As the impatient person I am, I have become a huge fan of dishes that take less than 10 minutes to make. This faux “pizza” is a quick and easy way to get your fix without buying frozen pizza or ordering from Domino’s. All of the ingredients used in this recipe can be store bought… But if you want to go ahead and use your own homegrown tomatoes or homemade pesto, be my guest! Maybe I’ll do a blog post about pesto later :3
To find the ingredients, you’ll probably need to go someplace a bit fancier than the neighborhood Ralph’s. I am a woman without boundaries when it comes to Pesto — I will eat it by the spoonful and smother it on top of anything — and there is only one brand that does it for me: Cibo Naturals.
When I lived in Hawaii, Whole Foods always carried it but within the last year I haven’t seen it there anymore. Even here in California, I can’t always find it at some Whole Foods stores so I’m assuming only certain ones still carry it (El Segundo!). Which makes no sense. Because it is the best most delicious pesto ever made and nothing will every compare to it. Side note: I think you can also find it at Costco, endorsed by the Kirkland brand, and in a very Costco-appropriate sized jar.
You will also need either grape or cherry tomatoes. As long as they’re small, cute, and delicious any tomato should work fine. Though most importantly, you will need to find great Manchego cheese. I like to buy mine from either Whole Foods or the Bristol Farms near my apartment, and will accept none aged outside of Spain or anything younger than six months. If you like sharper and more solid cheese, make sure the Manchego was aged at least a year.
Lastly, the naan bread that stands in for the dough in our pizza! My favorite brand is Stonefire, and both original and whole wheat taste great.
Pesto, Manchego & Tomato Pizza:
Prep time: 5 min.
Cook time: 10 min.
*Recipe makes one pizza
I N G R E D I E N T S :
- 1 large piece of naan bread
- 12 small cherry tomatoes
- 1/4 cup of your favorite pesto
- small wedge of Manchego cheese
I N S T R U C T I O N S :
Preheat oven to 415°F. If using a toaster oven, skip this step.
Lay out the piece of naan bread and spread on the pesto. You can add more or less pesto depending on what you like, but make sure not to go too crazy or the pizza will be more soggy than crunchy.
Half 12 cherry tomatoes and place them evenly around the bread. Using a cheese grater, slice thin layers of cheese on top of the entire pizza to your liking. Make sure to cover the cherry tomatoes with slices of cheese as much as possible to prevent them from moving around the pizza once the cheese has melted.
Line a baking sheet with foil and place in the oven for 5-10 minutes until cheese has fully melted and the tomatoes appear cooked. If using a toaster oven, place the pizza inside and toast at 450°F for 5 minutes.