Grilled Pizza Salads

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A few years ago we fell in love with a summer dish we’ve since affectionately dubbed grilled pizza salads. We dream up varying combinations of cheeses, greens, fruits and veggies as seasonal produce becomes available throughout the summer. The best part is, my go-to pizza dough recipe is a cinch to whip up and it can be made in advance so if you’re expecting friends to drop by over the weekend you can prep the dough during the week, stick it in the fridge and be ready to go when they arrive! When Président asked me to share unique summer salad ideas showcasing some of their delicious cheeses for their site Art of Cheese, I knew instantly that our beloved grilled pizza salads were ready for their closeup!

If you’ve never grilled pizzas before you need to give it a try. The grill imparts an awesome crunch to the crust that’s just about as close to perfection as it comes, and everyone loves hanging out in the backyard while dinner is cooking. For our grilled pizza salads we love using homemade hummus or pesto instead of the traditional tomato sauce, both of which pair beautifully with fresh summer greens. Ever the goat cheese and feta fanatic, I love playing with different greens like butter lettuce, spring greens and arugula to see what tastes yummiest with my favorite cheeses. Spoiler alert – just about every combination tastes amazing!

Grilling pizzas is simple! Make the dough in advance, scaling the recipe as needed to fit the size of your crowd. (One small pizza is good for two to three people when topped with the salad.) Remember, there’s no need for perfection here! Rustic and messy is absolutely ok for these pizzas. For parties I like setting out all of the toppings in individual bowls so guests can serve themselves as the crusts come off the grill. The best part? These grilled pizza salads are a crowd favorite at parties, but they’re easy enough for weeknight dinners, too!

Ready to make your own grilled pizza salads? Today I’m sharing two recipes (complete with my homemade dough, pistachio pesto and classic hummus recipes) that would be perfect for the 4th of July! Click through for all the scrumptious recipes and be sure to visit Art of Cheese where you can enter to win $50 worth of your own Président cheese, snag yourself a coupon and enter their Pinterest sweepstakes. Plus you’ll find more incredible recipes that will literally have you drooling.

Homemade Pizza Dough
(makes 2 small pizzas)

Ingredients:

• 4 cups all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon active dry yeast
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 1-1/2 cups warm water
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 pinch of sugar

Fill a glass measuring cup with 1-1/2 cups warm water. Sprinkle the yeast over top to allow it to start activating. In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine flour, salt, pepper and sugar. Set the the mixer to slow and drizzle in the olive oil until just combined. Slowly pour in the water with the yeast, being sure to only mix until the wet and dry ingredients are just combined.

Drizzle a bit of olive oil into a second mixing bowl and transfer the dough to the mixing bowl, working it with your hands to form a ball. Lightly coat with olive oil, cover the bowl with plastic wrap and store in the fridge for up to five days.

Hummus + Goat Cheese Arugula Pizza Salad
(makes 1 small pizza)

Ingredients:

• Hummus (recipe below)
• Arugula salad with orange vinaigrette (recipe below)
• 2 cups diced tomatoes
• 1-1/2 cups diced cucumber
• Président Fresh Goat Cheese

Grill pizza dough (lightly coated with olive oil) on a hot grill over a piece of aluminum foil until desired crispiness is achieved. Remove pizza dough from the grill, and spread a thick layer of hummus on top of the crust with a rubber spatula. Sprinkle diced tomatoes and cucumbers over the hummus and then top with the arugula salad. Add a generous helping of Président Fresh Goat Cheese, and serve.

Hummus
(makes approx. 3 cups)

Ingredients:

• 2 cans of chickpeas/garbanzo beans
• 3 tablespoons of chickpea liquid
• 4 garlic cloves
• 1-1/2 teaspoons sea salt
• 1/3 cup tahini
• 6 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon black pepper

In a food processor, mince garlic cloves. Add chickpeas, chickpea liquid (reserved when draining the chickpeas), salt, tahini, lemon juice, and black pepper. Process until smooth, adding additional lemon juice and/or chickpea liquid to achieve desired thickness.

Arugula Salad with Orange Vinaigrette
In a mixing bowl, toss 3 cups of fresh arugula with 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, 5 tablespoons fresh squeezed orange juice, sea salt and fresh cracked black pepper to taste.

Pistachio Pesto + Cranberry Feta Spring Green Pizza Salad
(makes 1 small pizza)

Ingredients:

• Pistachio pesto (recipe below)
• Spring green salad with lemon vinaigrette (recipe below)
• 3 sliced apricots
• 2 diced scallions
• Président Feta Crumbled with Cranberries

Grill pizza dough (lightly coated with olive oil) on a hot grill over a piece of aluminum foil until desired crispiness is achieved. Remove pizza dough from the grill, and spread a thick layer of pesto on top of the crust with a rubber spatula. Top with spring green salad and then sprinkle generously with apricots, scallions, and Président Feta Crumbled with Cranberries. Cut and serve!

Pistachio Pesto
(makes approx. 3 cups)

Ingredients:

• ½ cup roasted, salted pistachios (shelled)
• 5 cups packed basil
• 4 cloves garlic
• 1-1/2 cups extra virgin olive oil
• 3 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon black pepper

Using a steel blade, process pistachios and garlic in a food processor for approximately 30 seconds. Add basil, lemon juice, and pepper and begin processing, slowing drizzling in the olive oil. Continue processing until the ingredients are thoroughly combined and become creamy in texture.

Spring Green Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette
In a mixing bowl, toss 3 cups of fresh spring greens with 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, 5 tablespoons fresh squeezed lemon juice, sea salt and fresh cracked black pepper to taste.

[Recipes + photos by Cyd Converse/The Sweetest Occasion for Art of Cheese.]

Lactalis/Président compensated me to license the photos and content in this post. All recipes, opinions and cheese-loving ways are my own. Read more about our editorial policies.