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Pesto and feta pizza with whisper-thin slices of zucchini is packed with punchy, savory flavor. It comes together in a flash and makes a great simple but festive dinner.
Why we love this recipe
We fell in love with this pie when we first moved to London back in the summer of 2011. Even though London isn’t wildly different from New York (or different to New York, as they say), we still found ourselves craving the creature comforts of home as we acclimated. A simple homemade pizza recipe like this one, bursting with produce and briny flavors, was the perfect way to channel the east coast August we craved.
This pie has it all:
- Pesto brings the party, with its bright, savory magic
- Thinly sliced zucchini cooks in a flash in the oven, adding summery freshness without too much heft
- Feta and oil-cured olives give this dish a briny flair that you’ll crave
I first published this recipe here way back in 2011. I’ve updated the post for clarity and made a few tweaks to the recipe, but it remains essentially the same.
What you’ll need
Here’s a glance at the ingredients you’ll need to make this recipe.
- Pesto plays two roles here. It blankets the crust, standing in for tomato sauce. And it lightly coats the zucchini, adding flavor and a bit of sizzle in the oven. You can buy it, use your own favorite recipe, or fall in love with one of my favorites (here and here).
- A mandoline slicer makes is easy to slice the zucchini paper-thin, but you can use a nice, sharp chef’s knife if that’s what you’ve got.
- There are lots of varieties of feta. I tend to use a fairly firm cow’s milk variety, but this pie will work your favorite type.
- Moroccan oil-cured black olives have an intense savory flavor. Learn more here if you like, or substitute another favorite olive type if you prefer.
- Here’s our favorite pizza dough recipe. You can, of course, buy a ball of good-quality dough from the store or your local pizza place if you prefer.
How to make it
Here’s what you’ll do to make a beautiful, savory, pesto and feta pizza with zucchini. You can see the steps in action in the video that accompanies this post, and get all the details in the recipe card below.
- Thinly slice the zucchini and stir in some of the pesto to coat.
- Stretch the dough into a 14- to 16-inch circle. Spread the remaining pesto overtop.
- Arrange the zucchini evenly over the dough. Sprinkle on the feta and olives.
- Bake right on a pizza stone in the center of a 500°F oven for about 10 minutes, until the crust is cooked through. Slice and serve!
Expert tips and FAQs
That’s okay! You have a few options.
If you have a pizza pan, it’s fine to put it right on the oven rack.
You can use a flat cookie sheet (or an overturned rimmed one) the same way you’d us the stone. It won’t retain as much heat, but it’s better than nothing. Prepare your pie on a piece of parchment (which I like to do anyway) and slide the whole thing onto the baking sheet when you’re ready to cook.
Or you can style this as a sheet pan pizza. If you like thick crust and don’t mind it not getting super-crispy, this is a great way to go. Refer to the recipe card for the details.
You can make the pesto way in advance. It will keep in the fridge for up to a week or in the freezer for up to a year. Make the pizza right before serving.
Leftover pesto and feta pizza with zucchini and olives will keep in the fridge or up to a week. Reheat in a toaster oven or 300°F oven, or eat them cold if you’re into that sort of thing.
More favorite pizza recipes
- Prosciutto and arugula with balsamic drizzle
- Spring vegetable with asparagus and mushrooms
- Naan pizza margherita or with broccoli
Got too much zucchini?
Who doesn’t? You can find all our zucchini recipes here.
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Pesto and Feta Pizza with Zucchini
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon cornmeal
- 1 ball pizza dough, homemade or purchased
- 1 cup (250 grams) pesto, divided
- 1 medium zucchini, very thinly sliced
- 4 ounces (113 grams) feta cheese, crumbled
- 20 oil-cured black olives, pitted
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 500°F, with a pizza stone on the center rack if you have one. Prepare your pizza pan or baking sheet by brushing with the olive oil and sprinkling evenly with the cornmeal. Roll or stretch the dough to cover the surface of the pan.
- Slice the zucchini as thinly as possible, on a mandoline if you have one or with a very sharp knife.
- Place zucchini slices in a bowl and toss with half the pesto.
- Spread the remaining pesto evenly over the dough and top with overlapping slices of zucchini.
- Sprinkle the feta and olives overtop.
- Slide pizza onto stone and bake until the dough is cooked through and the zucchini is tender, about 10 minutes, depending on thickness.
- Slice and serve.
Notes
- You can buy a good-quality pesto, use your own favorite recipe, or fall in love with one of my favorites (here and here).
- There are lots of varieties of feta. I tend to use a fairly firm cow’s milk variety, but this pizza will work your favorite type.
- Moroccan oil-cured black olives have an intense savory flavor. You can substitute another favorite olive type if you prefer.
- No pizza stone? No worries. You have a few options. If you have a pizza pan, it’s fine to put it right on the oven rack. You can use a flat cookie sheet (or an overturned rimmed one) the same way you’d us the stone. It won’t retain as much heat, but it’s better than nothing. Prepare your pizza on a piece of parchment (which I like to do anyway) and slide the whole thing onto the baking sheet when you’re ready to cook. Or you can style this as a sheet pan pizza. If you like thick crust and don’t mind it not getting super-crispy, this is a great way to go. Refer to the recipe card for the details.
- For a sheet pan pizza, use a dough ball weighing about 22 ounces/625 grams, or one whole recipe of our crust. For a thinner-crust pizza cooked right on a pizza stone, use half that amount.
- You can make the pesto way in advance. It will keep in the fridge for up to a week or in the freezer for up to a year.
- Make the pizza right before serving. Leftovers will keep in the fridge or up to a week. Reheat in a toaster oven or 300°F oven, or eat them cold if you’re into that sort of thing.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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