Comfort classic: grilled pizza

August 11, 2014

What do you think of when you hear the word “comfort?” For me, comfort comes in the form of food; not in quantity, but in certain types of dishes. I know I can’t be the only one out there who finds herself craving particular foods. Sometimes they are savory. Sometimes they are sweet. Annnnd let’s be honest: certain cravings tend to happen on certain days each month… Here’s the thing: I crave restaurant food at that point. I want to go out to a nice dinner and have the food prepared by someone else so I don’t have to clean up afterwards. I want to indulge in the flavors I crave. But the thought of getting myself done up, squeezing into an outfit, and shoving my feet into heels just doesn’t cut it. I don’t want to! When I think of comfort, I imagine a night in, sitting on the couch in my soft and stretchy pajamas or lounge clothes. So…how do I make both of those things happen at the same time?

Grilled pizza. It’s my go-to, always-awesome dinner to prepare during this time. Why grilled? Because that means Justin has to cook it. My job is to prep the ingredients and sprinkle them on the pizza: Justin does the rest of the work for me. I’d like to say I am a confident grill master, but I’ve pretty much left it to him ever since we met. It’s his area of expertise, what can I say? I love that we can switch up the toppings on our pizzas to keep things interesting. No two pizzas tend to be the same in our house; it’s too much fun to experiment with new combinations! However, the recipe I’m sharing today happens to be one of our all time favorites and we’ve actually gone back to this exact ingredient medley more than once (make sure to scroll down to get the details).

Grilled pizza with mushrooms, peppers, pepperoni, & salami

Ingredients

Pizza dough

5-6 tbsp marinara or pizza sauce

6 oz fresh mozzarella, sliced (more if desired)

1 pint fresh mushrooms

1 medium tomato, sliced into 1/4″ thick rounds

1 medium bell pepper, sliced or diced

6 thin deli slices pepperoni

6 thin deli slices salami

Instructions

1. Heat grill to around 500° F. As the grill is heating up, heat a skillet over medium. Rinse and coarsely chop the fresh mushrooms into bite size pieces, then add them to the skillet to cook for about 5 minutes. Drain the mushrooms on a paper towel and set aside for later.

2. Meanwhile, stretch/roll the pizza dough to about 1/4 inch thick. I like to roll my dough with a sprinkle of cornmeal on the working surface! Place on a baking sheet or other surface to transfer to the grill.

3. When the pizza dough is rolled out, carefully slide it directly on to the grill grates (you can spray the grates with a bit of nonstick cooking spray if desired). Close the grill lid and let the dough cook for about 5-6 minutes, until the bottom of the crusts are golden and some char lines can be seen.

4. Transfer the crusts back to your baking sheet, but flip the pizza crust so the bottom that was touching the grates is now facing up.

5. On the turned over pizza crusts, lightly spread the marinara sauce, then top with the sliced mozzarella and tomato rounds. Sprinkle the sauteed mushrooms on top with the bell peppers. Finally, layer the pepperoni and salami slices onto the very top. When this is complete, transfer the pizza back on to the grill. Close the grill lid and cook for an additional 4 minutes, until cheese is bubbly.

6. Remove cooked pizza from the grill and on to a baking sheet. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese, slice into pieces, and enjoy!

I like to serve my pizza dinners up alongside a fresh spring mix and arugula salad simply dressed with a drizzle of olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and a sprinkle of parmesan cheese. Oh, and a glass of wine doesn’t hurt either. Comfortable clothes, comfort food, and a watching a movie or TV episode marathon is JUST the thing to satisfy me!

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