This easy prosciutto pizza with arugula uses homemade or store-bought pizza dough, fresh mozzarella, and a quick balsamic reduction.
This arugula prosciutto pizza is one of our FAVORITE easy weeknight pizza recipes, and it's ready in less time than it takes to wait for delivery if you use our fifteen minute pizza dough!
The prosciutto and balsamic glaze give this simple white pizza a gourmet touch, but it's still easy enough to throw together on a busy weeknight.
Just layer your pizza dough with a drizzle of olive oil, some fresh mozzarella, and a few pieces of prosciutto.
Bake until crispy, top with a few handfuls of arugula and a drizzle of balsamic vinegar, and you're in business!
A few tips for this prosciutto pizza:
Use any kind of pizza dough you like.
Store bought or homemade pizza doughs both taste great in this recipe! You can throw our quick pizza dough together in just a few minutes, make a hearty whole wheat pizza crust, or grab a pre-made dough from the store to save time. If you have a favorite pizza crust recipe, use it here!
Make your own balsamic reduction or grab a pre-made sauce.
You can find ready-to-go balsamic glaze at most grocery stores; feel free to grab that instead of reducing your own balsamic. You can also skip the reduction step and just drizzle plain balsamic vinegar over your pizza: it won't be quite as thick, but it will still taste great!
Use a pizza stone or baking steel.
We love using a baking steel for a light, crispy, flavorful pizza crust. Be sure to preheat your oven and baking steel for 30-60 minutes before baking to ensure the surface is nice and hot!
How to bake pizza with a baking steel:
Lay a piece of parchment paper over a cutting board or flat baking sheet, then press your pizza dough into shape on top of the paper.
Add your toppings, then use the cutting board to slide your pizza and the parchment onto your hot baking steel (just like a pizza peel!)
When pizza is ready, use tongs to carefully pull it out of the oven and onto a cooling rack or cutting board. This method can take a bit of practice, but it's worth it for that ultra-crispy crust!
Customize your pizza toppings
This arugula pizza recipe is very forgiving! Customize it with whatever you have on hand. Some of our favorite additions and substitutions:
- Use a different cheese. Swap burrata, goat cheese, shredded mozzarella, gruyere, or parmesan for the mozzarella here (or use a combination of cheeses!)
- Switch up the drizzle. We use a quick balsamic vinegar glaze here, but this pizza is also great with a drizzle of fig jam, honey, or hot (spicy) honey.
- Add toppings. Add crispy bacon, grilled or shredded chicken, fresh figs, grilled corn, caramelized onions, tomatoes, spinach, black olives, anchovies, or another favorite pizza topping here!
- Mix up the sauce. Swap the olive oil for a more traditional red pizza sauce, fresh pesto, or alfredo sauce if you like!
A few pizza FAQs
We like using a baking steel or pizza stone for best results! Preheat your oven and baking steel for 30-60 minutes before baking, then use a pizza peel (or a cutting board or flat baking sheet) to carefully transfer your prepared pizza to the hot stone (we like using a piece of parchment paper to make it easier to slide the pizza around). When pizza is ready, use tongs to carefully pull it out of the oven and onto a cooling rack or cutting board.
Grab some pre made store-bought dough or use our 15 minute pizza dough recipe for a quick option! You can also use a hearty whole wheat crust or your go-to pizza dough recipe if you already have a favorite.
Yes! If you want to mimic the crispy crust you get with a pizza stone, you can put a sturdy sheet pan - one that you know doesn't warp in high heat - into the oven (if it has edges, turn it upside-down it so it's easier to slide the pizza on) to preheat for 30 minutes or so, then slide your pizza onto the hot baking sheet. You can also make this recipe into a pan pizza: just press the dough into shape right on a baking sheet or pizza pan, top, and bake!
Arugula Prosciutto Pizza
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: Serves 4
- Category: Main Dish
- Cuisine: Italian-American
Description
A simple homemade arugula prosciutto pizza with mozzarella and balsamic glaze.
Ingredients
FOR THE BALSAMIC REDUCTION:
- ½ cup balsamic vinegar
FOR THE PIZZA:
- 1 batch of your favorite pizza dough
- 1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 6 ounces fresh mozzarella, torn into pieces
- 4 to 6 thin slices of prosciutto (about 3 oz.)
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 cup fresh arugula
Instructions
FOR THE BALSAMIC REDUCTION:
- Place balsamic vinegar in a small skillet or saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until it bubbles and reduces to a thick, syrup-y consistency, about 7-10 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside. The balsamic reduction will continue to thicken a bit as it cools.
FOR THE PIZZA:
- Heat oven to 500° F with a baking steel or pizza stone inside. For best results, let the oven heat for 30-60 minutes to get the baking steel nice and hot.
- Lay a piece of parchment paper over a large cutting board. Roll or stretch the pizza dough into shape and place on top of the parchment paper (this will make it easier to slide into the oven!).
- Top the pizza dough with a drizzle of olive oil, followed by the torn mozzarella cheese, then the prosciutto, and a pinch of salt and pepper.
- Slide pizza into the hot oven and bake until pizza is browned and the cheese is bubbling, about 10-15 minutes. The exact time will vary depending on your oven, equipment, and pizza dough: check it every few minutes and pull it out of the oven as soon as it looks done!
- Use a pair of tongs to carefully pull the finished pizza out of the oven and onto your cutting board. Transfer pizza to a wire cooling rack for 5-10 minutes (a cooling rack helps the crust stay crispy) then return to the cutting board.
- Top pizza with fresh arugula and a drizzle of your balsamic reduction. Slice and serve immediately.
Notes
Do I have to heat my oven to 500° F? Nope - you can absolutely use a lower oven temperature if you prefer! We've baked this pizza at 450°F and 475°F with great results: just make sure you give your baking steel or pizza stone plenty of time to heat up (ideally 30 minutes to an hour) and extend the cooking time if you need to.
What if I don't have a pizza stone or baking steel? Place a sturdy baking sheet (one that you know won't warp in the oven) into the oven while it heats up. You don't need to heat this baking sheet as long as a pizza stone - 15 to 30 minutes should be plenty. If you're using a rimmed baking sheet, turn it upside down to make it easier to transfer the pizza on and off. Slide your pizza onto the preheated baking sheet just like you would a pizza stone (it will give you a similar extra-crispy crust!) You can also make this recipe as a pan pizza: just press your pizza dough into a sheet pan or pizza pan, top, and bake normally (you may need to adjust the cooking time if you use this method).
Additions and substitutions. Use burrata, goat cheese, or parmesan in place of the mozzarella. Add your favorite toppings (sliced figs, crispy bacon, grilled chicken, broccolini, and caramelized onions are all great here!) Use fig jam, honey, or hot (spicy) honey in place of the balsamic reduction if you like - you can also buy pre-made balsamic reduction at most grocery stores now!
Save extra balsamic reduction in a clean, airtight jar in the fridge. It will keep in the fridge for several months.
Nutrition
- Serving Size:
- Calories: 572
- Sugar: 6.7 g
- Sodium: 868.3 mg
- Fat: 26.9 g
- Carbohydrates: 62.4 g
- Protein: 24.6 g
- Cholesterol: 46.9 mg
Keywords: pizza, flatbread, pork
Jessica
This is our FAVORITE weeknight pizza. I make it all the time. It's so simple, but that bit of prosciutto makes it feel so special and fancy. I've also made it with pesto as the base and it was really good that way too!
★★★★★
Team Life As A Strawberry
WAHOO! We're so happy you enjoyed it and we love the addition of pesto!