Roasted Garlic Pizza With Heirloom Tomato And Arugula Salad Recipe

Pizza and salad unite into one harmonious dish. First, roasted garlic and creamy fresh mozzarella are baked to bubbling perfection. Then heirloom tomatoes, which are juicy and colorful right now, and an arugula and fresh basil salad round out the topping to this crave-worthy pizza.

Ingredients

1 head roasted garlic (recipe below)
1 fresh whole wheat (or favorite) pizza dough*
1 tablespoon olive oil, plus 1 teaspoon olive oil
8 ounces pizza sauce
8 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese, cut into thin slices
4 small, or 3 large, heirloom tomatoes, cut into slices
6 cups arugula
8 large basil leaves
For Salad: olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper
*Pre-made pizza dough can be found in the fridge or freezer section of many grocery or specialty stores.

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Preparation

1. Heat oven to 400 degrees. Cut the top off of the garlic head and peal off the outer this husk of the garlic. Gently pull the cloves apart (the garlic should still be in tact by the base). Massage the 1 teaspoon of olive oil into the garlic and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Then wrap the garlic head in foil and bake for 45 minutes. NOTE: If time doesn’t permit roasting garlic, replace with 1 tablespoon minced garlic later in the recipe.
2. Let the dough rest at room temperature for 20 minutes. Line a cookie sheet with foil and non-stick cooking spray. Spread the dough out thinly, in a large rectangle shape, on the cookie sheet. Poke holes in the dough with a fork.
3. Bake at 400 degrees for 8 minutes. Remove the dough from the oven and turn over onto the cookie sheet.
4. Remove the garlic from the oven, once done and slice 4-6 cloves. Or use the 1 tablespoon of fresh garlic.
5. Spread the 1 tablespoon of olive oil over the dough, followed by the pizza sauce. Then scatter the garlic across the top. Layer the cheese over the garlic and the sauce.
6. Place the pizza back in the oven, at 400 degrees and bake for about 30 minutes until the cheese is golden and bubbling and the crust is starting to crisp.
7. In the meantime, lay the 8 basil pieces on top of one another. Then roll them up and cut the roll into thin slices (this is called chiffonading).
8. In a bowl, toss the basil with the arugula and a very conservative amount of olive oil, balsamic, salt and pepper.
9. Remove the pizza from the oven and top with the tomato slices, followed by the basil and arugula salad (this will be a very large heap of salad).
10. Slice and enjoy!

RELATED: Easy Ways To Eat More Veggies

More recipes from Jessica Cerra.

Jessica Cerra is the owner of Fit Food by Jess, a private chef and catering company in Encinitas, Calif.  She is also a professional Xterra triathlete and mountain biker. Follow Jess’ recipes on her “Fit Food by Jess” Facebook page.

RELATED: Meet Private Chef And Xterra Pro Jessica Cerra 

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