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Time to step a little outside the box today.
With spiced up Moroccan Roasted Garlic Pesto and Cashew Pizza!
Trust me, I was scared.
Like very scared.
But thankfully it ended good!
Love. When. That. Happens.
This was my first venture into Moroccan cooking and even though I can’t honestly sit and tell you that this is an authentic Moroccan recipe, I can tell you it is dang good.
And my crazy brother Brendan would most likely tell you it is the best pizza he has ever had, but you can’t fully trust is opinion because like I said, he is totally crazy.
He does like good food though.
And apparently he really loves Moroccan. I guess there are a few places in the Portland, OR and Tahoe, CA area with some killer Moroccan food.
The only reason I am thinking this might not be all that authentic of a Moroccan recipe is because of all the cheese. All the warm ooey gooey fresh mozzarella AND feta cheese.
You can’t do pizza, not matter what ethic background it has, without cheese.
You just can’t.
And don’t try to tell me otherwise, because I’ll most likely argue it to the grave.
Now, let’s talk about the pesto.
Yeah, I am making you turn your ovens on. Sorry, but not really because it is totally worth it. Plus, I have now done two meal in a row that require no oven. This California Chicken and Rice Bowl and the Caribbean Jerk Salmon Tostadas (fine, you have to use the broiler for like a millisecond. I am not counting that.)
So what makes up Moroccan pesto (err…what I am calling Moroccan pesto)? Roasted garlic, cilantro, parsley and mint. It’s like a flavor bomb and it’s awesome. If you have any leftover you can eat it with naan (so good, just made this), pita bread, toast, spread it on sandwiches and on everything in between. It’s so crazy good.
I love roasted garlic and cilantro.
Oh and also mint. Ever since this Mint Pesto Pasta I have been looking for more savory ways to use mint. Any good ideas?
Other than the pesto this pizza also has tons of fresh late summer veggies.
Ah wait, late summer?? When and how did that happen? Please slow down time, please?
Back to the pizza. This thing is loaded with zucchini, red peppers and artichokes. It is kind of perfect for this time of year. So fresh, light and full of flavor!
Oh and the cashews? Well, those I have been adding to just about everything lately. Trust me, you’ll see soon.
Moroccan Roasted Garlic Pesto and Cashew Pizza
Servings: 2 pizzas
Calories Per Serving: 1655 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
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Ingredients
- 1 pound of your favorite pizza dough
Moroccan Roasted Garlic Pesto
- 1 small head of garlic
- 1 cup fresh cilantro torn
- 1/4 cup fresh parsley torn
- 1/4 cup fresh mint torn
- 1/2 a jalapeno seeded and chopped
- 2 tablespoon cashews or pistachios
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 2 tablespoon feta cheese crumbled
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
Toppings
- 1 small Zucchini sliced into thin rounds (or half of a large)
- 1 roasted red pepper sliced thin strips (or half of a large)
- 6 ounce jar marinated artichokes
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne use less for less heat
- 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/8 teaspoon turmeric
- 1/3 cup kalamata olives or a mix of green + kalamata
- 1 cup fresh mozzarella cheese shredded
- 1/2 cup feta cheese crumbed
- 1/4 cup roasted cashews
Instructions
- Prepare the [dough | https://www.halfbakedharvest.com/thai-pizza/] 1 1/2 to 2 hours ahead of time. While the dough rises roast the garlic and make the pesto.
- Preheat oven to 375. Chop off the top portion of the garlic head to reveal cloves. Peel any excess paper/skin off from the bulb of garlic. Pour about a teaspoon of olive oil on top the garlic cloves and cover with foil and roast in a baking dish for 45 minutes, or until golden brown and soft. Allow to cool and then squeeze garlic out of the paper skin into a small bowl, set aside.
- Place the cilantro, parsley, mint, jalapeño, garlic and cashews in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse a few times until well chopped. Stream in the olive oil and pulse until combined. Add the feta and pulse a few more times or until combined.
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
- In a large bowl add the zucchini, pepper and drained artichokes. Add 1 teaspoon olive oil, the smoked paprika, cumin, cayenne, cinnamon, turmeric, and a pinch of pepper. Toss really well making sure the spices are evenly coating the veggies and there are no clumps. Set aside.
- Once the pizza dough is ready to go, divide the dough in half. Place half the dough aside for another use (or make 2 pizzas) or freeze for later. With the remaining dough roll/press into one 10 to 12 inch round circle or rectangle (you may go smaller or larger depending on how thick you want your crust). Top with as much of the pesto as desired and then sprinkle on the mozzarella cheese. Add the veggies in an even layer. Then sprinkle on the olives and half the feta cheese.
- Bake at 375 degrees for 30 - 35 minutes or until your desired doneness. You may also cook this pizza on a pizza stone or using the [skillet method | https://www.halfbakedharvest.com/green-olive-pesto-pizza-with-roasted-red-peppers-and-feta-stuffed-crust/], but I recommend cooking the veggies before hand.
- Let the pizza sit five minutes and then sprinkle with the roasted cashews and the remaining feta. Cut and serve!
Notes
Nutritional values are based on one 12 inch pizza
I promise I’ll be back to norm. I am thinking chocolate?? I’ll gladly take suggestions though??
Wow superr!! thanks for sharing… ?
Thanks so much!
Made this last night and it was so good. And that pesto was so fresh and clean tasting just what i needed in springtime Tasmania. Thank you.
Thank you Rachael! How wonderful to hear from Tasmania!
Hey
First off im loving the name!! Hahaha
Second. I tried this one at home and was an instant hit!! And then become the most popular item on the menu so far this week at work! I imagine I’ll be checking you out regularly for amazing food for my menu at a new kithen in a few months if you dont mind me pinching a few ideas off you?! Haha
Keep up the amazing work your doing!!!
Much love! Wylie.
Very eager to try it. Just to clarify- the roasted Garlic goes in the pestO?
Yup! In the pesto. Hope you love the pizza!
I don’t think this pizza has any Moroccan stuff at all. BTW I’m moroccan and it kind of offends me a little bit to call it a Moroccan pizza
Oh dear… then u must be a very SAD Moroccan…. eh
Why do you tag it “vegan” when it’s made with cheese and other non vegan stuff?
Hi, I must have tagged this that was as a mistake. Sorry.
Thanks — I just pinned it successfully!
I’ll make the pizza this weekend — I can hardly wait to taste it — it’s nice when something that looks really healthy also looks delicious!
Thanks Vicki! Hope you love it!
I can hardly wait to make this yummy-looking pizza!
I tried to pin it, but when I clicked on the P logo, something else came up — nice, but it didn’t include the pizza!
Thanks so much for the recipe, and the pix.
Hey Vicki,
If you hover you mousse over the photo of the pizza there is a pin it button at the top of every picture. That should work, but let me know if you have problems!
Thanks for the sweet comment and I hope you love this pizza!
This pizza was awesome! I featured it in my most recent meal plan on my blog http://rainbowdelicious.com/meal-plan-summer-week-10/. FYI under the list of ingredients for the pesto the bulb of garlic is not listed, it is easy to figure out that you need it as you read the instructions but I thought you might want to know! Your recipes are always so great, I look forward to trying more in the future!
Thank you so much, Emily! I am thrilled you love this pizza!! And thanks for letting me know about the garlic. I will fix that!
This looks INSANELY good! I haven’t tried mint pesto yet, but I have a bushel of basil ready to be turned into pesto. I will have to add mint to one of the batches. Ever since we went to Morocco earlier this summer I have been craving Moroccan flavors. Since I adore pizza, this looks like the perfect place to start!
Whoa! Morocco?!? How fun!! Hope you do give this a try, that way you can tell me if you think it is truly authentic Moroccan!
Thanks so much, Amy!
Oh my gosh, this looks DELICIOUS.
Thank you so much, Jess!
I looooooooove Moroccan food! It’s very close to the food that my family and I eat since we’re Algerian! I can’t wait to try this Tieghan, it looks delicious!
Thank you so much, Mimi!