1/4 c tomato paste
- 1 clove garlic, optionally blanched for 2 minutes in boiling water and drained
- 1/4 c pine nuts
- 1/4 c grated parmesan cheese
- 2 T extra virgin olive oil
- 1/8 t kosher salt
- 1/8 t black pepper
- 8 oz fresh mozzarella, sliced thin
- Any preferred pizza toppings, sliced thin
Directions
- Step 1 Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
- Step 2 Combine pesto ingredients, (tomato paste through black pepper,) in a food processor and process until it forms a thick paste, about 1 minute.
- Step 3 Place parchment paper on two baking sheets.
- Step 4 With wet hands, moisten the naan breads just a tiny bit and place on the parchment paper. Alternately, one spritz of water from a spray bottle will work.
- Step 5 Spread 1 – 2 T of the tomato pesto evenly over each naan bread, then top with cheese and any other toppings you choose. Keep each topping minimal to avoid overloading.
- Step 6 Bake at 425 degrees for 10 – 13 minutes, allowing naan to brown and get crispy on the edges.
- Step 7 Remove from oven and slice with a pizza slicer. Serve immediately.
