One of my favorite meals to prepare at home, as a couple, is homemade pizza. The possibilities are essentially endless, and you can be as creative (think pulled pork toppings as a twist on the Hawaiian Pizza) or as basic (the traditional 4 Cheese…) as you want. This past Sunday we spent the day lounging by the pool and when it came time to decide what was on the menu for dinner, pizza just sounded right. Yet, I was wanting a spin on my typical regulars, so I thought about it for a little while. I decided that I was craving something fresh, but also relatively authentic, so I opted for an itsy bitsy twist on bruschetta. And since I wasn’t feeling the traditionally thinner crust of gluten free pizzas, I went all out and used the Trader Joe’s whole wheat crust… and let me tell you, it was oh so good!
Bruschetta Pizza
Ingredients:
1 whole wheat dough from Trader Joe’s (or you can opt for GF dough)
1/4 cup mozzarella (I used a dairy free version)
4 large vine ripe tomatoes, cored, seeded, and cut into 1/2 inch dices
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 1/2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
Sea Salt, fresh ground pepper
2 cups of arugula
2-4 tablespoons pesto (depending on how much you want to cover your pizza with)
Balsamic Glaze
Directions:
Pre-heat oven to 425º. Spray pizza pan with cooking spray and spread out your dough.
Prepare the tomato basil topping and set aside. Spread the pesto out over the crust. Next, layer with arugula, 1/4 cup of cheese, and then top with the tomato basil spread.
Place in the over for 15 minutes, then turn up temperature to 450º and cook for another 10 minutes, or until crust is golden brown and crisp to your liking. Be sure to watch closely as oven times vary.
I drizzled a balsamic glaze over the pizza once it was finished cooking and found it to be a delicious addition.
{Tunic}
