These quick and easy lentil pesto pita pizzas are a quick and easy dinner that’s good for you too. Not only do these pitas have two servings of veggies each, but they’re loaded with healthy fats from the pesto, and some added fibre and protein from a secret ingredient – lentils!
Pita pizzas bring me back to my university days. They were such a staple meal for me each week (sometimes more than once). I would load them up with any veggies I had in the fridge, use store-bought tomato sauce, whole-wheat pitas, and some shredded cheese. I called them salad pizzas because it was usually piled high with veggies and needed to be eaten with a fork and knife.
To this day, I continue to rely on pita pizzas for a quick and easy meal. Homemade pizza can be a great balanced meal, but who wants to roll out dough at the end of a long day?! That’s where whole wheat pitas come in as the perfect solution.
Lentil Pesto
A traditional basil pesto recipe calls for fresh basil, olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, Parmesan cheese, nuts, and salt. Since lentils have a slightly nutty flavour, I substituted cooked green lentils for nuts in this recipe. If that seems like an odd substitution – don’t knock it till you try it! I bet you won’t even know they’re there.
To make the pesto for this recipe, simply combine the fresh basil leaves, oil, lemon juice, garlic, grated Parmesan, cooked lentils, and salt in a small food processor. Process until mostly puréed. It will remain a little chunky and that’s totally fine! Add a bit of extra olive oil as needed to thin it out. This recipe makes enough pesto for two pita pizzas.
Pita Pizza
I added roasted red peppers to this pizza recipe because I love the combination with pesto. I suggest slicing them thin before you roast them to reduce cooking time. Feel free to add any other roasted veggies you have on-hand, such as zucchini, broccoli, or red onion. If you’re really short on time you can use jarred roasted red peppers and your pizza will be ready in 10 minutes!
I used Roma tomatoes in this recipe. I like using this type of tomato for pizzas because they are less seedy and less watery than vine or beefsteak tomatoes.
I kept these pizzas simple with mozzarella cheese. Though goat cheese would be a delicious swap if you’ve got that on hand!
Bake these pizzas on a parchment lined sheet pan for easy clean up. The cooking time may differ depending on your pita size. Your pizza is cooked once your cheese has melted and pita is lightly toasted. Mine took 8 minutes.
Quick and Easy Lentil Pesto Pita Pizzas
Quick and easy Lentil Pesto Pita Pizzas
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 2 Pizzas 1x
Description
These pita-pizzas are a quick and easy dinner that’s good for you too. Not only do these pitas have two servings of veggies each, but they’re loaded with healthy fats from the pesto, and some added fibre and protein from a secret ingredient – lentils!
Ingredients
2 Whole wheat pitas
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
2 Roma tomatoes, thinly sliced
1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
Olive oil (drizzle)
Salt and pepper, to taste
Pesto:
1 cup fresh basil leaves
¼ cup oil, additional tsp as needed
1 tsp lemon juice
1 garlic clove
2 tbsp grated parmesan cheese
¼ cup cooked green lentils
Salt, to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450F.
- Place pepper slices on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Drizzle with oil, season with salt and pepper to taste. Bake for about 10 minutes, or until peppers have softened and are starting to blacken, stirring halfway.
- Meanwhile, make the pesto by adding ingredients to a food processor. Process ingredients until smooth. Add an additional tsp of oil if the mixture seems dry.
- Assemble pizzas by dividing pesto between the pitas. Top with tomato slices, roasted red pepper, and cheese.
- Using the same hot sheet pan as pepper (be careful!), add pizzas and bake at 450 until lightly toasted and cheese has melted about 6-8 minutes.
- Prep Time: 5
- Cook Time: 20
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
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Hi there! I am a registered dietitian and I ? food! I am passionate about making it easier for busy people to eat well by sharing quick and healthy recipes. Healthy cooking at home can seem overwhelming, but it doesn’t have to be. I love helping people uncomplicate weeknight dinners and reduce stress around meal time, so I’m so glad you’re here!
