Once in a while when I'm making lunches for the ad agency, I get a request for a specific meal. The latest one was for an avocado cherry tomato pizza similar to the one served at The Luggage Room in Pasadena. The pizza seemed simple enough with mozzarella, cherry tomatoes, fresh avocado, chopped basil, and lemon zest. I underestimated how much they would love this meal because now I get this request all the time. The flavors seem simple but they work together so well to create one delicious pizza. Have some pizza dough on hand? It's time to make this avocado tomato pizza.
Avocado Tomato Pizza
Ingredients
- 1 12-inch pizza crust
- ¼ cup pizza sauce
- 3 ounces fresh mozzarella
- 10 cherry tomatoes halved
- 1 avocado pitted and thinly sliced
- ¼ cup basil torn
- zest of ½ lemon
- Freshly cracked black pepper
Instructions
- Place a pizza stone in the middle rack of the oven and preheat oven to 500 degrees F. Heat the pizza stone for 1 hour. Alternatively, heat a baking sheet flipped upside down in the oven for 10 minutes.
- Roll pizza dough into a 12-inch circle. If using a baking sheet, roll the pizza dough on parchment paper dusted with flour. Spread pizza sauce on the dough. Tear the mozzarella and scatter on the top followed by the cherry tomatoes. Carefully transfer the pizza onto the baking sheet or pizza stone and bake for 7-8 minutes or until the cheese is bubbling and the crust is golden brown.
- Remove the pizza from the oven and top with sliced avocado, torn basil, lemon zest and freshly cracked black pepper. Serve immediately.
**Helpful tips and common mistakes
For the first time in a long time, this meal doesn't call for extra tips because it's so easy to make. Prepare or make your favorite pizza dough, roll it out into a 12-inch circle and top it with pizza sauce, fresh mozzarella, and cherry tomatoes. I always use my hands to roll out the pizza dough to avoid popping any air bubbles. Bake the pizza on either a pizza stone or on a baking sheet pan flipped upside down.
If your oven can go higher than 500 degrees, go as high as you can go. You want it to be like a pizza oven where the crust gets slightly charred and the cheese gets nice and bubbly. You will have to adjust the time, however, if you're going above 500 degrees F. Instead of checking on the pizza by opening the door, use your oven light. Every time the oven door is opened, it loses about 50 degrees. You want to maintain the high temperature as best as possible so just peek through the looking glass instead of opening the door!
Once the pizza is ready, pull it out of the oven and top it with sliced avocado, torn basil, and lemon zest. Finish with some freshly cracked pepper and there you have it! So easy to make and delicious. I admit, I even crave this avocado tomato pizza once in a while!
For more pizza inspiration check out this spicy chipotle Mexican pizza!
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