Sharing grilled pizzas today with Prosciutto di Parma! Simple homemade pizza dough, lots of fontina & mozzarella cheese, grilled eggplant, blistered cherry tomatoes, peppery arugula, fresh basil, and beautifully thin slices of Prosciutto di Parma. The pizzas are cooked right on the grill for an extra smoky flavor. Such a fun weekend project, and there’s truly nothing better than a hot pizza on a crisp night!
This post is sponsored by Prosciutto di Parma.
After sharing how I incorporate Prosciutto di Parma into a beautiful cheese & charcuterie picnic board, and then into this vibrant orzo salad, we’re moving on to my very favorite combination of all: grilled pizzas with smoky & sweet ingredients, lots of melted cheese, and of course…prosciutto.
There’s not much I love more than topping a hot, bubbling pizza with very thin slices of Prosciutto di Parma. The prosciutto almost melts into the pizza, creating a buttery texture and adding a delicate savory bite to each slice.
grilled pizzas – the details
To get things started, you’ll need a batch of my homemade pizza dough, which makes approximately four (10-inch) pizzas. The dough is simple but does take some time. So if you want to make things even easier, you can absolutely use store-bought dough. Just try to use it up within 1-2 days of buying it.
To compliment the Prosciutto di Parma, I grilled up some eggplant and caramelized some cherry tomatoes. I like all the smoky & sweet flavors of these two ingredients paired with the savory prosciutto. Pizza is of course really versatile, though, so use what vegetables you love or have on hand. For the cheese, I’m using a combination of fontina and mozzarella…and lots of it! Definitely no skimping on the cheese. The fontina provides lots of flavor and the mozzarella gives the pizza that classic gooey texture.
To finish things off? A little fresh arugula for a bright, peppery bite, some fresh basil, and of course the thin slices of prosciutto right on top. To bring out all of the flavors, I also like to sprinkle some flaky sea salt onto every slice.
While you can make these pizzas in the oven, I really love grilling them for a smoky flavor boost. Plus, it’s the absolute perfect time to grill pizzas. The weather is definitely getting crisper, so it’s chilly enough to want a hot pizza to cozy up with, yet there’s still plenty of warm sunshine to make us want to enjoy as much time outside as possible.
So fire up your grill, grab some Prosciutto di Parma, and plan a very delicious pizza night for one of these upcoming autumn weekends!
PrintGrilled Pizzas with Eggplant & Prosciutto
homemade grilled pizzas with olive oil, fontina, mozzarella, grilled eggplant, blistered cherry tomatoes, arugula, basil, and Prosciutto di Parma
yield: 4 (10-inch) pizzas
Ingredients
- 1 batch homemade pizza dough (or 4, 7-8 oz store-bought dough balls)
- 2 lbs cherry tomatoes
- ¼ cup olive oil, plus more as needed
- 4 sprigs fresh basil
- 2 sprigs fresh oregano
- kosher salt, as needed
- freshly cracked black pepper, as needed
- 1 ½ lbs eggplant, sliced ¼”
- ½ lb shredded fontina cheese
- ½ lb shredded mozzarella cheese
- 2 oz arugula (approximately 2 large handfuls)
- 4 oz thinly sliced Prosciutto di Parma
- flaky sea salt (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the grill over high heat. Allow the pizza dough to sit at room temperature for about 20 minutes.
- Meanwhile, combine the cherry tomatoes, olive oil, 2 sprigs of basil, oregano, a generous pinch of salt, and a few cracks of black pepper in a 12” cast-iron skillet. Toss well to combine. Place the skillet onto the grill. Allow the tomatoes to cook for about 8-10 minutes, or until blistered and softened. Remove the skillet and let the tomatoes cool.
- Drizzle the sliced eggplant with a generous coating of olive oil and season well with salt and black pepper. Grill the eggplant over high heat for about 2-3 minute per side, until charred and tender. Transfer the eggplant to a cutting board and cut into quarters.
- Place a pizza stone (or an upside-down sheet pan) onto the grill. Cover the grill and allow the stone/pan to become piping hot. Roll each dough ball out into a 10” circle.
- Working with one pizza at a time, lightly flour a pizza peel and place the dough onto the peel. Build the pizza by drizzling and brushing enough olive oil to coat the top of the dough. Distribute a ¼ of the fontina, mozzarella, cherry tomatoes, and grilled eggplant over top. Gently slide the pizza onto the hot pizza stone using the pizza peel. Cover the grill, and cook for approximately 8-10 minutes, or until the pizza dough is golden/crisp and the cheese is melted.
- Keep the pizza warm as you repeat with the remaining dough. Toss the arugula with a drizzle of olive oil. Top each pizza with a handful of arugula, the Prosciutto di Parma, the remaining fresh basil leaves, and a pinch of flaky sea salt. Slice each pizza into 6 slices.
