Sweet Potato, Roasted Tomatoes & Pesto Pizza

I was inspired to make this pizza after seeing a similar one on a favorite blog of mine- that recipe involved bacon and I won't lie, adding bacon to this would be delicious! But no surprise, I omitted the bacon and added roasted cherry tomatoes, arugula and balsamic glaze to finish it off. I have to say this pizza was AMAZING!!!! I can't wait to make it again.

I absolutely LOVE salad with my pizza - in fact, I usually put the whole salad on top of my pizza. Arugula is my favorite pizza topper and I went crazy with this one. I took a pretty picture for the blog with a tiny bit of arugula just to give you an idea.  Many times the pictures that I post do not look anything like what I actually serve. I mean, do you really think I sprinkle five shreds of Parmesan cheese on my pasta dishes? But dinner realities aren't as pretty and so I take a quick pic for my readers and then I load up my plates with all the extra goodies I want to inhale.  I thought you would get a kick out of the way my pizza really looked, LOADED with arugula, before I ate it! It was so yummy!!
Here is a beautiful piece of pizza with a bit of arugula and a drizzle of balsamic glaze.

And here is what my pizza actually looked like,
loaded down with arugula and drenched in
balsamic glaze!

 Now on to the recipe.......

*One pizza was enough for my husband and myself. The kids got a boring ol' cheese pizza upon request (too bad for them).

Ingredients:

1 sweet potato, peeled and sliced into thin circles
20ish cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
1 Tbl dried oregano or basil
1/3 cup pecans
Pesto sauce, homemade or store bought (I used store bought)
2 cups mozzarella, shredded (you know I used the bagged stuff)
pizza dough, homemade or store bought (I used store bought)
olive oil
arugula
balsamic glaze
salt & pepper

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 400F

Toss the sliced sweet potatoes in 1 or 2 Tbl olive oil and a pinch of salt and pepper. Spread the potatoes out on a lined baking sheet. Roast for 15 minutes and then flip. Roast for another 5 to 10 minutes or until nearly done (they cook a bit more when you bake the pizza).  Set aside.

Toss the sliced cherry tomatoes in 1 Tbl olive oil and a pinch of salt and pepper. Sprinkle with oregano/basil. Toss to coat. Spread on a lined baking sheet and roast for about 20 minutes. Set aside.

After the veggies have been roasted you may need to adjust the temperature on your oven. Many crusts bake on 425F or 450F. Just check the label on the dough you are using. If your dough doesn't give a temperature, go with 450F.

Roll out the pizza dough in the shape that you like and place it on a greased baking sheet or pizza tray.  I generally use store bought pizza dough because it's just easier for a weeknight dinner. I like to par-bake dough so that the bottom is cooked through by the time I'm ready to take it out of the oven. I find if I don't par-bake, the center isn't as crisp as I like it. I usually poke a few holes in the dough (if you don't poke some holes huge dough bubbles will form while par-baking) with the tip of my knife and then bake for about 5 minutes.

After your dough is par-baked spread on the pesto sauce. Spread the mozzarella cheese on top of the pesto.  Layer evenly with roasted sweet potatoes, roasted tomatoes and pecans (don't skip the pecans, they are unusual I know - but they are super yummy). 

Bake the pizza for 10-12 minutes. Just keep checking to make sure the crust doesn't burn. Let sit for a couple minutes and then slice. Top each slice with arugula and drizzle with balsamic glaze. ENJOY!