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Artichoke Pesto and Burrata Pizza with Lemony Arugula…for those nights when you’re looking for a really good pizza, but you also need a salad. Homemade pizza dough topped with basil pesto, olives, spinach, and artichokes, baked until the crust is golden and perfect. As soon as the pizza comes out of the oven, top it with fresh burrata cheese and a simple herby, lemony arugula. Every last bite of this pizza is delicious and super fresh. Making it the perfect January pizza. It’s cheesy, but veggie filled too. Balance.
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I don’t know if pizza fits into your “Healthy January” eats, but it surely fits into mine.
Don’t you see all those greens? And those veggies underneath the greens, and those fresh herbs, and that lemon? This is a true salad pizza, and honestly, it’s the type of pizza of my dreams. I’ve been craving pizza the last few weeks, and I could not love this one more. It’s everything I could ever want from a pizza.
Oddly, this pizza was inspired by my soon to be sister in-law, who is currently doing a 3-day juice cleanse. Yesss, 3 days of nothing but juice! There’s nothing that sounds worse to me than consuming only fluids for 3 whole days. I truly don’t think I could do it. Thankfully for you guys, I have no plans of juice cleanses here, and only see more pizzas in my future.
Truthfully, I don’t really believe in these juice cleanses or new year’s diets. I know that everyone is different, and has different health needs, but I’m much more about enjoying real food, and everything in moderation. I feel that if we restrict the foods we really want, we’ll one, be unhappy, and two, end up binge eating and or developing unhealthy eating habits. Again, I get that everyone one’s different, but I think you should eat what makes you feel your best. For me, that lots of greens and vegetables, colorful fruits, healthy grains, and yes, cheese too. Sorry, no liquid diets for 3 days for me!
Who’s with me? I polled on Instagram and 99.5% of you are with me so far. GREAT. So let’s talk pizza!
As I said, this pizza was inspired by my very soon to be sister-in-law, Lyndsie (the wedding is in September). She not only loves pizza, but loves a good arugula salad, complete with artichokes, fresh herbs, and a lemon vinaigrette. When I was brainstorming pizza ideas, I thought why not combine that combo into a pesto pizza with burrata and arugula on top.
It sounded too good, so here we are today. The pizza with salad on top.
I topped homemade pizza dough (it’s whole wheat…so healthier, right?!) with a generous amount of basil pesto, green olives, a little baby spinach, and marinated artichokes. Then I threw it into the pizza oven and baked it until the crust was crisp on the outside, but soft and chewy in the center.
As soon as it comes out of the oven, add the burrata. Allow the cheese to sit atop the pizza for a few minutes to melt. Oh so heavenly.
Now, since I know I will get asked this question, yes you can use another cheese like fresh mozzarella. But before you do, just check with your local grocery store to see if they carry burrata cheese. It’s commonly sold almost everywhere now, so I think most of you should be able to find it! And trust me, it’s soooo worth locating, because burrata cheese is like no other. Think mozzarella on the outside, but creamy ricotta on the inside. So good!
Moving beyond the cheese and onto the greens.
While the pizza is baking, mix up that lemony arugula topping. It’s a very simple mix of olive oil, lemon, fresh arugula, basil, dill, a pinch of crushed red pepper flakes – for heat, and toasted pine nuts for a little crunch.
It’s herby, with a lemony, peppery bite. Perfect atop a veggie filled burrata pizza pie.
And with that, I know it’s only Thursday, but Thursday night pizza is sounding pretty good to me.
If you make this 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 also tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
More HBH Pesto Recipes:
- Pesto Potato Salad
- Spicy Pesto Pasta Alla Vodka
- Pesto Chicken Caesar Salad with Tomatoes and Burrata
Watch the How To Video:
Artichoke Pesto and Burrata Pizza with Lemony Arugula.
Ingredients
- 1/2 pound pizza dough, homemade or store-bought
- 1/3 cup basil pesto, homemade or store bought
- 1/2 cup green olives, roughly chopped
- 1 cup baby spinach, roughly chopped
- 1 jar (12 ounce) marinated artichokes drained and roughly chopped
- crushed red pepper flakes
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil plus more for drizzling
- 2 teaspoons lemon zest plus 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- kosher salt and black pepper
- crushed red pepper flakes
- 2 cups baby arugula
- 1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, roughly chopped
- 2 tablespoons fresh dill, roughly chopped
- 2 tablespoons toasted pine nuts
- 8 ounces burrata cheese, (about 2-3 balls)
Instructions
- 1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Grease a large baking sheet with olive oil.2. On a lightly floured surface, push/roll the pizza dough out until it is pretty thin (about a 10-12 inch circle). Transfer the dough to the prepared baking sheet. Spread the dough with pesto and top evenly with olives, spinach and artichokes. 3. Transfer to the oven and bake for 10-15 minutes or until the crust is golden.4. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, whisk together the olive oil, lemon zest, lemon juice, and a pinch each of salt, pepper, and crushed red pepper. Add the arugula, basil, dill, and pine nuts and toss to combine. 5. Remove the pizza from the oven and top with burrata. Allow the burrata to sit on the pizza and warm through, about 5 minutes. Top arugula. Enjoy!
Nutrition
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Did you make this recipe? Please rate & comment below.
Hi Tieghan,
Hands down the best pizza I have ever tasted. The combination of flavors is outstanding. I don’t know how you come up with these flavor combinations, you are a genius. Made it exactly as written. Have served it for holiday gatherings, dinner parties, etc and it is always a hit. Very gourmet. You have turned me into the best cook in town. Thank you.
Hi Shannon,
Fantastic! Thanks a lot for making this recipe, I love to hear that it was enjoyed! Have a great week:) xx
the way I think about this pizza constantly wow. We used a dough from a local italian market that works so well in the oven, we made a few adjustments for our tastes (no olives or dill) and what we had on hand (pistachios instead of pine nuts and added crispy pancetta which was a total game changer) as well as warmed the pizza in the oven for about 2 mins after adding the burrata! I’ve never eaten anything so fast in my life, exactly 0 leftovers. Thank you for such a great recipe!
Hey Zoe,
Happy Friday!! Love hearing that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a bunch for giving it a try! xxT
My fam felt this was a bit too on the sour side. But delicious!
Thanks for giving the recipe a try Stefanie!
I loved the dressing for the arugula on top. This whole dish is phenomenal and we will be adding it to our rotation:)
Hey Irene,
Awesome! Thanks a lot for making this recipe. I love to hear that it was enjoyed! Happy Thursday❄️ xxT
This came out perfect and tasted amazing!
Hey there! I am SO glad you enjoyed this recipe, thanks so much for giving it a try! 🙂 xTieghan
This has very quickly become my favorite pizza recipe. So good!
Hey Kelsey,
I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a lot for giving it a try! xTieghan
Hi I see the baby spinach in the ingredient list but not in the actual recipe instructions. Is it part of the greens mixture topping?
Hey Roya,
The spinach is listed in step 2. I hope you love this recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
This is delicious and easy (I used stir-bought crust). The arugula salad is a must. I made it a second time with romaine for a friend that hates arugula and it was still really good (but better with arugula).
Hey Meg,
Awesome! I am so glad this recipe was enjoyed and I really appreciate you giving it a try! Have the best week:) xTieghan
Can I make the pizza dough the night before? How should I store it in the fridge?
Hey Brooke,
You sure can, just store covered in the fridge and bring back to room temp before using. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
This was so delicious! Can’t wait to have it again really soon. Thank you for the recipe (-:
Hey Jane Marie,
Fantastic! Thanks so much for making this recipe, I am it was enjoyed! xTieghan
Made this for dinner tonight and it was lovely! The combination of flavors and textures is spot on. Not sure if I needed more arugula or what but my pizza felt a little soggy by the last slice…didn’t stop me from eating the whole thing though.
Hey Savi,
Thanks so much for making this recipe, I am delighted that it was enjoyed! xTieghan
This is my favorite pizza ever. Literally.
Thanks so much Brenda! xTieghan
This is was so good. We had a “ you stole a pizza my heart “ party with my kids for Valentine’s Day. Each one of us made our own mini pizzas so I chose this one. Best choice!
Hey Gabriella,
Thanks so much for making the recipe, I am delighted it was enjoyed! xTieghan
This is my favorite pizza and so easy to make. I’ve never had dill before but it really does add a lot. Worth the extra $2 🙂
Hey Danielle,
I am so glad that you enjoyed the recipe, thanks so much for making it! Have a great weekend:) xTieghan
Made this for lunch today and it was delish! You knocked this outta the park!
Hey Laura,
I am thrilled you enjoyed this recipe, thanks so much for making it! Happy Sunday! xTieghan