This rocket pizza is topped with baby lettuce! The fresh, peppery taste is a great contrast to the rich cheese underneath.
Would you like to eat salad and pizza at the same time? try that Arugula Pizza Recipe! You’ve probably seen this style of pizza at artisan pizza places before: a gooey cheese pie topped with fresh baby lettuce sprouts. Yes, it’s seasoned baby arugula! This Italian way of serving pizza is all about contrasts: fresh, peppery sprouts versus rich, savory pizza. Here’s our favorite arugula pizza made in a baking sheet! Or you can simply use the topping on your favorite pizza.
Make an Arugula Pizza: 3 Tips to Remember!
You can use this arugula pizza recipe as a guide to topping your pizzas with fresh greens! This topping idea works for any pizza recipe, or you can use our amazing and delicious sheet pizza: more info below. Here’s everything you need to know about adding arugula as a pizza topping:
- only use infant Rocket. This doesn’t work with standard arugula: it’s sold in bunches and has large leaves that are very sharp. Look for baby arugula instead: it has a nice feathery texture and a milder flavor.
- Season the arugula with olive oil and salt. Dry arugula on a pizza is no good (trust us). All you have to do is mix it in a bowl with some olive oil and salt.
- Use the recipe below or note the quantities. Once you’ve done that, you can just watch the crowds. Then add it to your favorite pizza recipe!
Use arugula with any toppings
You can use the rocket topping on pizzas with any topping! We used our favorite combo below, but it works with almost anything.
- Try pizza sauce, smoked gouda and mozzarella. Head to the recipe below for our favorite arugula combo! It includes our easy pizza sauce and smoked Gouda cheese for a savory twist.
- Prepare a rocket and prosciutto pizza. Salted Italian ham (prosciutto) is the perfect accompaniment to arugula! Just add a few pieces to the recipe below.
- Or use it with any of your favorite toppings! Seasoned baby greens go well with almost anything: pesto pizza, burrata pizza, margherita pizza, and more!
Try it as a plate pizza
The recipe for this arugula pizza below is a pizza on a plate. It’s not our usual way of making pizza: instead, it’s made in a baking tray! Here are the pros and cons of this type of pizza:
- Pros: Makes a large pot and is easy to make. A pizza on a plate has 12 pieces, so it’s enough! You can avoid making 2 pizzas and only make one. Also, you don’t need as many accessories as a pizza stone or pizza shovel. You can press it straight into a baking sheet!
- Cons: It takes a little longer. This style of pizza takes about 1 hour and 15 minutes to prepare, slightly longer than our standard cheese pizza (which requires 1 hour and less prep work). But we think it’s worth it!
Or make a standard pizza or use store bought dough!
You can also make this arugula pizza like a regular pizza! We’ve included instructions for this in the recipe below in the Notes section. Here is a small overview:
- Dough: You can use our Italian pizza dough recipe, which has amazing flavor and makes a medium sized pizza! Or use store bought dough.
- pizza stone: The best homemade pizza uses a pizza stone that gets hot in the oven. The higher temperature makes the crust crispy on the outside and doughy on the inside. This is the best pizza stone we’ve found.
- pizza shovel: The pizza shovel is a paddle used to push the pizza onto the stone. We recommend this Standard Pizza Shovel or this Conveyor Pizza Shovel.
What to serve with arugula pizza
We love this arugula pizza because it’s absolutely delicious And it makes us feel a little healthier! The arugula adds a fresh, peppery flavor and an incredibly satisfying chewy texture. Still, we recommend adding some salads to make it a meal. Pro tip: Prepare a pizza and two salads instead of two pizzas and a salad! Here are some favorite pizza toppings:
This Arugula Pizza Recipe is…
Vegetarian.
The description
This rocket pizza is topped with baby lettuce! The fresh, peppery taste is a great contrast to the rich cheese underneath.
For the pizza dough*
- 375 grams (3 cups) all-purpose flour
- 1 tbsp Instant or active dry yeast
- 1 teaspoon every dried oregano and garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 264 grams (1 cup – 2 tablespoons) Hot water
- 1 tbsp Olive oil, plus for the leaf
For the rocket pizza
- 1 ¼ cup Pizza sauce (store bought or our favorite pizza sauce)
- 1 cup (3 ounces) grated smoked Gouda cheese
- ½ cup grated parmesan cheese
- 6 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese
- 4 cups (3 ounces) Arugula
- 1 tbsp Extra virgin olive oil
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt, plus more for sprinkling
- Fresh basil leaves for garnish
- Prepare the dough (5 minutes): In a large bowl, combine all-purpose flour, baking soda, kosher salt, oregano, and garlic powder. Add warm water and olive oil and stir until flour is incorporated.
- Knead the dough (8 minutes): Knead the dough by pressing it with the base of your palm, then shape it into a ball. Continue kneading for 8 minutes, until dough is fluffy and has a smooth, stretchy surface. If the dough is very sticky, add a little flour while kneading. Alternatively: Attach the dough hook to a stand mixer and start the mixer on medium-low speed, then knead for 8 minutes.
- Roll out the dough and let it rest on a baking sheet (15 minutes): With floured hands, gently form the dough into a ball (spherical shape) by folding the dough onto itself. Add a light pinch of flour to the ball. Next, roll out the dough on a floured surface roughly in the shape of the 13×18 baking sheet. Brush 3 tablespoons olive oil on the bottom and sides of a standard 13″x18″ baking sheet. Add the batter and brush lightly with oil. Cover the mold with plastic wrap and let it rest for 15 minutes to loosen the dough.
- Let the dough rest again (45 minutes): Press the dough into the corners of the pan so that it evenly coats the pan. Cover and let rest for 45 minutes.
- Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 500F.
- Bake the pizza dough* without topping: After 45 minutes of resting time, bake the pizza dough for 6 minutes without any sauce or toppings.
- Add the toppings and cook again: Take the dough out of the oven. Add the pizza sauce, smoked mozzarella, fresh mozzarella (shredded into pieces), and parmesan, and garnish with a few pinches of kosher salt. Be careful, the pan gets hot! Bake for 6 to 8 minutes until cheese is melted and lightly browned.
- Add the arugula garnish: In a small bowl, mix the baby arugula with the olive oil and ¼ teaspoon kosher salt. Sprinkle the pizza with chopped basil, then top with the arugula. Cut into wedges with a knife (a pizza cutter won’t reach the edges of the pan) and serve immediately.
Remarks
*Or use store-bought pizza dough for faster preparation. With this method, you can skip pre-cooking the crust. Here’s what to do: make our best pizza dough, or use store-bought dough. Place a pizza stone in the oven and preheat to 500°F. When the oven is done, dust a pizza peel with corn or semolina flour. (If you don’t have a pizza peel, you can use a rimmed baking sheet or the back of a rimmed baking sheet. But a pizza peel is worth the investment!) Roll out the dough in a circle; For instructions, see How to stretch pizza dough. Then carefully place the dough on the pizza peel. Top the pizza as above (you can use less cheese as the pizza will be smaller). Use the pizza peel to carefully transfer the pizza onto the preheated pizza stone. Bake the pizza until the cheese and crust are golden brown, about 5 to 7 minutes in the oven (or 1 minute in a pizza oven). Cut into pieces and serve immediately.
- Category: main course
- Method: Cooked
- Kitchen: Italian
- Diet: vegetarian
