Super Easy Pesto Pizza

This is a great pizza to do anytime you need something quick to make that tastes great and doesn't come out of a box (although it isn't exactly a from-scratch item). I will post a picture soon.

Ingredients

1 lb. prepared pizza dough (Wal-Mart sells white dough for $0.88 and wheat for $0.98)

Jar of pesto sauce (I use Classico brand--heavy on garlic and no pine nuts)

Shredded Mozzarella cheese

Baby tomatoes (optional)

Corn meal

Pizza Stone (Optional, unless baking on a grill)

Parchment (if using a pan in the oven)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees, or heat all burners to high on gas grill and close cover (sans stone; you will bake the pizza on the cold stone).

Dust stone or pan lightly with corn meal. Cover pan with parchment, if desired, before dusting with corn meal.

SHORT VERSION:

1. Stretch dough to fit stone or pan
2. Spread pesto on dough
3. Cover with cheese and sliced tomatoes
4. Grill (with cover down) or bake for 10-15 minutes, until crust is golden brown and cheese is bubbly.


EXTENDED VERSION:

Dough is easier to handle if taken from refrigerator 15 minutes before stretching, but that isn't necessary. Remove dough from bag and stretch it into a large circle-like shape to fit your stone or pan.

An easy way to to this is to put the dough on top of your two fists, and work your fists around inside the dough (it will stretch down over your fists some). When it starts to thin out, grab it around the fatter edges and then turn it like you are steering a car, squeezing the edges out so it stretches more. Don't aim for perfection here--mine usually looks more like a parallelogram than a circle. :)

Place stretched dough on stone or pan. Spread with pesto sauce, to taste. I like a decent covering, but a thin layer is good, too. (Again, Classico brand pesto has a great flavor that won't overwhelm everything with a strong taste of pesto.)

Cover with shredded cheese, and then (if using them) slice baby tomatoes in half (however many you like) and put them on top of cheese, cut side up. They will nestle down in the cheese as the pizza bakes.

If baking on a stone on your gas grill, place the stone on the grill and put down the cover. Leave burners on high. Cook, without lifting grill cover, for 10 minutes. Check for doneness (you want the crust golden brown and the cheese to be bubbly). If not done, cook for 2-3 more minutes (with cover down) and then check again. Watch carefully so it doesn't burn.

If baking in oven, put stone with pizza into oven and bake for 12-15 minutes, until crust is golden and cheese is bubbly.

Cool pizza on stone for 10 minutes and then enjoy!