My true love affair with homemade pizza blossomed after my time in France. I lived in Nice, which is very close to the Italian border. Thus, there’s a lot of Italian influence in the South of France. And much of that influence is culinary. So when I ordered a pizza for the first time, my definition of pizza suddenly changed forever. The crust was thin, but still soft and chewy. The cheese was stringy and fresh, the sauces full of flavor, and the choice of toppings were endless.
When Fabien and I moved back to California to get married, we missed the pizza so much. So I started making our own, since none of the restaurants came close to those flavor profiles we grew to love. I started with the Goat Cheese & Honey Pizza and seriously, one bite transports us to France. That opened the gates to many more homemade pizzas from Greek Pizza to White Spinach Pizza and to today’s recipe which really is a pizza and salad hybrid, my favorite. While I love food, I’m still a pretty particular eater and I *have* to have a salad with pizza. It’s just easier to digest (or maybe it’s just easier for my mind to digest), regardless, it’s a priority. So when fresh crisp greens happen to top a pizza, I find it very appealing.
Today’s pizza is bursting with flavor thanks to the tangy goat cheese, sweet sun-dried tomatoes, basil pesto sauce and fresh peppery arugula salad coated with a lemon vinaigrette. Nothing sounds better as the weather gets warmer. Enjoy!
Salad Pizza
- 1 16 oz., pre-made pizza dough (I use the fresh bag from Trader Joe’s)
- 1/3 cup Pesto
- 1/3 cup Sun-dried tomatoes, diced
- 2 oz. Goat cheese, crumbled
- 2 cups Kale (stemmed and chopped into bite sized pieces)
- 2 cups Low-moisture mozzarella cheese ( grated or torn (8 oz.))
- 2 tbsp. Olive oil, plus more for drizzling
- 1 tbsp. Apple cider vinegar
- half Lemon, zest & juice
- 1 tsp. Honey
- to taste Salt & Pepper
- 4 cups Baby Arugula
- 2 tbsp. Sesame seeds
Place a piece of parchment paper on a rimmed baking sheet and drizzle with a little olive oil. Place the pizza dough on the baking sheet and allow it to rest for 20 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 450F degrees.
Stretch the pizza dough into a circle, about 12-15 inches around. It doesn’t need to be perfect. Spread an even layer of pesto over the top of the pizza dough, all the way to the edges.Then sprinkle on the sun-dried tomatoes, goat cheese, kale, and mozzarella. Bake 10-15 minutes, until the crust is lightly golden and the cheese on top is bubbling.
Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, whisk together the olive oil, vinegar, lemon zest and juice, honey, and salt and pepper. Add the arugula and sesame seeds and toss to combine. Top the finished pizza with the arugula salad. Slice and serve immediately.
Recipe adapted from Half Baked Harvest Super Simple Cookbook.
A Bee Bakes 