Arugula and Three Cheese Pizza
For me, arugula is one of the unsung heroes of spring. It so often gets lumped in with “spring greens” but it’s so much more exciting than any of it’s lettuce-y brethren. And even though it may get overshadowed by the more illustrious spring produce (rhubarb! asparagus! *gasp*strawberries!!!), I would argue that it’s just as delicious and just as welcome after a long winter of potatoes and cabbage. It’s spicy bite, so peppery and beautiful is always a welcome addition in my salad, but I especially love it as a counterpart for something cheesy and rich… like pizza.
We do pizza a lot around here. I make huge batches of dough, portion them out, and freeze them. Then, I pull them out as needed so I can make really good pizza even as a quick weeknight meal. It’s really convenient and makes everyone in my family happy. Almost anything can be thrown on good pizza dough and turn out well- we’ve come up with lots of variations that we’ve been pleased with over the years. They don’t usually make it here, though, because some are so obvious (mozz, tomatoes, and basil, anyone?) and others because they’re so random and we were just using up what we had. But the pizza we had recently was so good that it’s worth remembering- and sharing.
Like I said, it isn’t hard to make a good pizza if you start with good dough. And at the risk of sounding like a broken record, this one is our favorite. Chewy, flavorful, bubbly crust, that’s really easy to work with. It bakes up beautifully crispy on the edges, which I love. Top that with three cheeses- ricotta for its creamy richness and tangy flavor, mozzarella because I love the way it gets all bubbly and stringy, and parm on top because it gets beautifully brown and nutty on top. The ricotta sort of melts and takes the place of any other kind of sauce. It’s magical. And the peppery, fresh arugula to top it all off. The whole thing started because of the arugula, which my garden is bursting with at the moment, but in the end, I’d make this pizza with any other bright, spicy green. Because the cheese and greens combo surprised and delighted me. The whole thing just works so well and is so delicious that I was kind of wishing I had made two. I won’t make that mistake again. 
Ingredients
- 1 lb pizza dough
- 3/4 cup whole-milk ricotta
- 1 large clove of garlic, grated or pressed
- salt and pepper
- 1/2 lb fresh mozzarella
- 1/4 cup grated parmigiano reggiano
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 cups arugula
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 525 degrees F. (If using a pizza stone, put it in the oven while the oven is preheating.)
- On a floured surface, roll out dough to a roughly 12" circle. Transfer the round to a piece of parchment on top of a flat, moveable surface, either a pizza peel or a large, light cutting board. (Alternatively, you could just assemble the whole pizza on a sheet pan and put the whole thing in the oven- you just won't get as crispy bottom crust.)
- In a small bowl, combine ricotta and garlic and mix well. Spread the ricotta mixture over the dough gently, taking care not to tear the dough. Top the ricotta with a generous sprinkle of salt and freshly ground pepper. Arrange the mozzarella slices over the ricotta, then sprinkle on the parmigiano. Drizzle the olive oil over the top.
- Pick up the board or peel that you've assembled your pizza on, and use a jerking back and forth motion to slide it off the peel and onto the preheated stone in the oven. Close the oven quickly so too much heat doesn't escape. Bake the pizza for 8-15 minutes. (The amount of time will depend a lot on whether or not you're using a pizza stone, the thickness of your dough, and how hot your oven gets. Just keep an eye on it the first time!)
- Remove the pizza from the oven using the peel or cutting board to slide it off the stone again. Top the hot pizza with the arugula. Let sir for a minute or two before slicing and serving.