Loaded White Pesto Pizza in a Skillet
Looking for an easy recipe for Back to School? This Loaded White Pesto Pizza in a Skillet is always a huge hit and will satisfy any pizza loving bunch! Plus it’s customizable!
This Loaded White Pesto Pizza in a Skillet is the perfect recipe for back to school or anytime!
It’s a quick meal that comes together in just minutes and we have some tips down below on how to prepare ahead of time! And how to meal prep with them!
Can I use different toppings?
This is the most frequently asked question about this recipe.
And then answer is YES!
We want you to create something your family will love. As with a large majority of my recipes, I want you to customize them to your taste and preferences.
If you want some great topping ideas, our big list of pizza topping ideas will get you what you need!
Loaded Skillet White Pesto Pizza is an Easy Skillet Recipe for Back to School
There are so many reasons this Loaded Skillet White Pesto Pizza is the perfect Back to School recipe.
First, it’s mostly made right in the skillet and depending on your toppings of choice, it can be made entirely in one skillet.
I do use two, so I can cook up the sausage and bacon ahead of time along with any other ingredients I might want a little softer. But it isn’t needed.
Second, it comes together quickly, and dinner can be on the table in about 20 minutes!
On busy school nights or even busy work nights, this is essential.
Another reason I love this pizza is that the toppings can be whatever you want.
For this particular pizza, we had leftover sausage from another meal so I decided to use it. We load our pizza’s up with whatever toppings we are craving and that can be almost anything. Again, please check out our big list of pizza topping ideas for more.
Our Loaded Skillet White Pesto Pizza has sliced Kielbasa sausage, bacon, baby spinach, green pepper, mushrooms and black olives.
All layered on top of a creamy, white pesto garlic alfredo pesto sauce. The flavors of all of these different toppings makes every bite absolutely a burst of savory goodness.
Also for this pizza, I used a store-bought round pizza crust, but you can totally make your pizza crust from scratch (we certainly do from time to time).
We’ve even used our Cauliflower Pizza Crust Recipe a few times.
You cook the raw dough right in the skillet, again making the whole thing easy. This pizza took about 15 minutes or so from start to finish.Â
Pizza Meal Prep or Prep Ahead Ideas
We make pizza frequently, so we try to prepare ahead of time. We often have air tight sealed jars of chopped vegetables and other ingredients in the fridge ahead of time.
We also save leftover meat from meals to use on “leftover pizzas” as well.
If you want to prepare ahead of time, you can prepare your toppings in advance.
Simply cook up your ingredients and store them in the fridge or the freezer until you’re ready to cook.
If using frozen pre-cooked ingredients, thaw first and pat any moisture out with a paper towel before placing on pizza. Follow directions for using refrigerated pre-cooked ingredients at this point.
If using refrigerated pre-cooked ingredients, simply place directly on pizza, but keep in mind that the skillet pizza might need an extra minute or two with the lid on to thoroughly heat your ingredients.
Remember:
The sauce and toppings can be changed up and this pizza can become anything you want it to. In the spring we made an asparagus & ham pizza that was incredible.
There are so many delicious combinations that makes this meal one you can turn to time and time again.
These finished pizzas can be frozen if you choose. Simply allow your pizza to cool, and place on a solid surface in your freezer to freeze. Once frozen, wrap in tin foil or saran wrap and store in your freezer for up to three months.
You can cook these frozen pizzas at 425 degrees for approximately 10-12 minutes. Check your pizzas, because ovens definitely vary.
Wanna Bite of oaded Skillet White Pesto Pizza?
Do you love cooking in your skillet as much as we do? We have some easy skillet recipe ideas for you.
You might enjoy our Quick and Easy Skillet Breakfast Potatoes for a really delicious side dish whether you serve for breakfast or for dinner.
Or if you need another fantastic meal idea, our One Skillet Fajitas or our Creamy Shrimp and Sausage Skillet. Either one will make dinner easy and delicious!
But if you’re looking for something sweet to make, try our Sweet Skillet Cornbread or this Snickerdoodle Skillet Cake for something a little different!
More Skillet Recipes
- Easy Skillet Lasagna
- Hatch Chile Shakshuka
- Healthy Vegetable Skillet Dinner
- Lemon Fettuccine Alfredo with Chicken and Vegetables
- Lemon Skillet Chicken Dinner
- Unstuffed Cabbage Roll Skillet
Recipe for Loaded Skillet White Pesto Pizza
Loaded White Pesto Pizza in a Skillet
Ingredients
- round pizza crust
- olive oil
- ½ – 1 cup white pesto sauce we made ours homemade but there are storebought versions
- sliced kielbasa sausage
- 3 strips of bacon cut into smaller strips
- 1 small green bell pepper sliced
- ½ cup of baby spinach
- 1/4-1/2 cup sliced mushrooms
- ¼ cup black olives
- 1 – 2 cups shredded cheese we chose Provel (it’s a St. Louis thing) but Mozarella is perfect
Instructions
- Gather your sauce and pizza toppings together. If you have an raw toppings you want to cook, go ahead and get those done before starting the pizza.
- Turn your burner on medium-high heat. Coat your skillet with a very thin layer of olive oil and allow to begin heating.
- Place your round pizza crust into the skillet. Cook the pizza dough for about a minute or two. You will start seeing bubbles forming, you can pop them or just let them cook that way. After about a minute use a spatula to flip the pizza crust over. Immediately add your sauce and spread it around. Then sprinkle a generous amount of your cheese, follow with other toppings and if you want, add a bit more cheese (We do to kind of hold the toppings in place.
- Cover the skillet with a lid and reduce heat to medium. Cook for an additional 4-5 minutes.
- Lift the pizza up and check for a golden color. Turn up if needed. We like our pizza a little thinner and crispier so we went a little longer to give it a deeper color. Go less if you want a softer crust.
- Pizza is finished when cheese is melted and bottom of pizza is a golden brown.
- Remove from heat and transfer the pizza to a cutting board. Allow to cool for 2-3 minutes, and then slice with a pizza cutter and serve. YUM!
Oh wow this looks delish! I have never thought about making a pizza in a skillet. I love all of the toppings that you added – the skillet would make it all stay put so much easier.
I’ve never heard of pizza skillet before but it sounds incredible!
The crispy crust, pesto sauce and all those fabulous toppings make this one out of this world pizza!!!
This sounds amazing! I love every one of the ingredients you used. My kind of pizza!
I love how creative you can be with leftovers. This is a pizza that would be right up Grumpy’s alley, he LOVES a white pizza!
I love using my skillet for pizza and this sounds like a great version.