Giada's Arugula Pesto, Ricotta and Smoked Mozzarella Pizza

It had been awhile since I used an actual cookbook. I love cookbooks but usually find myself gathering recipes from Tastespotting, FoodGawker or Pinterest. I think the picture based sites hold my interest for longer, and I'll often come out of a 30 minute browsing blackout with tons of recipes to try.

However, last night I dusted off my fave Giada cookbook "Weeknights with Giada," which my roommates gave me for my birthday last year (and I also gave to Quin) and found some hidden gems.

Everything I've made from that cookbook has been a treat, and this pizza was no different. It was also quick to throw together, which you'd expect from a book with "weeknight" in the title. The process would have been a lot quicker had I used a food processor instead of a blender for the cheesy pesto mixture. I figured the ingredients were fine and wet enough that a blender would do. It ended up working but after some EVOO and a little time spent shaking the blender around, which I'm sure annoyed my roommates trying to watch The Bachelor finale.

It wasn't your typical za at all - no sauce but instead a ricotta and "pesto" mixture was the base with the tomatoes on top. I used a store bought ball of pizza dough to speed up the process even more. Call me Sandra Lee all you want, but Giada did it too so it's O.K. in my book. 

Just spread out the dough on a baking sheet - doesn't need to be round, but that does look prettier - then spread the pesto on top. I like thin crust so the bigger you can stretch it, the better. Since I added extra EVOO to the pesto, I didn't drizzle it straight on the crust as Giada suggested. Top with some thinly sliced plum tomatoes, drizzle a little olive oil, and you're ready to cook!

Since there was so much arugula already on the pizza, I skipped the side salad and instead got another slice. That's healthy, right? Makes sense to me.

Giada's Arugula Pesto, Ricotta and Smoked Mozzarella Pizza

Makes 4 Servings

Ingredients:

1/2 cup ricotta cheese

2 cloves garlic, crushed

1 tsp kosher salt

1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

2 cups (8 ounces) shredded smoked mozzarella cheese

1 packed cup (1 ounce) arugula

1 (1-pound) ball store-bought pizza dough

Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling

2 plum tomatoes sliced into ¼-inch thick slices

Directions:

Place an oven rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 475 degrees F. Spray a heavy baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.

In a food processor, blend the ricotta, garlic, salt, and pepper until smooth. Add the smoked mozzarella and arugula. Pulse until just combined but still chunky.

Place the ball of dough directly on the greased baking sheet, and use your fingers and knuckles to smoosh the dough to cover the entire sheet. Drizzle with olive oil. Spread the ricotta mixture on top leaving a 1-inch border. Arrange the tomato slices on top. Drizzle with more olive oil.

Bake for 15 to 16 minutes until the crust is golden. Cut into wedges and serve.

[Recipe adapted from Weeknights with Giada]