Arugula and Mushroom Pizza with Truffle Oil

You guys, this week I learned that recipe testing is seriously hard work! I've been recipe testing this pizza with arugula, mushrooms and truffle oil for what seems like 2 weeks. And most of the testing involved getting the crust right. Sometimes it didn't have the right texture, at other times it was too thick so I had to adjust amounts. I just wasn't getting it. So I called in the big guns, also known as my zia Adele, one of the best home cooks I know. And she did not disappoint. The pizza dough recipe she uses and recommended is perfect - the right texture and consistency and just the right amount of crunch. So after I got the pizza dough to end all pizza dough recipes, I'm ready to share this pizza recipe with the rest of you!

Once I had the crust down, the toppings were easy. It’s no secret that I love arugula. When I go out for pizza, especially if I’m in Italy, I will most likely order a pizza with arugula on it. The spicy, peppery flavor of the fresh arugula just makes the pizza come alive and gives it that burst of flavor (and bitterness) that I love.

I decided to deviate a little from the classic prosciutto-parmesan-arugula combination that you usually see in restaurants. I skipped the prosciutto and added mushrooms and it turned out great! Since I was adding mushrooms, I also added a bit of truffle olive oil and OMG it made all the difference. Just took the pizza to a whole new level. If you’re a truffle lover, definitely add the truffle olive oil. Trust me, you’ll be glad you did.

Are you ready for the recipe? It’s below 😊

Arugula and Mushroom Pizza with Truffle Oil
Makes one 15 inch pizza

For the dough:

Zia Adele recommended this recipe. It will make 2 pizza doughs, so you can freeze one and use it later!

For the toppings:

1 ¼ cup shredded mozzarella cheese
3 ½ cups heaping cups fresh sliced mushrooms (I used a combination of shiitake and cremini)
2 cups fresh arugula
Juice of ¼ lemon
White truffle oil to taste
Shaved parmesan cheese
Extra olive oil to cook mushrooms in and grease pan
Salt to season mushrooms and arugula

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Make your pizza dough.
2. While pizza dough is rising, cook the mushrooms. In a pan on medium heat, heat up about 2 tablespoon olive oil. Once olive oil is hot, add sliced mushrooms, and salt and pepper to taste. Cook mushrooms until they’re soft and tender, about 5-7 minutes.
3. Grease pizza pan with olive oil. Spread dough on to greased 15-inch pizza pan.  Place it in the oven (at 425 degrees) and let it cook with no toppings for about 20 minutes. This step is necessary because if you add all the toppings to the pizza before letting it cook on its own, the pizza crust won’t be ready by the time the cheese is melted.
4. When the 20 minutes is up, take the pizza out of the oven and add cooked mushrooms and mozzarella cheese to it. Cook for another 5-7 minutes or until cheese is melted and dough is cooked through.
5. In the mean time, lightly season arugula with olive oil, lemon juice and salt.
6. Take pizza out of the oven and top with seasoned arugula, shaved parmesan and drizzle with truffle oil. I didn’t use a big amount of truffle oil since it is quite potent. So just use as much as you feel comfortable with.
7. Cut into slices and serve!