Zucchini Pesto Pizza! Paired with milk, this pizza is a nutritious and delicious way to feed spinach and other vegetables to your family. Make the pizzas at home together! It’s amazing how much children love the meal more when they have helped to prepare it!
The day has finally arrived. My children go back to school tomorrow!
There has been so much anticipation and anxiety for this upcoming school year. My oldest will be in 4th grade, her last year of elementary school, and my youngest will be starting kindergarten. I’m grateful that they will be at the same school for one year.
How did the last six years go by so fast?
My daughters have grown so much! Physically, mentally and intellectually. I love how they take care of each other and look out for each other. Like most siblings, they still bicker and get into arguments but when it comes down to it, they have each other’s backs. Always.
When I look back over the years and think about my oldest daughter, Phoebe, and how she’s grown into a beautiful, young, caring and loving little lady, I get swelled up with emotion. She is there to encourage, lead by example and teach her little sister, Madeline. Madeline will always follow along and loves and looks up to her big sister so much.
My oldest has taken some time to grow into her skin and as I watch her grow into a beautiful little lady, I am in awe and filled with so much pride and joy. She isn’t the most athletic kid, and we’re still trying to find the activity that she loves but she’s determined, and when she sets her mind to something, she gets it done.
Phoebe has always been the artist in our family, great with colors and has such a great sense of design, already at her young age. Art and reading have always been fun for her and we’ve loved watching her grow into a budding artist. I can’t wait to see what’s in store for her for 4th grade. As long as she tries her best and uses her imagination and dreams big, we know the skies the limit!
Phoebe has always been the biggest milk drinker in our family. She drinks milk at every meal and almost always asks for a second glass. I wholeheartedly believe that milk, and eating well, has helped her grow and has helped give her energy and nutrition she needs to accomplish everything she sets out to do.
In my mind, milk is essential for my children. Milk has 9 essential nutrients, including 8 grams of protein in every 8 ounce glass. It’s simple, wholesome, affordable and naturally nutrient-rich. Milk has nutrition that every kid needs.
Along with drinking milk, children need to be eating a balanced diet and nutritious foods. Both help to fuel the dreams and imaginations of our children.
Pizza night is a staple at our house. We’ve been doing this for years and my kids have the pizza making (and dough rolling) down to a science! We mix up the toppings and because I introduced pesto to my kids at a young age, they love it and devour it and especially love it on their pizza.
Use this spinach pesto, or a simple tomato sauce, either works great! When we’ve planned for it and are prepped with homemade pizza ingredients, pizza night is always a hit. The kids get involved and make their own and love that sense of accomplishment and helping out with dinner.
On nights where we are strapped for time, we simply use store bought flatbread or naan bread. It’s so easy and your pizza is ready to go into the oven in no time! Meals like this, paired with milk, will get my family and I through this next school year for sure!
Here’s to a fabulous new school year for us all!
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Zucchini Pesto Pizza
Ingredients
For the spinach pesto:
- 2 to 3 cups packed fresh baby spinach
- 1/2 cup arugula or fresh parsley
- 2 cloves garlic; whole or minced
- ¼ cup almonds
- ½ cup good quality extra-virgin olive oil + more if needed
- ¼ cup freshly grated or chunks of Parmesan
- Kosher salt to taste
- crushed red pepper flakes if desired
For the pizza:
- 3 slices naan bread or flatbread
- 3/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese + more if desired
- 1 zucchini sliced thin crosswise
- 1/2 small yellow summer squash sliced thin crosswise
- avocado oil
- fresh parsley finely diced
Instructions
For the pesto:
- Combine the spinach, greens, parsley, garlic, and almonds in a food processor and pulse until coarsely chopped. With the processor running, slowly pour the olive oil into the bowl through the feed tube and process until the pesto is thoroughly combined. Add the Parmesan and pulse until well combined. Season with salt and add the crushed red pepper flakes (if using), pulse one more time and then set aside.
For the pizza:
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
- Spread pesto (starting with 1/4 cup) onto each piece of naan bread. Sprinkle with 1/4 cup of shredded mozzarella cheese over the top. Top each pizza with slices of the zucchini and yellow summer squash; all in one layer and bake for about 10 to 12 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and the naan bread is slightly crispy.
- Remove pizza from the oven and very lightly drizzle some avocado oil over the top and sprinkle on some fresh parsley if desired. Enjoy immediately.
Disclosure: This is a paid, sponsored post written in partnership with the National Fluid Milk Processor Promotion Board’s Milk Life Campaign. All opinions here are 100% my own.
