The Best Prosciutto Pizza With Pesto

This Pesto Prosciutto Pizza will have you skipping delivery to stir up some homemade pizza magic.

Creating an incredible pizzeria-style pizza dough is easier than you think with our Italian Pizza Dough Kit. All that you need is a baking sheet or pizza pan, our kit and warm water to bake up a tasty Italian pizza crust. But that’s just the beginning. Next up is a show-stopping combination of pizza toppings: fragrant basil pesto, robust garlic, sautéed greens, savory prosciutto, tangy blue cheese and honey.

What Is Prosciutto Pizza?

Prosciutto Pizza is a homemade pizza pie with savory prosciutto used as a topping. Prosciutto, which means “ham” in Italian, is made with pork that is salt-cured and aged to perfection. This salty savory goodness makes for an excellent pizza topping. Our Pesto Prosciutto Pizza recipe includes prosciutto but also fragrant basil pesto sauce, garlic, sautéed arugula and spinach, tangy blue cheese and honey for drizzling.

Why You’ll Love This Pesto Prosciutto Pizza Recipe

There’s so much to love about our Pesto Prosciutto Pizza recipe. Nothing beats a homemade pizza! The foundation of this irresistible pizza pie is its incredible pizzeria-style crust. It’s easier than you think too! Our Italian Pizza Dough Kit is super simple and includes everything needed to create the perfect pizza dough—just add water! This pizza recipe is loaded with extra special toppings too: our prized Simply Pesto® Sauce with its fragrant fresh basil flavor, garlicky sautéed greens and punchy blue cheese. Its contrast of flavors and textures is next level. There’s nothing like making a pizza at home, and with our Italian Pizza Dough Kit, you can create an authentic Italian pizza any night of the week.

The Ingredients You Will Need To Make Pesto Prosciutto Pizza

Pizza Dough Kit: This kit includes superior type 00 flour—the perfect pizza-making flour—along with the yeast needed for the dough to rise.

Extra Virgin Olive Oil: This is the flavorful foundation of your homemade pizza dough, so make sure that you don’t use just any old olive oil.

Pesto: This fragrant basil sauce is the base sauce of our Pesto Prosciutto Pizza recipe. It creates a stunningly herbaceous foundation to accent the greens and the salty prosciutto.

Prosciutto: Savory and salty, this dry-cured pork is just the right savory pizza topping to pair up with herby pesto, sweet honey and tangy blue cheese. We brown the prosciutto before adding it to your pizza so it keeps its crispness.

Greens: We love the flavors and textures that sautéed greens bring to this homemade pizza. Arugula is peppery and bright, while spinach is more mild and earthy. We cook the greens on the stovetop before adding to the pizza.

Blue Cheese: Because this is no ordinary pizza, we opt for more dynamic cheese. Blue cheeses can range from tangy and piquant to mild and creamy.

Honey: Honey adds a natural sweetness, not sugary, to give this pizza the salty-sweet combo you love. Drizzle as much or as little as you’d like.

How To Make Homemade Pesto Prosciutto Pizza

Top Tips

Allow the dough to rise longer. If you have the time, allow the dough to rise overnight. The longer the proofing, the more time there is for the flavors to develop.

Don’t use a rolling pin. Stretching the pizza dough like this removes those desirable air pockets. It might be faster to use a rolling pin, but it results in a thinner, flatter pizza crust.

To store leftovers, wrap in foil and refrigerate for up to 3 days.

To freeze, store in a freezer-friendly container for up to 3 months.

To reheat, bake the pizza in an oven at 350˚F for about 10 minutes, or bake in a toaster oven to make it crispy again.

Substitutions And Additions

This Pesto Prosciutto Pizza recipe is an artfully curated combination of flavors and textures. Still, if you want to switch things up, here are some of our favorite ideas:

Make it meatless. Nix the prosciutto. Of course, it won’t be called a “prosciutto pizza,” but that’s ok. We still think you’ll love the combo of tangy blue cheese, greens, garlicky pesto and honey.

Mushrooms! Add some thick-sliced mushrooms to your pizza topping list. Just like the greens and the prosciutto, sauté the mushrooms first. For those who skipped out on the prosciutto, mushrooms are a great way to add some more meatiness to this homemade pizza.

Switch up the pesto. Pesto sauce is traditionally basil-based, but there are many varieties of pesto that you can try! Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto with Basil and Cheese and Sun-Dried Tomato & Olive are two other options.

Get cheesy. Cheese lover? Add a layer of torn fresh mozzarella or grated Parmesan cheese. You can also skip the blue cheese and go for a soft, crumbly goat cheese.

What To Serve With Pesto Prosciutto Pizza

Pesto Prosciutto Pizza is a showstopper all on its own, but if you’re looking to make it a heartier meal, serve it with a leafy green salad or roasted vegetables like broccoli.

Prosciutto Pizza: FAQ

Does Prosciutto Go On Pizza Before Or After Cooking?

In this prosciutto pizza recipe, prosciutto is cooked on the stovetop first and then added to the pizza after the pizza has been baked. This way, the prosciutto won’t be overcooked or not cooked enough.

What Is Prosciutto Made Of?

Prosciutto is made with high-quality pork, specifically the hind legs of the pig. The pork is coated in salt and dried, or cured. The pork is aged, not cooked.

What Is Pesto Made Of?

While there are different types of pesto sauces, traditionally, pesto is made with fresh basil leaves, extra virgin olive oil, fresh garlic, crispy pine nuts and a hard and nutty Italian cheese like Parmigiano-Reggiano or Pecorino Romano. The authentic way to make pesto sauce is by crushing these ingredients with a mortar and pestle. These days, home chefs typically use a blender or food processor.

Can I Make This Dish Ahead Of Time?

The pizza dough can be made up to 24 hours in advance. Once it has proofed (risen), you can store the dough in the refrigerator for up to a day. You can also cut up any ingredients. These are our only recommendations for making it ahead of time.

Pesto Prosciutto Pizza

• 1 (17.6-ounce) DeLallo Italian Pizza Dough Kit
• 6 tablespoons DeLallo Simply Pesto® Traditional Basil Sauce
• 3 tablespoons DeLallo Extra Virgin Olive Oil, divided
• 2 teaspoons DeLallo Fine Chopped Garlic in Water
• 2 (5-ounce) packages DeLallo Prosciutto
• 4 cups fresh baby arugula
• 4 cups fresh baby spinach
• 2 1/2 cups crumbled blue cheese
• 3 tablespoons honey

Directions

1. Combine flour mix and yeast packet in a large mixing bowl with 1 1/4 cups lukewarm water. Stir with a fork until dough begins to form.
2. Knead by hand for 3 minutes, or until dough is soft and smooth. Transfer to a clean, lightly oiled bowl and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Allow the dough to rise in a warm place until doubled, about 45 minutes. (After this step, you can refrigerate for use within 1-3 days.)
3. In a small mixing bowl, combine pesto, 2 tablespoons olive oil and garlic.
4. Preheat the oven to 450˚F. Divide dough into 2 equal pieces. Form pizza by hand on a lightly oiled baking pan or pizza stone and bake for 10 minutes.
5. Meanwhile, heat a sauté pan over medium heat. Add the prosciutto. Cook until lightly browned and slightly crisp, about 4-5 minutes. Transfer to a plate and set aside.
6. Add the remaining oil to the pan. Add the arugula and spinach. Cook over medium heat until slightly wilted, about 4 minutes.
7. Remove pizzas from the oven. Divide pesto mixture and spread evenly on each crust. Bake for another 5 minutes.
8. Remove pizzas from the oven. Top with cooked arugula and spinach, prosciutto and blue cheese crumbles. Drizzle each pizza with honey and serve.

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