How long it takes: 20 minutes to prep, 10 minutes to grill Equipment you’ll need: grill, pizza peel or large rimless baking sheet Servings: 4
Grilled Pizzas
First, a story. Grilling pizza can be tough. You fire up the grill. Then you take your carefully prepared pizza dough, stretch it into a perfectly-round circle (or something not even resembling a circle), and place it on a tray to bring outside. Now all you have to do is transfer that sticky, stretchy, pizza dough onto the grill. I confess, this did not go well for me the first time. I ended up with a lump of tangled up dough not even resembling anything close to a pizza. It looked more like a funnel cake, if we’re being honest. I grilled it for a little longer just for fun and then pulled it off and snacked on it. Back to the drawing board. I found that a pizza peel comes in super handy for this recipe. A baking sheet that doesn’t have a rim, or a large cutting board are good substitutes for a pizza peel. A pizza stone works well, too. (Check out the video towards the end of this post to see one in use!).
Grilled Pizza with Arugula Pesto
Let me tell you why I love this pizza so much. Homemade pesto. The homemade arugula pesto gives it a major head-start into delicious town. It’s subtly spicy, bright from lemon, and packs a small punch of garlic. It’s a great flavor base for this summery pizza. Of course, you can always substitute basil pesto, either homemade or store-bought. Creamy ricotta. After the pesto, the crust is topped with dollops of creamy ricotta. This is a departure from the more typical pizza cheese, mozzarella. The cheese adds saltiness and also makes this pizza filling and satisfying. In season corn. Beautiful fresh sweet corn, cut from the cob, gives this pizza a very summery feel, with beautiful sweetness and gentle crunch. There’s nothing quite like fresh corn in the summer. The best toppings. To complement the sweet corn, I like to add thinly sliced red onions which add gorgeous color and their signature flavor. The final touch is salty ham (but prosciutto or crisp bacon or pancetta are fantastic, too). A sprinkle of freshly grated Parmesan brings everything together. Outdoor cooking. Grilling the pizza is an advantage especially in the summer when you don’t care to heat up your kitchen with a hot oven. Enjoy the pizza with a cold drink, maybe a vodka lemonade or white wine spritzer!
Make It A Party!
Love the idea of grilling pizza? Once you get the hang of it, throw a pizza grilling party! It’s a fun idea for people to get creative with their food and they bake super fast. You can even make smaller individual pizzas. Guests can stretch out their own dough, add their toppings, and all that’s left to do is grill it! Here are ideas for a toppings bar:
Sauce
Arugula Pesto Basil Pesto Pizza Sauce Chimichurri Sauce
Toppings (this list could go on forever!)
Ham Onions Corn Tomatoes Sautéed or Roasted Mushrooms Asparagus (like this pizza!) Pepperoni Bacon Prosciutto Artichoke hearts Spinach Broccoli
Cheese (there must be cheese!)
Ricotta Parmesan Fresh Mozzarella Shredded Mozzarella Cheddar Burrata Brie Fontina The sky is the limit!
PS: Extra arugula? Try a classic arugula salad. Interested in a weekly meal plan that includes this recipe? Take a look at Meal Plan #76. You’ll find a wholesome recipe for each weekday plus a categorized grocery list. We add a new meal plan weekly.