Garden Greens Goddess Pizza.
Sharing one of my favorite cheesy pizzas, Garden Greens Goddess Pizza. This is the early summer pizza we all should be making. Homemade pizza dough topped with spicy homemade “goddess” style basil pesto, shredded kale, creamy cheese, and garden-fresh zucchini. Roast everything up in a super hot oven until the zucchini becomes almost chip-like, the cheese is melty and bubbly, and the crust is golden and perfect. Once out of the oven, top with fresh basil for the most delicious garden-style summery pizza.
As we enter into the early summer months, I’m really looking forward to cooking (and baking) with fresh produce. I love seeing what’s growing in everyone’s gardens and what the local farm stands and markets are carrying. When I made this pizza last week, we were experiencing some very beautiful spring weather and I was so inspired to cook with the overflowing produce in my fridge.
I wanted something light, fresh, and colorful. A fun recipe that would incorporate the herbs we are currently growing in our garden. Sure, it’s a bit early for gardens to be producing an abundance of zucchini and kale, but soon enough…I’m just helping us all prepare!
Speaking of gardens, are any of you tending to gardens this season? It’s tricky trying to grow produce here where we live in Colorado. If not covered, there are many nights where the produce will freeze. Even during the hottest month of the year. But I’m excited to already have herbs in full bloom and leafy greens on the way…all thanks to our greenhouse!
The inspiration.
When it comes to cooking in the summer months, I tend to keep things simple. That means creating recipes with lots of produce. After months of quarantined cooking, it’s going to be nice to lighten things up a bit.
Enter this pizza, it still feels hearty and crave-worthy, but yet it incorporates so much fresh produce and flavorful herbs. It’s going to be perfect for busy summer nights when you have tons of greens, zucchini, and basil in the fridge.
Which is how this pizza came to be. It was created using the contents of my fridge, our herb-garden, and the abundance of homemade goat cheese we now have. My favorite recipes are always the ones created on the fly.
The Garden Greens Goddess Pizza details…
As with most of my pizza recipes, this is simple. And you can easily swap ingredients dependent on your tastes and what you have on hand.
Start with the dough. I like to use my homemade pizza dough recipe from the HBH Super Simple cookbook. It’s the easiest to make and truly delicious. If you can think a few hours ahead of time, I’d recommend making your own dough. If not, store-bought pizza dough works great too (Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s both have great options)!
Once you have your dough figured out, it’s time to make pizza…and a spicy, lemony basil pesto too.
For the pesto, I used a mix of fresh basil and dill, but I often swap the fresh dill for mint, so use whichever you prefer. I like to add lots of lemon to my pesto, and for this pesto, a spicy jalapeño pepper too. Of course, if you don’t love spicy food, you can simply omit the jalapeño from the pesto.
If you’ve never made pesto before, it’s easy. You simply blend fresh herbs with parmesan cheese, olive oil, and a pinch of salt in either a blender or food processor. It’s easy and worth the extra five minutes’ time. That said, if you don’t have lots of fresh basil on hand, feel free to use your favorite store-bought pesto.
Now…put it all together and bake!
Once the pesto is made, roll out the pizza dough and layer on the toppings.
Spread on a heavy layer of pesto, add lots of shredded kale, crumbled goat cheese, and plenty of melty fontina cheese. Now…the next step is key. Cut the zucchini (or yellow summer squash) into ribbons using a vegetable peeler (or just thinly slice the zucchini into rounds). Getting the zucchini thinly sliced is key. It bakes up atop the pizza and turns almost “chip” like. It’s delicious and a fun way to switch up the average way you might cook with zucchini.
Once everything is layered onto the pizza dough, simply bake in a super hot oven. Ten or so minutes later dinner is done. You’ll have cheesy pizza with all the vegetables and your kitchen with smell pretty darn good too.
Finish with a large handful of fresh basil leaves, slice, and enjoy! Simple, yet perfect. A low-key dinner at home that feels fun and even a little fancy(ish) too.
So with that, what do you all think? Tuesday night pizza? Promise it’s going to be fun, and most importantly, so very GOOD.
Looking for other fun pizza night recipes? Some favorites of mine include…
Pesto Zucchini and Peach Pizza with Burrata
Herbed Butter Heirloom Tomato Pizza
Pepper and Cherry Tomato White Pizza
Garlic and Herb Roasted Cherry Tomato Pizza with Caramelized Onions
Lastly, if you make this garden greens goddess pizza, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Garden Greens Goddess Pizza.
Garden Greens Goddess Pizza: Topped with spicy homemade "goddess" style basil pesto, shredded kale, creamy cheese, and garden-fresh zucchini and basil...so delish!
Ingredients
- 1/2 pound pizza dough, homemade or store-bought
- 1/2 cup basil pesto (homemade below)
- 2 cups chopped or shredded kale
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- kosher salt
- crushed red pepper flakes
- 6 ounces creamy goat cheese, crumbled
- 1/2 cup shredded fontina cheese
- 1 medium zucchini or summer squash, shaved into ribbons
- 1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, roughly torn
Goddess Basil pesto
- 2 cups fresh basil
- 1/2 cup fresh dill or mint
- 1 jalapeño, seeded if desired
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 3 tablespoons roasted shelled pistachios
- 1/4 cup shredded pecorino or parmesan cheese
- juice of 1 lemon (about 2 tablespoons)
Instructions
-
1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Grease a large baking sheet with olive oil.
2. Make the pesto, if using homemade. In a blender or food processor, combine all ingredients and pulse until smooth. Taste and add salt as needed. Keep stored in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
3. On a lightly floured surface, push/roll the dough out until it is pretty thin (about a 10-12 inch circle). Transfer the dough to the prepared baking sheet.
4. Spread the dough with pesto, top evenly with kale, and drizzle with olive oil. Season lightly with salt and a pinch of crushed red pepper flakes. Top with crumbled goat cheese and fontina cheese. Arrange the zucchini ribbons over the cheese, drizzle lightly with olive oil and season with salt.
5. Transfer to the oven and bake for 10-15 minutes or until the crust is golden and the cheese has melted. Top the pizza with fresh basil and crushed red pepper flakes. ENJOY!
Our Favorite Recipes
Bursting Blueberry Lemon Layer Cake.
Any pizza is a good pizza. Well, no, not really, as I’m truly weird about pizzas. This one hits all my soft spots, though!!
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YAY! So happy it hits the spot!! (: Thanks Miranda!
This looks, well, divine! Going to make this sometime definitely!!
Thanks hope you love it!
I’m so glad Asher found her cat! I can imagine what she must have gone through, being an animal lover myself. It can get really freaky and you feel so helpless.
Right! She was so scared! I felt so bad! But couldn’t be happier we found him!
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Pizza is great and I read your whole story about Niko. That reminded me about our cat Zebeau. She was an indoor/outdoor cat and when we were outside she liked to wander around. We lived in the country our house was on four acres. We were working outside one Saturday and when it was time to go inside we called and called. No Zebeau. Our daughter was devastated. For one entire week we called and called and we couldn’t find her. We looked up and down the roads and we didn’t see anything. Exactly on the following Saturday she shows up a little dusty and tired. What we figured is she must have been in a neighbors barn or storage shed and couldn’t get out. She must have found something to eat and drink. I hope Niko didn’t use up one of his lives 🙂
Oh my gosh!! Thats so long! We would have been freaking out! So happy he came back! Let hope neither of them lost a life!!
What a sweet story! Someone must have been watching over your sister and her cat. As for this pizza, I am no less thrilled with how it turned out – all that green is just a feast for the eyes.
Seriously! So happy we found him!!
Thank you!! I’m so happy you like the pizza !!
An incredible journey for Niko! So glad your story has a happy ending. I am usually not very successful with pizza dough, but that pesto and toppings are enticing enough to give it another try!
So happy it was a happy ending! I think this time will be the time it goes well for you!! I hope!! Let me know how it goes!! Thanks Jean!
The first meow they heard I instantly thought it is under the vehicle. However, to stay that long was unheard of. WOW!! Must have like the rides. Ha!
Haha! No way! Thats so funny that you guessed the ending!! He must of liked them or been stuck!
Pizza look amazing and I’m so glad that story had a happy ending! 🙂
Thank you Lili! We couldn’t be happier, especially Asher!
Poor little Niko and poor little Asher! So glad you guys found him! Love this pizza Tieghan. Pizza with pesto is one of my favorites and I LOVE all those greens!
Seriously! Felt so bad for the little guy!! Thanks!! glad you like the pizza Mary Ann
so i guess cats really do have 9 lives. so glad he’s okay though! and this pizza sounds amazing; green goddess is so addicting and deserves to be on every pizza.
Thanks we are too!!
I agree!! The pizza is so good!!!
Laughed so hard at the end and thankful you guys found Nico! Was worried there for a while…we have two cats (brothers) who are indoor as well and have never been out except for the occasional prison break attempt when we open the balcony door a little too long;) Cant wait to try this recipe! Have a ton of freak veggies in the fridge that I’ve been making for over a week now…so much so my boyfriend is claiming I am tricking him into becoming a vegetarian (which I am totally not!) thanks for sharing!
SO happy we found him too! Haha! Thats so funny your cats try to escape!
I hope you both love the pizza!! Tricking him into a vegetarian haha!!
Fresh veggies!! Omg autocorrect! Lol! Freak veggies however would be interesting (omg) so sorry!
HAHA!! so funny!
Wow. I love that you use fontina and goat cheese! Some of my favorites. And i love how this is vegetable heavy! Right up my ally! I can’t wait to try this!
Thank you Jessica! I hope you love it!!
Being a CatMom to three furbabies, I was getting tears in my eyes hearing about the meows -now happy tears that sweet Niko and Asher are reunited and he is physically OK. When you cannot find your kittens, it is not a happy time. I swear our cats can astral project themselves when I look in every possible place for them. Turn around and they are meowing at you….that is why you love them!
Cheers to a happy end of a ‘tail’ :0
And, the pizza is insane and gorgeous and so good with fresh green happiness. Want it NOW! Great share.
It was a seriously sad time there for a bit! We were so happy to find him!
So happy you like the pizza Tammy!! Thanks!!
Oh my goodness it looks so yummy!
Izzy | https://plantbasedizzy.wordpress.com/
Thank you Izzy!!
So glad you found Nico.
To this pizza, love fontina and such a beauty.
Thanks we are too!! So happy you like the pizza!
OMG the cat!! He’s had the biggest adventure of his life. I wish he could talk and tell us all about it! I’m so glad he’s alright because I wanted to cry right along with Asher. And I am so super obsessed with this pizza. I’m going to make it ASAP!
Haha! Wouldn’t that be so amazing!! I bet it would be quite the story! I hope you LOVE the pizza thanks Sarah!
Oh my word girl, THE SAME EXACT THING HAPPENED TO US. My cat had a kitten and when he was about three months old he did the same car trick. We drove all the way to town (live in the country), ran errands all day, and at our last stop we saw a little yellow thing run out from under the car. It was him! Bless his heart he was terrified. A-okay though! Another of our cats also went missing and came back eight months later. EIGHT. MONTHS. I swear they really do have nine lives.
Oh my gosh!! I would have never thought that would happen to anyone else!! Even crazier!! 8 Months!!!!!!! WOW! I’m so happy they’re both okay!
Loads of greens but still looks so yummy with the cheese!
Thanks Mitch!!
I love how many veggies are loaded onto this pizza!
Oh my goodness, what a story! So glad Asher is reunited with her cat! 🙂 And this pizza is so gorgeous, I love all those greens!
We are too!! Thanks Laura! So happy you like it!
Oh my gosh–that poor poor kitty! I’m so glad he’s okay! 🙂
Anyways, this pizza looks so green and gorgeous! My Wednesday was full of work and all, but it’s been pretty good–I love working as a part-time sales associate! But when I get the chance, I would love to make this pizza!
Thanks Cass!!
Sounds fun! Totally hope you get to make this pizza!!
This is a must make, I’ll have to add some grilled chicken or no one will eat it. Long live Niko! We had a kitten that would jump in the freezer (side by side) every time you opened it. Unfortunately the ice shoot was broke, so the door was opened by many people (think teen boys=oblivious)…heart breaking
Oh my gosh! Thats scary! Sorry! I hope the kitten was okay!
Grilled chicken sounds delish!
This pizza is absolutely gorgeous. Almost too pretty to eat, but I’d gobble a bite or 12!
Thank you Christy!!
What kind of dough do you use? It looks perfect!
Hey Kristen! I use the pizza dough in the recipe linked, I love it!
Pizza Dough: https://dev.halfbakedharvest.com/apple-and-caramelized-onion-pizza-with-pumpkin-seed-pangrattato/
My God I Love Pizza that wonderful recipe despite being very exotic view in the Brazilian culture to which I follow.
SO cool your going through my recipes!! (: Thank you and hope you love them all!! (:
HI Teagan,
I love your recipes and use them frequently. I was just going over the Green Goddess Pizza with Basil Pesto, no basil pesto here at home since we just had our wedding on site I’m behind in my canning, and my KALE PESTO (1 jar left from last season) production. I never see kale pesto used in recipes, we use it often for many things but always as a base for our pizza. Making this recipe tonight with that slight alteration and hoping to get going on this years supply of kale pesto.
Ah thats so exciting, I hope you loved it Susan!
Thanks for the recipe! Would never have thought to use kale and zucchini on a pizza otherwise ❤Used feta cheese and tomato sauce instead, which worked a treat as well! Sooo good!
So happy to hear that! Thank you Marie!
Your photos are beauteous works of art. They are like therapy to my heart, mind and foodie soul!
Thank you!
Perfect combination of 2 things I love: homemade pizza and my herb garden! I am growing rosemary, thyme, sage, basil, mint and lemon verbena.
Wow that sounds like an amazing herb garden! I am so glad you got to use some for this! xTieghan
The new way that the recipes prints up cuts off some of the measurements. Please go back to the old way. It worked.
Thank you,
Judy
Hi Judy! I have not changed the printing settings for any of the recipes. When I try to print, they print fine. Is there anyway you could have changed a setting on your computer? I would love to help! xTieghan
This looks delicious, but the use of the phrase @green goddess” implies the use of tarragon and often yoghurt, as well as other fresh herbs, in the recipe. Basil, although much beloved by me, is not a dominant element.
Hi Susan! To each their own! I hope you enjoy this recipe if you get a chance to try it! xTieghan
LOVE IT!!!! Keep posting!
Thank you Clare! xTieghan
Super Yummy style of pizza!
Tieghan!!!! PLEASE!!!! Can we see pictures of your greenhouse? It would be super inspiring.
Loving all your posts. Thanks for HHH
Thank you so much Tiffany! I will try to get some up! xTieghan
Just made this!! Except with tomatoes and broccoli instead of squash bc it’s what I had on hand. Pizza was so good!!! I will definitely be making it again 🙂
Love that!! I am so glad this turned out so well for you, Renae!! xTieghan
Hi! I have a question about the dough. So for 2 pizzas I need to use 3 cups of flour and 2tsp of yeast and leave it overnight. Do I need to use 6 cups of flour and 4tsp of yeast for 4 pizzas? it seems like a lot of yeast if I am going to leave the dough overnight? What do you think? Thanks
This was a hit! Everyone loved the flavor, particularly the spice paired with the creaminess of goat cheese and crunchy kale. Adding this to my recipe box! 🙂
Thank you Jorden! xTieghan
Oh my goodness…this pizza was amazing! We have pizza every Friday night and this recipe, along with your drool worthy photos, nudged me out of making the same old weekly pizza. And now this green goddess pizza will become my new weekly pizza because it’s that good. This recipe is spot on! It might have looked a bit too “green” for my kiddo but that meant more for me! Thank you for another awesome recipe!
Thank you so much Caroline! I am really glad this recipe turned out so well for you! xTieghan
Great recipe- we made this tonight on a sourdough pizza crust and it was delicious! It’s interesting because I am not a big kale fan or zucchini fan but loved this pizza. Any bits of kale sticking out got nice and crispy and the cheese/pesto combination was great!
I am so glad you decided to try this! Thank you so much Kait! I hope you continue to enjoy my recipes! xTieghan
Made this two nights ago and I’m still thinking about it…OMG SO SO GOOD! The basil pesto is so amazing I think it might be the best one yet! I went with dill instead of mint and I kept the seeds of the jalapeño in which gave it that perfect kick. I did a mix of fontina and mozzarella and only a touch of goat cheese. I can’t comment on the dough bc I already have another go to recipe I like to use.
An added note…I always make homemade pizza on a steel…this never fails me! I get perfectly crisp pizza – no soggy middle! I start by placing the steel on the lowest rack in the oven and preheating it at 550 degrees. Once the oven is nice and hot I cook the pizza for about 7 mins then move the pizza/steel to the highest level in the oven and broil for another min or two.
I am so glad this one turned out so amazing for you, Beata!! Thank you so much for trying it! xTieghan
The veggies were flavorful, the cheese was salty and gooey, the pesto and fresh basil makes it all pop! So good. Will be making all summer long.
That is so amazing to hear! Thank you so much Lauren! xTieghan
A+ as usual. We probably cook three of your meals each week and they never disappoint! I added scallions and avocados that needed to be used.
Amazing! Thank you so much Sarah! xTieghan
Holy guacamole. I’m mind blown by every single one of your recipes, but this one was truly a show-stopper. I used your HBH super simple no knead pizza crust made with bear (which I was like what the heck?), and it’s like the best pizza crust ever. Plus the delicious flavors of this recipe, it’s just amazing. My mom said it was better than the pizza she’s had from any pizzeria ever, and I think I agree.
Hi Anya! I am so glad this recipe turned out so well for you!! Thank you so much for trying it! xTieghan
Made this tonight with out the kale or jalapeno just because I didn’t have any. I roasted cherry tomatoes too and added them. The pesto was really good, will definitely make again. Thanks!!
Thank you so much Niamh!! xTieghan
Will definitely make this again, but with all shaved parmesan cheese as we found the goat cheese overpowering. The homemade crust and homemade pesto are to die for! My pesto was spinach and arugula based. LOVE the zucchini ribbons, plus I added mushrooms, peppers, artichoke, and bacon… omg! Delish!
I hope you love this more with the parmesan, Whitney! Thank you for trying it! xTieghan
This was a fantastic summery dinner! But I made two tweaks that I would highly recommend. First, I flipped the cheese ratio (about 3 oz goat cheese & 1 cup fontina) because we wanted more melty goodness. Second, I scattered roasted garlic cloves under the kale. I’ll definitely be making it again!
Thank you Margaret!! I am so happy to hear that! xTieghan
I switched the basil with spinach and added some mushrooms and it tasted wonderful. Nice summer lunch to go with my chilling mojito.
Thank you for sharing!
Ooo yes love that! Thank you Nicole! xTieghan
As always your recipes never fail! This was super delicious and perfect for the summer. I didn’t have any goat cheese at home so I used ricotta and snuck in a little bit of cream cheese. Baked it on a cauliflower crust and omg so beyond delicious. Can’t wait to make this again but with the suggested ingredients! Thank you for sharing.
Thank you so much Sara! I am really glad this turned out so well for you! I hope you continue to enjoy all of the recipes I create! xTieghan
Hey trying this recipe for the first time, is this better with dill or mint?
Hi Thelma,
I think that is personal preference, I love both! I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
This recipe was DELICIOUS. Perfect for a summer day, with a zucchini fresh from my garden! Thank you for never disappointing!!
Thank you for continuing to try my recipes, Becs!! I hope you continue to love them! xTieghan
Oh my goodness…made this pizza a few nights ago and it was awesome. Everyone enjoyed it and I especially loved the choice of toppings. Great recipe, In fact, all your recipes that I have tried are just delicious!
Thank you so much Bev!! I am really glad this turned out so well for you! xTieghan
I made this tonight on our Big Green Egg and it was amazing. Tastes like Summer!
Love that!! Thank you so much Ingrid! xTieghan
We made this tonight on our Green Egg. So delicious! Tastes like Summer!
This is an amazing and easy recipe. Well maybe easier for me bc I used garlic naan instead of making pizza crust. The pesto is sooo good and would be awesome on so many things. Highly recommend and we will make this again.
Yum!! I am so glad this recipe turned out so well for you, Kara! Thank you for trying this! xTieghan
I love this pizza! We’ve been making it since you released the recipe and it helped my boyfriend realize he likes kale. It’s so easy (especially because we use store bought pizza dough, pesto, and pre-chopped kale) and it’s always so delicious! Thank you!
Thank you so much Maggie! I am really glad this turned out so well for you! xTieghan
Hello, Susan, I love your re-telling of the story of how Green Goddess dressing was invented. I remember it from my childhood, but honestly, I couldn’t have told you what is in it. Reading your recipe, I’m intrigued and hope to try it soon. Actually, I’ll try the blue cheese version, a spectacular variation as far as I’m concerned.Handcrafted Corten Products In Australia
Thanks Lisa!