Shrimp & Pesto Pizza - Mark's favorite!

I'm still not back in the kitchen.  Soooo many thanks to my fabulous friends who are keeping Mark and me fed!!  But I do have a few more things in my "backlog" that I can write about.  And since I'm better able to sit at the computer now and my Mom's gone back home (meaning - I'm extra bored!), I think I'll crank out a series of four related posts this week.  They'll be about PIZZA!  That's the plan right now anyway - we'll see if I can actually get them all written.  I'm choosing to think positively.

A while back, I posted about one of our favorite homemade pizzas - Sausage & Balsamic-Caramelized Onion pizza.  I've got four more of our favorite combinations in the queue, starting here with Mark's absolute favorite, Shrimp & Pesto pizza ... with sun-dried tomatoes tossed in to make it even better.

Whenever I ask Mark what kind of pizza he'd like for dinner, this one is his answer.  The boy's got good taste!  Start by spreading your prepared crust with a thin layer of pesto ... jarred or homemade.  I use Trader Joe's jarred pesto.  Keep it thin ... the pesto flavor can easily become overpowering if you get it on there too thick.

A thin layer of pesto for the sauce

Then layer on mozzarella cheese, shrimp, and sun-dried tomatoes.  If you're using medium or small shrimp, just place them on whole.  If they're large shrimp, slice them in half lengthwise or give them a rough chop so they're in manageable bite-sized pieces.

Adding the toppings

Cover the shrimp and sun-dried tomatoes well with mozzarella to keep them nice and moist while baking.  When it's all golden brown, dig in!  I think you'll be glad you did.

Shrimp & Pesto Pizza
Source:  Inspired by a friend

Ingredients

Pizza dough (homemade or store-bought dough ball; click here to read more about pizza dough)

Pesto
About 8-10 medium uncooked shrimp
Sun-dried tomatoes, drained & diced
Shredded mozzarella

Directions
Peel and devein shrimp; slice in half lengthwise (if using small shrimp, use more and don't cut them in half).  Roll pizza dough out to desired size; place on preheated pizza stone or baking sheet. Spread a thin layer of pesto over the crust for sauce. Top with shrimp and sun-dried tomatoes, then sprinkle with cheese. Bake at 425 degrees for about 15-25 minutes, or until cheese is bubbly and just beginning to brown. Enjoy!