I almost always want meat in my meals. If I don’t, I tend to think I’m coming down with a cold. But occasionally a recipe is so good that I don’t miss the meat. This is one of those recipes. I wasn’t sure how all the ingredients would play out, but I found the creamy mascarpone, spicy tomato sauce, and peppery arugula make this pizza just awesome. ‘Nuff said.
Serving size: 4-6 servings
Hands-on time: 10 minutes
Total time: 50 minutes
Ingredients:
1 cup thinly sliced sweet onion
1 pound prepared pizza dough, at room temperature (see easy pizza dough recipe below)
1 cup spicy tomato pizza sauce (see spicy tomato pizza sauce recipe below)
1 cup cherry tomatoes
1/c cup mascarpone cheese, softened and divided
2 cups packed arugula leaves
Directions:
Preheat oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit for 30 minutes. Stretch pizza dough into a 12-inch circle on a lightly floured surface. Transfer to an oiled baking sheet. Brush olive oil over dough using a pastry brush, drizzle oil evenly over dough. Cover loosely with plastic wrap, and let rise in a warm place, free from drafts 20-25 minutes.
Remove and discard plastic wrap from dough. Slide dough from baking sheet onto hot pizza stone or baking sheet in over. Bake at 450 degrees Fahrenheit for 5 minutes.
Spread pizza sauce over partially baked crust, leading a 1 inch border. Top with tomatoes and onion. Dollop ¼ cup cheese by rounded tablespoons over pizza.
Bake at 450 degrees Fahrenheit for 15 minutes or until crust is golden. Immediately dollop remaining ¼ cups cheese over pizza. Sprinkle with arugula.
easy pizza dough
Serving size: 6 (8-inch) pizza dough rounds
Hands-on time: 10 minutes
Total time: 2 hours, 10 minutes
Ingredients:
1 cup boiling water
½ cup olive oil
1 1/4 ounces envelope active dry yeast
2 teaspoons honey
3 ½ cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
Vegetable cooking spray
Directions:
Process first 4 ingredients in a food processor 20 seconds or until yeast is dissolved and mixture is bubbly. Add flour and salt.; pulse 6-8 times or until dough forms a ball and pulls away from sides of bowl, adding more water if necessary.
Place dough in a large bowl coated with cooking spray; Cover and chill at least 2 hours or up until 24 hours.
Place dough on a lightly floured surface. Divide dough into 6 equal portions; roll each portion into an 8-inch round. Use dough immediately.
spicy tomato sauce
Serving size: 2 cups
Hands-on time: 5 minutes
Total time: 30 minutes
Be careful when squishing the canned tomatoes with a fork. I managed to get tomato bits on myself, the counter, the floor, and even on the wall (not sure how that happened). Rest assured, the tastiness of this dish makes up for its messiness.
Ingredients:
1 28 ounce can whole tomatoes
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano
½ teaspoon dried crushed red pepper
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
maybe a poncho for when you squish the tomatoes! 🙂
Directions:
Carefully crush a tomato with a fork, reserving juices.
Saute garlic in hot oil in a medium sauce pan 1 minute over medium heat. Add tomatoes with juice, basil, and next 4 ingredients; bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 20-25 minutes, stirring frequently, until sauce is reduced to 2 cups.
Adapted from Pizza Night! 101 Incredible Pies to Make at Home from Thin-Crust to Deep-Dish Plus Sauces, Doughs, & Sides. Oxmore House.
the speckled spork 