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This rainbow pesto pita pizza is a colorful veggie-packed addition to any of the BBQs you have planned for summer or whenever! As the saying goes, we eat with our eyes first. For kids and toddlers, that couldn’t be more accurate.
We enjoy cooking with our kids, and think it’s a great family activity to share. Colorful dishes, like our rainbow pesto pita pizza, are helpful because they get our kids’ attention. Additionally, it’s a recipe that can help them appreciate different flavors and scents in food, something quite important for to encourage healthy eating habits.
Before starting, a good idea is to have all the veggies chopped in advance. I like to include all the main colors of the rainbow, and I used red onions for purple, so chopping that can be a bit unpleasant for sensitive kids.
This pita pizza recipe is packed with delicious flavors and nutritious ingredients like kale, pine nuts, peppers, and onions.
When choosing our veggies, I think about the sweet and savory tastes they add to the pizza. For instance, peppers, corn, and beets are naturally sweet and get an even more delicious taste when grilled. On the other hand, cherry tomatoes, red onions, and broccoli add tart, savory and hearty flavors that combine great with cheese and pesto.
Pesto is a favorite around the house, and we have tried a couple of delicious recipes with it in the past. I will include links to them at the end of this blog post, in case you want to check them out too 😉
For this pita pizza recipe, we are using a Kale Pesto, for a boost in nutritional value. I enjoy preparing some extra-pesto so I can spread it on my occasional avocado toast, or even use as a pasta sauce or salad dressing.
Building the pizza can be both a fun moment to share together with younger children or a nice few minutes to yourself when you let older kids do it on their own. You can even set up a side table just for pizza decorating if you’re doing a BBQ gathering outdoors. Regardless of their age, all kids will get excited about the vibrant colors, different shapes, and feel of each of the veggies.
Another cool thing about this recipe is that it goes well along with any BBQ you are already cooking. In a few minutes, a hot grill can get these pita pizzas ready!
We like rainbows, but you can think of different shapes and themes for your pita pizzas. You could even let your children’s imagination run free to see what they ‘draw’ with the toppings.
They will be delicious anyway! 😋
Check our ingredients’ selection and a step-by-step recipe below!
Rainbow Pesto Pita Pizza
Ingredients
For the Rainbow Colors
- Red: cherry tomatoes or red bell pepper
- Orange: orange bell pepper
- Yellow: corn or yellow
- Green: pre-cooked broccoli or bell pepper
- Purple: red onion
The basics
- 4 whole wheat pitas
- 7 oz of mozzarella cheese, shredded
Instructions
- Make your kale pesto by adding kale, pine nuts, olive oil, parmesan, and pepper to taste in a bowl of a food processor fitted with the S blade. Process until smooth. You may store your pesto in a tightly sealed jar in the fridge for up to one week
- Brush the bottom side of each pita with a bit of olive oil. Then, add a thin layer of kale pesto on the top side of the pita. Cover this with shredded mozzarella
- Using different colored veggies, make patterns, figures and/or let your kids design their own pizza
- Place pita pizzas on the BBQ grill and cover, to allow the cheese to melt, and cook for about 10 mins. Try for the temperature to be around 375°F. You may do this step in a small oven or Air Fryer as well
Notes
If you try this recipe, let me know in the comments below or publish your pics on Instagram and tag me: @lacooquette, I’d love to share them on my IG stories.
As promised, find the links to my other recipes with pesto below:
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