Arugula Pizza
This pizza is perfect for a quick weeknight dinner. The number of toppings you can add are endless: grilled shrimp, steak, heirloom tomatoes. Variety is the spice of life, so they say, and with this pizza you have endless variety at your fingertips!
Ingredients
- Favorite pre-made Pizza Dough (Trader Joe’s is my personal favorite)
- 4 cloves garlic, sliced
- 5 sprigs fresh thyme
- 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
For the topping:
- 3 cups grated Italian fontina cheese, 8 ounces
- 1-½ cups grated fresh mozzarella cheese, 7 ounces
- 11 ounces creamy goat cheese, such as montrachet, crumbled
For the vinaigrette:
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 8 ounces baby arugula
- 1 lemon, sliced
Instructions
- Make garlic oil: Place 1/2 cup of olive oil, the garlic, thyme and red pepper flakes in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer over low heat. Cook for 10 minutes, making sure the garlic doesn't burn. Set aside.
- Preheat the oven to 500 degrees. (Be sure your oven is clean or you run the risk of filling your kitchen with smoke)
- Place the 6 individual pieces of dough on sheet pans lined with parchment paper and cover them with a damp towel. Press and stretch each ball until it forms an 8-inch circle. Place the 6 circles on a large piece of parchment paper. I like to use one very long piece of parchment paper, but you can use shorter pieces and line them up horizontally.
- You need a staging area to assemble the pizzas, so whatever works for your kitchen. If you have marble countertops, you can line up the pizzas on your countertops. Just sprinkle a little bit of cornmeal (or flour) on the countertop first to prevent the dough from sticking.
- Brush the pizzas with the garlic oil, and sprinkle each one liberally with salt and pepper. Sprinkle them evenly with fontina, mozzarella and goat cheese. Drizzle each pizza with 1 tablespoon more of the garlic oil and bake for about 10 to 15 minutes. You want the crusts to be golden brown and the cheese gooey and melty.Make the vinaigrette: Whisk together 1/2 cup of olive oil, the lemon juice, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper.
- Add the greens: When the pizzas are done, place the arugula in a large bowl and toss with just enough lemon vinaigrette to moisten. You don’t want to overdress the arugula or your pizza runs the risk of being mushy instead of crispy. Place a large bunch of arugula on each pizza and serve immediately.
- This is a great basic pizza with an enormous variety of other toppings you can add to it! Great for lunch, dinner or an afternoon snack…..you’re only limited by your imagination!
- OPTIONS FOR OTHER TOPPINGS:Grilled shrimpGrilled chickenGrilled Peaches (and drizzle with balsamic vinegar)Heirloom TomatoesAssorted grilled veggiesGrilled steak
Have you made this recipe?I’d love to know! Leave a comment or recipe rating and tag me @amenuforyou on social media!
