Goat cheese, bacon and rocket pesto pizza, gloriously savoury and indulgent with a thick and voluminous crust that proves overnight!
I have provided instructions for cooking this delicious and slightly “different” pizza in both an oven and on the BBQ.
Rocket or Arugula Pesto Pizza
I love doing something a little different with pizza and this pesto and goats cheese offering joins an equally different BBQ chicken grilled pizza.
Even the pesto is a little “outside the box” too a rocket pesto rather than the classic basil pesto that I use in my tuna pesto pasta recipe.
You could even use wild garlic pesto, pea pesto or even the pistou from my soupe au pistou recipe to top this delicious pizza. My next experiment is to play around with pesto alla Trapanese as a pizza topping.
I use an overnight pizza dough which has an incredible flavour and as you can see from the pictures, it gives a wonderfully voluminous rise.
And just like my previous pizza, I’ve given instructions for cooking this on a BBQ and in the oven.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it best to cook this on the BBQ or in the oven?
In terms of flavour, I think cooking pizza on the BBQ has the edge over the oven.
Most domestic ovens cannot get up to the same temperatures, they also do not give you that smokey flavour. But let’s face it, not every day is a BBQ day, particularly in northern Europe, so go ahead use the oven it works well enough!
Do I have to use a pizza steel or pizza stone?
No, but they definitely help when cooking a pizza, they emulate the fiercely hot base of traditional pizza ovens.
I prefer a pizza steel over a pizza stone.
Do I have to prove the dough overnight?
No, you could prove this until it has doubled in size, which will take 2-4 hours depending on the ambient temperature.
But proving the dough leads to both better flavour and a wonderful light and fluffy thick-crust pizza.
What is streaky bacon?
This question is often asked by visitors to my site from the US, streaky bacon is what you guys know as “bacon”.
Back bacon is the predominant type in the UK, which is made from the loin rather than the belly, in the US you know this as Canadian bacon.
Serving Suggestions
If I am cooking this goat cheese pizza on the BBQ I will often knock up some wings as a bit of a nibble to get the BBQ vibe going with a few beers.
I’ve got plenty to choose from on my site and most of them have BBQ instructions too.
If spice is your thing, try my mango and habanero chicken wings, if you want something tasty but less blow your head off, how about some lemon pepper wings?
If I am cooking indoors, I usually get persuaded to cook some garlic bread, it seems like an odd choice with pizza to me, but it is incredibly popular!
I prefer a side of french fries with some dips, or even some air fryer sweet potato fries.
Equipment Used
I only name-check brands of equipment if I think that they make a material difference to a recipe. But if you have any questions feel free to ask them in the comments section after the recipe.
- Oven or BBQ.
- Mini blender or pestle and mortar.
- Large mixing bowl or stand mixer to make the pizza dough.
- Chopping board.
- Kicthen knife.
- Weighing scales and or a combination of a measuring jug, cups and spoons.
- Pizza steel or pizza sone.
- Pizza peel or some other method of transferring pizza to and from the cooking device.
Rocket Pesto Pizza with Bacon and Goats Cheese
This glorious thick-crust pizza is a break from the norm, it is a rocket or arugula pesto pizza, we add a bit of bacon and goat cheese because it just works!
Ingredients
- 50g (2-2½ Cups) Rocket aka Arugula
- 30g (¼ Cup) Pine Nuts
- 30g (⅓ Cup) Parmesan Cheese
- 1 Clove Garlic
- 75ml (⅓ Cup) Olive Oil
- 1 Tsp Coarsely Ground Black Pepper
- 100g (4-5) Thin Cut Streaky Bacon Rashers
- 200g (7 oz) Soft Goats Cheese
For the Pizza Dough
- 300g (2½ Cups less 1 Tbsp) Plain Flour
- 75g (½ Cup less 1 Tbsp) Fine Semolina Flour
- ½ Tsp Salt
- ½ Tbsp Sugar
- 7g (1 sachet) Fast Acting Yeast
- 1½ Tbsp Olive Oil
- 225ml (1 Cup less 1 Tbsp) Water
Instructions
- If you are making my pizza dough, the night before cooking bring together all of the ingredients and knead for 10 minutes. You can also do this in a stand mixer with a dough hook, just let it go until it is soft and elastic.
- Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl, cover with a damp cloth and allow it to rise overnight.
- About 35 minutes before you are ready to cook knock back the pizza dough, and divide it into two balls. Cover with a cloth and allow it to sit for 15 minutes.
- Throw the rocket, olive oil, garlic, grated Parmesan cheese, black pepper and pine nuts into a blender and roughly blend to form a pesto,
- Cut the bacon into 2.5cm (1") squares.
- Now form the pizza dough balls into pizza bases on a floured worktop. This is a thick crust pizza so you want something around 1cm (½") thick. Then cover and allow to sit for another 15 minutes.
- Top the two pizzas with the rocket, then slice the goat's cheese and add it, and finally the bacon.
To Cook on a BBQ:
- Fire up your BBQ and put in pizza steel or pizza stone. Open your vents and get the heat up to 300°-350°C or 575-650°F.
- Add the pizza close the lid and cook until it is puffed up and the bacon crisped. This should take around 5-6 minutes.
To Cook in an Oven:
- Heat your oven as hot as you can get it with a pizza steel or pizza stone. At a push, you can use an upturned heavy-based pan. This is typically around 250°C or 480°F.
- Add the pizza and cook until it is puffed up and the bacon crisped. This should take around 10-12 minutes.
Notes
Feel free to use any pizza dough recipe that you like, mine is an over night dough for flavour.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
2Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 1743Total Fat: 97gSaturated Fat: 30gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 62gCholesterol: 106mgSodium: 2126mgCarbohydrates: 153gFiber: 8gSugar: 5gProtein: 63g
Julie
Monday 15th of July 2019
Oh my!! Pesto on pizza is SO good! I need to try this soon. What great flavors here.
Brian Jones
Tuesday 16th of July 2019
Thanks Julie!
Jeannette (Jay Joy)
Sunday 14th of July 2019
Goat cheese, bacon, and pesto sound amazing on this delicious crust. I will start making the olive oil, garlic, Parmesan cheese, black pepper, and rocket mix as soon as I find some pine nuts.
Brian Jones
Monday 15th of July 2019
Thank you, enjoy!
Beth Neels
Tuesday 9th of July 2019
I love making pizza on the grill and just love pesto pizza! Can't wait to try your rocket pesto!
Brian Jones
Wednesday 10th of July 2019
Cheers Beth... Enjoy!