Broccoli Arugula Pizza (Vegetarian Pizza)

This pesto vegetarian pizza proves veggie pizzas can be delicious! We’ve been perfecting this pizza recipe for 10 years, and love that it makes incorporating more meatless meals into your rotation so easy! Ready in 30-minutes, this veggie pizza is perfect for busy weeknights.

Are you looking for a new take on pizza night? Or perhaps you’re looking for a healthier comfort food recipe that is easy to make? Maybe you are incorporating more Meatless Monday recipes into your life and looking for good vegetarian options that are also carnivore approved? This broccoli arugula pizza checks all of these boxes, and needs to be added to your ‘to make’ list.

I spent a decade of my life as a vegetarian, and during this time had more than my fair share of mediocre slices of pizza. It’s just hard to come by a really good vegetarian pizza. This was one of the main drivers behind creating this recipe. That, and the fact that my husband would literally eat pizza for every meal if he could. So, we set out to find the best vegetarian pizza recipe, and we think this might be it!

This has turned into one of our go-to easy dinner recipes because after a long day of work all we really want is to get something put together quickly so we can relax as a family. This pizza is built on your favorite store-bought pizza crust, making it an easy dinner recipe for those busy weeknights.

Ingredients Needed

• Pre-made Pizza Crust: While I love to make my own pizza crust, after a long day at work it’s just easier to use a pre-made crust so I can get a healthier, home cooked meal onto my family’s table. The only pre-made crust that really will not work for this pizza is an ultra-thin variety (it just doesn’t hold up with these toppings). I like to use a multi-grain crust for my broccoli arugula pizza.
• Pesto: Use your favorite jar of basil pesto! Make sure to refrigerate any remaining pesto after opening.
• Broccoli: You need one medium head of broccoli for this vegetarian pizza recipe. Make sure to cut the florets into small, bite-sized pieces either before or after cooking your broccoli in the microwave for a more enjoyable eating experience
• Arugula: Using fresh arugula adds nice texture and a bit of a bite to your pizza. Oh, and more veggies. Yay veggies!
• Cheese: Using both mozzarella and parmesan takes this vegetarian pizza recipe to the next level. If you know me well, you know cheese is one of the ways to my heart. This homemade vegetarian pizza is a true comfort food recipe, and having a generous amount of melty, cheesy goodness as a part of it is necessary.

See recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.

How to Make This Vegetarian Pizza

Preheat your oven: Set the temperature to what is noted on your pizza crust packaging.

Cook the broccoli: Wash & cut broccoli florets into small pieces. Place your broccoli in a microwave safe bowl covered with saran wrap and about 2 Tablespoons of water, and steam in the microwave for approximately 3 minutes.

Build your pizza: While the broccoli is cooking, place your crust on a pizza pan (or large cookie sheet) and spread pesto across the top leaving a ½″ ring around the edge (your “crust”). Sprinkle half of your mozzarella over the pesto. Add arugula over the mozzarella. Once broccoli is cooked, drain, and spread over the arugula. Top the pizza with mozzarella and parmesan. If adding additional seasoning, sprinkle across the top.

Cook your pizza: Cook per your crust package directions and enjoy!

Eat your pizza: Option to dip your slice into pizza sauce

Store leftovers: If you have any leftovers, store in the refrigerator and eat the next day

Possible Dietary Restrictions?

This recipe as written is vegetarian, and can easily be modified to fit a variety of other special diets:

• To make this into a vegan pizza recipe, be sure to choose a vegan pizza crust and replace the cheese with a vegan cheese of your choice.
  • Please note, I do not have a lot of experience with vegan cheeses, so cannot advise on what the best brand to use is or how well it may melt.
• Similarly, to make this into a dairy free pizza recipe, replace the cheese with a vegan cheese of your choice.
• To make this into a gluten free pizza recipe, be sure to choose a gluten free pizza crust.
• For an egg free pizza recipe, be sure to verify the pizza crust selected was not made with eggs.

Broccoli Pizza Recipe FAQs

Do I really need to cook the broccoli ahead of time? It’s going in the oven after all… YES! Do not skip this step. This pizza only needs about 10-15min in the oven, and that’s not enough time to cook the broccoli (leaving you with a weird crunch…you don’t want that, trust me).

How can I make this more kid-friendly? I get it. Kids don’t always like to eat things that are green. For kiddos, have a jar of red pizza sauce nearby for some fun dipping action. This tends to smooth things over!

My partner just has to have meat on their pizza. What would you recommend? With the richness of the mozzarella and pesto, your best bet would be to find something that cuts through that (and accents the spiciness of the arugula): hot Italian sausage, spicy pepperoni, or even hot capicola ham from your Italian deli would be a great accent.