Grilled Corn Pesto Pizza

grilled pesto corn and tomato pizza recipe

I have been pinning lots of grilled pizza recipes, but honestly I’ve never grilled a pizza before. Frankly, I was grossed out by the fact that Pretty Handsome Guy has been grilling salmon, burgers and hot dogs on the grill. (Not grossed out by the food, just the accumulation of oils and grease.) Our grill has not been cleaned in five years. I didn’t want my fancy gourmet pizza to be contaminated by those greasy meats and their cooties. (Call me a grease-a-phob. Go ahead.)

Procter & Gamble sent myself and the other Lowe’s Creators a nice gift basket of products for cleaning my grill.

  • Dawn Grill Cleaner
  • Mr. Clean Outdoor Pro
  • Mr. Clean Magic Erasers

(All of them are available exclusively at Lowe’s, so grab them next time you’re DIY shopping.)

It didn’t take much to persuade me to tackle that big greasy beast. I confronted the challenge full force with gloves, an entire roll of paper towels and a garbage bag. I was determined to slay that nasty oily grill.

The Dawn Grill Cleaner worked well on the grills. The directions say to spray and leave it for 15 minutes and then wipe it off. I did a little hosing off with the garden hose and used the grill brush to knock off any of the big globs of yuckiness. They came clean (as clean as a grill that has been used and not cleaned for 5 years.)

Next I cleaned the side tables of the grill with the Mr. Clean Magic Eraser Outdoor Pro. I’m already a huge fan of the Mr. Clean Erasers. I use them almost daily when my kids use Sharpie markers that leak onto the table and counter. True to my expectations, it cleaned away the dirt and grime easily.

Finally I tackled the grill lid and all the external surfaces with the Mr. Clean Outdoor Pro spray cleaner. Now, if I didn’t know any better I wouldn’t believe that this was a five year old grill! Shiny, shiny!

After I had de-greased our grill, I was brave enough to rest my precious gourmet store bought pizza crust on the grill.

Easy Grilled Corn & Pesto Pizza

(adapted from Southern Living recipe)

Ingredients:

  • Pre-baked pizza crust
  • Pesto sauce in a Jar
  • 1 Ear of corn grilled
  • Salt & pepper to taste
  • 1/4 cup shredded parmesan cheese
  • 1 Ripe tomato sliced
  • 6-8 basil leaves sliced
  • Mozzerella (fresh ball, packaged in water)

Instructions:

1. Soak corn inside the husks for 10-15 minutes in the sink.

2. Place the corn (still inside the husks) on the grill for 10 minutes to steam cook. The last few minutes, peel the husks back and lay them on the grill to char the exterior of the corn. Rotate the corn and sprinkle salt and pepper to your taste.

3. Place the pizza crust upside down on the grill for a few minutes to toast it. Remove the crust and set it on a plate (or pizza paddle.)

4. Spread pesto onto the pizza crust.

5. Cut corn off the cob. Mix corn and parmesan in a bowl together.

6.Spread the corn mixture on top of the pesto.

7. Add sliced tomatoes and fresh mozzarella slices onto the the pizza.

8. Put the pizza on the grill and close the lid. Grill the pizza until the cheese starts to melt (check frequently and move it away from the heat if the crust starts to burn.)

9. At the last minute add the sliced basil on top of the pizza. Remove the pizza before the basil browns.

Serve it hot and enjoy! Magnificio!

I can’t believe how much this tastes like brick oven pizza! Oh grilled pizza, where have you been all my life?

True to form, I had a nice clean grill and then clumsy me spilled corn and the toppings inside the grill when I tried to remove it. Shoot. So much for a nice clean grill.

Disclosure: I am a Lowe’s Creative Ideas Creator and was sent a complimentary basket of grill cleaning supplies. I was also compensated for my time with a gift card. I was not told what to write or how to write it. The opinions are my own. The recipe was adapted from SouthernLiving. You can view the original (non-grill) recipe here.

Don’t forget! Today is the last day to enter the House Logic “Boost Your Roost” contest. I have some serious reading and decisions to make. So far there have been over 150 entries and each one has touched my heart.

Comments

  1. Susan says:

    Brittany that pizza is sounding pretty darn good, I’m going to have to give it a try! Thanks for the recipe.
    Susan
    Homeroad.net

  2. Pati says:

    The pizza does sound wonderful! I will try it soon! I do grill most of my meats on the grill. I love the fact that there is less mess in the kitchen! And they just taste better!

  3. Pati says:

    I usually clean my grill grates every time I cook. The rest of the grill…..not so much!

  4. Pati says:

    I’m now following you on Pinterest!

  5. Pati says:

    I’m now receiving your email updates!

  6. Teresa says:

    I usually scrape the grates but as for as a good cleaning, I could not tell the last time. My grill probably needs it. The grilled pizza sounds great going to try it.

  7. Mary S says:

    Haven’t cleaned the grill since we got it over 2 1/2 years ago and we grill all year long!

  8. Sue says:

    Let’s see; I know I cleaned a couple years ago, I think. That pizza looks good enough to enourage me to clean it, especially if I had the cleaning items!

  9. Anne Marie says:

    I clean the grill with a grill brush everytime we use it but am afraid it has never had a “deep” cleaning and is in need of one!

  10. Anne Marie says:

    I receive your posts by email.

  11. Anne Marie says:

    My favorite thing on the grill is plain old burgers and hotdogs – boring I know but delicious.

  12. Anne Marie says:

    I follow you on pinterest.

  13. AnnW says:

    My favorite thing to grill is asparagus. It’s really easy.

  14. AnnW says:

    I already get your emails. I need these products because there is no Lowe’s within 50 miles of us.

  15. AnnW says:

    We clean our grill every few times we use it. Saw some young men at a street fair on Saturday. Two guys and a Grill. They will come to clean your grill.

  16. Don’t feel bad Brittany about not cleaning your grill, I’m right there with you. Those products worked out great and I will definitely use them.

    I love pesto pizza and this recipe looks too good to pass up. Thanks for the fantastic post.

  17. CherylM. says:

    This recipe sounds like it would be wonderful!!

  18. sue says:

    I have been following you and having your posts sent by email for a long time. I think I have a crush on you and your can do attitude! You inspire me to be more of a handy girl!

  19. sue says:

    Oh, are we supposed to clean our grills…I think I figure that the heat will kill the germs and I guess I am part of the crowd that believes what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger, or more resistant. I will be 59 this year, so that thinking has worked thus far, but cleaning the grill probably wouldn’t be a bad thing. Thanks for the giveaway.

  20. sue says:

    Oh, girl- have you ever grilled red peppers. How fun, I can teach YOU something.
    Get as many red peppers as you want, wash and dry and place on the hot grill. Let the skins get black and blister and turn with tongs. When all the skin is black, place the peppers in a plastic or paper bag. ( I use plastic) The hot peppers will steam within the bag and when they are cool enough to handle, take them out, and peel off the black skin which will come off, easy peezy. These peppers will be just like the ones you can buy in jars, but you made them yourself. Now that you have the peppers, add olive oil, balsamic vinegar, minced onions and fresh basil and fresh mozzarella, salt and fresh pepper. Get some crusty Italian bread and make a sandwich and bliss out. My Nuni came from Sicily and this was something I learned from her. Hope you try this, I owe you for all I’ve learned from you.
    Oh, when you are peeling the peppers after they have steamed, you take out the seed and take off the stem. The peppers are put on the grill whole.
    Email me with any questions.

  21. Mel says:

    Well, my husband and I just cleaned off the grill a few days ago, after putting it off since last season. We found a tiny frog in a pile of leaves inside the lower cabinet! Now we can finally start some summer grilling. Yay!