Mini Grilled Pizzas with Shrimp

These mini grilled pizzas are topped with red pepper pesto and juicy, plump shrimp. The crust is perfectly tender and crispy!

Have you been firing up those grills (see my How-to on the subject) and pulling out your favorite summer barbecue recipes? Marla of Family Fresh Cooking and I can't wait to see what you are going to share with us during our six-week Get Grillin' event. The theme for this week is appetizers. Please scroll down to find more information on entering your recipes. In the meantime, you can whip some of these mini grilled pizzas, topped with shrimp, roasted red pepper pesto, feta cheese and cilantro. Remember, you recipes don't have to be made on the grill. As long as they are summer barbecue-friendly, they are eligible. Next week's theme will be side dishes, so put on your thinking caps.

Thanks to our sponsors, Ile de France Cheese, Rösle, Emile Henry, Rouxbe and ManPans, we have some fabulous prizes to give away each week . Scroll down to find out about this week's giveaway. Remember, you have to enter a recipe to be eligible for the giveaway.

The recipe:

The pesto:

Place roasted red bell peppers in the bowl of a food processor. Add slivered almonds, garlic, cilantro, Parmesan cheese, and lime juice. Pulse until combined. While the food processor is running, slowly pour in olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Set the pesto aside.

The Pizzas:

Heat olive in a large skillet over high heat. Add the shrimp, sprinkle them with salt, and sear very briefly. The shrimp should sear about 30 seconds per side. Remove the shrimp from the skillet and set aside.

Preheat grill to medium-high.

Using a golf-sized piece of dough for each pizza, roll the dough into 4-inch rounds. Lay them on a flour-covered cutting board until you're ready to use them.

Before the pizzas go on the grill, be sure to have all of your ingredients ready and sitting right beside the barbecue.

Place the pizza dough rounds on the grill. Depending on the size of your grill, you may have to do this in two batches. Close the lid and grill for about 2 minutes, or until the dough is puffed and there are grill marks on the bottom of each round.

Flip the rounds and press down slightly with the back of a metal spatula to get rid of some of the air inside the dough. Quickly spread 1 tablespoon pesto, 2 shrimp and 1 tablespoon feta cheese one each pizza.

Close the lid and grill until the cheese starts to melt, about 3 more minutes. Remove from the grill and let the pizzas sit for about 5 minutes so that the crust absorbs the olive oil released from the pesto. Garnish with chopped cilantro. Serve.

Mini Grilled Pizzas with Shrimp & Roasted Red Pepper Pesto

Pesto:
2 roasted red peppers, chopped (how to roast your own peppers)
3 tablespoon slivered almonds, toasted
1 garlic clove, chopped
⅓ cup chopped cilantro
3 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese
1 ½ teaspoon freshly-squeezed lime juice
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Pizza:
1 recipe of my homemade pizza dough, or store-bought dough
24 medium shrimp, peeled & deveined
1 teaspoon kosher salt
¾ cup roasted red pepper pesto
¾ cup crumbled feta cheese
⅓ cup chopped cilantro

The pesto:
Place roasted red bell peppers in the bowl of a food processor. Add slivered almonds, garlic, cilantro, Parmesan cheese, and lime juice. Pulse until combined. While the food processor is running, slowly pour in olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Set the pesto aside.

Pizza:
Heat 1 tablespoon olive in a large skillet over high heat. Add the shrimp, sprinkle them with salt, and sear very briefly. The shrimp should sear about 30 seconds per side. Remove the shrimp from the skillet and set aside.

Preheat grill to medium-high.

Using a golf-sized piece of dough for each pizza, roll the dough into 4-inch rounds. Lay them on a flour-covered cutting board until you're ready to use them.

Before the pizzas go on the grill, be sure to have all of your ingredients ready and sitting right beside the barbecue.

Place the pizza dough rounds on the grill. Depending on the size of your grill, you may have to do this in two batches. Close the lid and grill for about 2 minutes, or until the dough is puffed and there are grill marks on the bottom of each round.

Flip the rounds and press down slightly with the back of a metal spatula to get rid of some of the air inside the dough. Quickly spread 1 tablespoon pesto, 2 shrimp and 1 tablespoon feta cheese one each pizza.

Close the lid and grill until the cheese melts, about 3 more minutes. Remove from the grill and let the pizzas sit for about 5 minutes so that the crust absorbs the olive oil released from the pesto. Garnish with chopped cilantro. Serve.

Makes 12 mini pizzas.