Forget About Traditional Pizza Sauce And Use An Herby Substitute

Pizza sauce is a creation that our taste buds are definitely thankful for. The rich tomato flavors and hints of earthy Italian herbs in pizza sauce are the perfect complement to fresh dough and ingredients, and help provide pizza with its exalted status. But even the best of things can get a little mundane after a while. And if you ever feel like you need a break from pizza sauce, there's one herby cousin who is dying to make your acquaintance: basil pesto.

You may be familiar with pesto's many uses — in a creamy pasta sauce that uses pesto and cottage cheese, or as an easy solution for homemade salad dressing — but pesto pizza sauce may be a first for you. Here's why it works: The freshness from the basil and the salty, nutty hints from the  Parmesan cheese and pine nuts brighten up the taste of your pizza, especially when you're used to the same old flavors. Whether you use store-bought or homemade pesto, the results will be delicious. Since fresh pesto is usually added to dishes, some of its distinct flavors will be lost once baked, but the fix is as simple as adding some fresh Parmesan, basil, or lemon zest to the finished pizza to wake them up.

If you want the most flavorful pesto pizza, be sure to include some of the ingredients in pesto as pizza toppings. Parmesan adds a hint of saltiness to the pizza and emphasizes the taste of pesto. Using a second, milder cheese like mozzarella or ricotta is also great way to add creaminess without overpowering the pesto pizza, and topping the baked pizza with fresh basil and pine nuts will also complement the pesto while also adding crunchy texture. 

If you love tomato flavor on your pizza, sun-dried tomatoes lend chewy texture and a hint of umami on every bite. For added protein, you can top the pizza with precooked shredded chicken or salty prosciutto. Just be mindful of which ingredients are sodium heavy, since pesto itself can be quite salty. While jars of store-bought pesto don't last very long, they're more than okay to use for pizza sauce substitutes; consider stirring in some fresh basil or lemon zest to give the pesto more flavor. With these delicious toppings and herby sauce, pesto pizza might just become the go-to on pizza night.