Grilled Pesto Prosciutto Pizza

Don’t be intimidated by the idea of grilling pizza at home. All it takes is a hot grill, some olive oil and a little extra attention. In this recipe for grilled pizza, we go beyond basic sauce and toppings for Armanino Basil Pesto, fresh mozzarella, prosciutto, and arugula. Buon appetito!

Ingredients

  •  1lb pizza dough, homemade or purchased
  •  ¼ to ⅓ cup Armanino Basil Pesto
  •  8 ounces fresh mozzarella, thinly sliced
  •  2 large handfuls mixed greens and/or baby arugula
  •  fresh lemon juice
  •  1½ teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
  •  salt and pepper
  •  crushed red chile flakes
  •  2-3 pieces thinly sliced prosciutto, cut into ¾-inch strips
  •  shaved parmesan cheese

Directions

  1. Preheat a grill to medium-high; at least 5 minutes for a gas grill. For a charcoal grill, heat the charcoal to very hot with an ash coating, then push the coals to one side of the grill. When the grill is ready – you should be able to hold your hand one inch above the grill grates for only a second – lightly rub the clean grill grate with an oil soaked paper towel using a pair of tongs.
  2. Place the sliced mozzarella on a paper towel to absorb any excess liquid.
  3. For the pizza dough: Lightly flour the dough and gently flatten into a round. Begin stretching into a 12” round. Avoid using a rolling pin as it will pop/press out all the air bubbles resulting in a tough pizza, rather, patiently stretch the dough to the desired size by gently pulling and stretching, holding up the edges of the dough with your fingers, letting the dough hang and stretch, while working around the edges until you get a 12” circle. Do not make a raised rim, it will interfere with the grilling process.
  4. Place the pizza dough on a large, lightly floured, rimless pan such as a cookie sheet, cutting board, backside of a sheet pan or pizza peel. Lightly brush the top of the dough with olive oil.
  5. Once the grill is hot (you can hold your hands an inch over the grates for no more than 2 seconds), transfer the dough to the grill by taking and edge and laying it on the grill, oiled side down. Move quickly and if needed, quickly rearrange the dough as needed to a nice shape.
  6. Close the lid of the grill and let cook for 2-4 minutes.
  7. After 2 minutes, check underneath the dough to check browning. If cooking unevenly, use tongs to rotate the dough and cook for another minute or two. It should only take a couple minutes if the grill is hot. The top of the pizza dough will start bubbling up with air pockets.
  8. Once the pizza dough has browned on the bottom, slide it back onto a cutting board or other flat surface and close the lid to retain heat for the next step.
  9. Brush the uncooked top lightly with olive oil and flip so the grilled side is now facing up.
  10. Spread the pesto lightly over the grilled surface of the pizza. Go easy – too much pesto makes a soggy pizza.
  11. Top with the sliced mozzarella. Remember to go light on the toppings, or your pizza will be heavy and soggy.
  12. With tongs, carefully slide the topped pizza back onto the grill and close the lid.
  13. If you are using a gas grill, reduce the heat to medium. If working with a charcoal grill, close the vents on the cover almost all the way. Close the lid and cook for 2-3 minutes more, or until the bottom begins to brown and the cheese melts. Again, rotate halfway through if browning unevenly.
  14. When browned on the bottom and the cheese has melted, pull the pizza off the grill onto a cutting board or other flat surface.
  15. Let the pizza rest for a few minutes while you prepare the greens – in a large bowl whisk together the 1 ½ teaspoons of olive oil, a squeeze of fresh lemon juice and a pinch each of salt, pepper and crushed red chile flakes. Add the salad greens and quickly toss to lightly coat.
  16. Pile the dressed greens on top of the pizza with a pinch of flaky salt and add the prosciutto in thin ribbons and the shaved parmesan. Serve immediately.

Chef’s Tips

  • Go easy on the sauce and toppings – too much and the pizza will be soggy and difficult to handle.
  • Let the pizza rest for a few minutes before topping with the greens to avoid wilting.
  • Grilled pizzas are great for a party! Grill small pizza dough rounds and stack, separated by parchment paper and tightly wrapped, up to two hours before cooking. Arrange a topping bar with all kinds of sauces, cheeses and toppings then grill to order.
Yields
4 servings
Prep Time
15 minutes
Cook Time
15 minutes

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