Avocado Roasted Garlic Pizza with Arugula

Oh MAN.  I've been dying to tell you about this.

You know how sometimes you have a lot of avocados in your fridge and guacamole or sliced avocado on top of random Mexican food just isn't doing it for you?

I mean, you could totally put this crab salad into a cute little avocado boat, but even THAT isn't what you're wanting.

That happened to me.  I had an avocado, and I didn't know what to do with it.  So, I mashed it with some roasted garlic and spread it on pizza.  Then I cooked it with arugula, mozzarella, tomatoes, and almonds.

IT WAS AMAZING.

Seriously.  I know it sounds weird, but you REALLY need to trust me on this one.  It's GREAT, and a super fun way to use avocado in a non-traditional way.  If you're weirded out by warm avocado don't be - the color held really well and the taste was the same as cold avocado.  The heat from the oven made it super creamy and it was SO WONDERFUL with the roasted garlic.  I just can't even. You have to make this ASAP.

Here's what you need:

• 1 pizza dough (whole wheat pre-made from Trader Joe's is my favorite, but make your own or grab some from any deli you like!)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 4 oz fresh mozzarella
• 2 tablespoons parmesan cheese
• ½ head garlic
• 1 avocado
• ½ cup grape or cherry tomatoes
• 3 cups arugula, divided
• ¼ cup toasted slivered almonds
• ¼ cup fresh cilantro, optional

This isn't hard, folks, and you're going to love it SO much.  I like the whole wheat pizza dough here because the nutty flavor REALLY adds to the texture of the dish overall.  If you aren't into whole wheat, regular pizza dough would of course work just fine!

First, we're going to roast the garlic.  This takes awhile, and you could definitely do it a few days in advance.  Preheat the oven to 425F and wrap the garlic, still unpeeled, in tin foil.  I used a whole head so I'd have leftover garlic - half a head is perfect for this dish, though!  Roast the garlic in the foil package for 30 - 45 minutes until the garlic is very soft when you squeeze it.  Let it cool while you prep the rest of the ingredients.

Cut the tomatoes in half so they'll roast nicely on the pizza.

Then thinly slice the mozzarella.  If it's very soft a serrated knife can help with this!

Then, grab the dough.  Sprinkle it with a bit of flour so it doesn't stick to your fingers! I was working directly on the 14-inch round pizza pan that I was using.  You can use any pan you like - a baking sheet works just fine.  Spray the pan before working with the dough.

Then, use your fingers or a rolling pin to stretch the dough to fit the pan shape you're using.  Add more flour if the dough gets sticky.

Now, drizzle the olive oil over the pizza dough.  Use a brush or your fingers to evenly spread the olive oil over the dough, then sprinkle the pizza with salt.  Bake the pizza (no toppings yet) at 425F (the oven should still be hot from the garlic) for 7 - 10 minutes, just to get the crust started.

While the pizza is par-baking, make the avocado sauce.  In a bowl, add ⅔ of the avocado.  I split the avocado in half and scraped out one half then a bit of the second half.  Dice the remaining avocado and set it aside.  You'll see why in a minute!  Squish the garlic into the avocado dish, too.

Then, add the parm to the bowl.

Mash everything together with a sprinkle of salt and pepper and TASTE THIS. This is the magic.

When the crust has partially baked and the avocado mixture is done, it's time to assemble the pizza!  Carefully spread the avocado mixture evenly all over the pizza, leaving a little rim for the crust.  Sprinkle a large handful of arugula over the pizza.

Then, spread the mozzarella slices evenly over the arugula.

Arrange the tomatoes in between the cheese slices face up - that way they'll dry out a bit and not ooze tomato juice into the crust!

Sprinkle the leftover avocado bits and the toasted almonds all over the pizza.

Look at that!  GORGEOUS.

Bake the pizza for 10 - 15 more minutes until the cheese is bubbly and slightly golden and the crust is cooked through.

Let the pizza cool for 5 - 10 minutes to set just a bit, then sprinkle the cilantro all over it and slice it into wedges!

I served this with the remaining arugula on top and crushed red pepper...

....but you could eat it just as is!  This is SO delicious, you'll really love it.

Make this ASAP.  Really.  It's slightly different, but in the BEST way.  Promise.

 

This is so yummy that I included it in this week’s Weekend Potluck.  It’s this cute thing where blogs from EVERYWHERE can submit recipes to share with others – it’s so fun to check out new things!