Margherita Pizza with Basil Pesto

I spent six weeks of the summer between my sophomore and junior year in Italy with the SMU in Italy program. It's hard to pinpoint my favorite part of the experience.

But high on the list was the pizza.

That thin, crispy crust, the salty cheese. And the fresh tomatoes...oh my. I didn't have a bad pizza the entire time I was there.

I've been trying to find the perfect pizza dough recipe for years, and I don't think I've found it yet, but now that I have a stand mixer it's a whole lot easier to try them out.

So last week I used The Pioneer Woman's recipe, substituting one cup of whole wheat flour for regular.

Other than that, I followed it to a tee.

This recipe makes enough for two pizzas easily, and it freezes well so you can have pizza again soon!

Roll out your pizza dough as flat as you can get it.

(Tip: I like to roll it out on floured parchment paper. It makes it super easy to transfer to my pizza stone when I'm ready to pop it in the hot oven.)

Cover your dough in a thin layer of pesto, leaving a bit pesto-free if you have a three year old who "doesn't like presto!"

Now, you can make your own pesto, but I didn't have any ready so I used a Buitoni pesto and it was excellent.

Next, add thinly sliced fresh mozzarella and roma tomatoes.

(The name of the game here is thin.)

Sprinkle just a bit of pizza cheese (or Parmesan would be good too) on top of your tomatoes.

And it's ready for the oven.

Bake at 450 degrees for about 10-12 minutes or until the cheese is melted and the crust starts to brown on the edges.

Slice and serve!

I love that you can make the crust ahead of time and be ready for pizza night in advance. Anything that makes it easier to get dinner on the table makes me happy these days. :)

Enjoy!