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Summer Garden Pizza
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Summer Garden Pizza with Pattypan Squash, Squash Blossoms, and Herb Pesto

This simple, delicious pizza makes great use of your summer herb- and vegetable-garden harvests.
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time10 minutes
Total Time25 minutes
Course: Appetizer, Main Course
Cuisine: American, Italian, Mediterranean
Keyword: feta cheese, pesto, squash blossoms, summer, summer squash, vegetarian
Makes: 1 (12- to 14-inch) pizza
Cost: $10

Equipment

  • Food processor
  • Rolling pin (optional)
  • Large rimmed baking sheet or baking stone/steel
  • Pizza peel (optional)

Ingredients

For the pesto

  • 1 cup fresh basil leaves, packed
  • 1 cup fresh lemon balm leaves, packed
  • 2 tablespoons pine nuts or chopped almonds, toasted
  • 1 garlic clove
  • teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt, plus more as needed
  • 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling

For the pizza

  • 1 (14- to 16-ounce) ball pizza dough
  • 1 medium or 2 small pattypan squash, very thinly sliced
  • cup crumbled feta cheese
  • ¼ cup heavy cream, divided
  • 6 to 8 fresh squash blossoms, rinsed and checked for bugs
  • Freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 500°F (if using a baking sheet) or as high as it will go (if using a baking stone/steel; place the stone/steel in the bottom third of the oven before you start preheating). Let the oven preheat for at least 30 minutes. Then, if you’re using a baking stone or steel, switch the oven to Broil on high.
  • To make the pesto: In a food processor, combine the basil, lemon balm, pine nuts, garlic, lemon juice, and salt. Pulse until well combined and very finely chopped. With the motor running, stream in the oil and process until smooth. Taste and add more salt and/or lemon juice as desired. (But be careful not to salt it too much; as the pesto cooks on the pizza, the flavors will intensify.)
  • Stretch or roll out your dough to a 12-inch circle, then transfer it to an oiled or parchment-lined baking sheet or a lightly floured pizza peel (if using a baking stone/steel).
  • Spread the pesto evenly over the dough, leaving a ½-inch border all around. Tile on the sliced squash (keeping them in a single layer), then sprinkle on the feta and half of the cream. Arrange the squash blossoms on top in a circle, spacing them evenly.
  • Transfer the pizza to the oven and bake until the crust is golden and the cheese has browned in spots—8 to 10 minutes on the baking sheet, 6 to 8 minutes on the baking stone/steel. Remove the pizza from the oven.
  • Remove the pizza from the oven and immediately drizzle on the remaining cream. Let it sit for 5 minutes, sprinkle with a pinch of salt and a few grinds of black pepper, then slice and serve.