Pita Pizzas with Arugula Salad

I just came back from a skiing holiday in Vermont with my little “nieces” Mariana and Natalia – they’re the daughters of my 2 best friends.

We stay at a slope-side apartment with a fully equipment kitchen.  We love to buy stuff for breakfasts, dinners, and the much needed après ski break.  Mariana and Natalia specially requested this time around for me to make them pizzas.  And my kind of pizzas is Pita Pizzas – especially because I was not going to “bake” any crust in an unknown kitchen.

This is what we came up with to satisfy the kids and adult tastes alike…

PITA PIZZAS with ARUGULA SALAD

Serves 4

4 whole-grain pita breads – about 6″ in diameter

1 cup of your favorite jarred tomato sauce – you may not need as much but I did not measure the sauce after I already placed it on the pizzas.  You can also make your own… mixing crushed tomatoes and seasoning them with some garlic salt, pepper and Italian seasonings.

Shredded cheese – I like the Italian Blend type, but you can certainly go as fancy as you want … using fresh mozzarella, Fontina, gruyere, etc.

1 tomato, sliced thin

1 small onion, sliced thin

About 1 cup of Parmesan cheese, grated or shredded

Arugula Salad – click for recipe here

1. Pre-heat oven or toaster oven to 400 F
2. Take the pita bread and smear some tomato sauce leaving a ¼” border.  Not too much so they do not turn soggy.  
3. Top each with pita a few slices of fresh tomatoes and onions.  Sprinkle some parmesan cheese and top with the Italian-blend shredded cheese mix.
4. Place in oven for about 10 minutes until the cheese melts and turns a nice bubbly golden brown in sections.
5. Top each pizza with a handful of arugula salad for a nice contrast of freshness and tang.
6. Sprinkle with additional shaved parmesan cheese on top of salad.

Have to admit, the girls ate the pizzas on their own and left the salad to the side, but the adults loved it.

Tags: arugula, cheese, onion, pita bread, tomato