If you've ever struggled with what's for lunch, Arugula Prosciutto Pizza with Ricotta is your solution. A quick, no-rise recipe for thin-crust pizza topped with peppery arugula, prosciutto and ricotta for a sweet and salty combination you can't get enough of.

Overhead photo of prosciutto and ricotta thin crust pizza on the counter with a slice cut out from the main pie.

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Arugula Prosciutto Pizza recipe

A few weeks ago for my birthday, I had to pick a place for us to go out to dinner with my family.

My default is usually Italian but I was having a specific craving for pizza. Not the delivery kind, but rather craft-style pizza that is a bit gourmet. After searching on Yelp, I found a local place that had a photo of a thin-crust pizza and all I could see on it was prosciutto and arugula and I was sold.

When we went to the restaurant, I didn't want to share the pizza with anyone else and declared that it was the best pizza I had ever had. It became a goal of mine to remake it at home as soon as possible.

And so this recipe for at-home Prosciutto & Arugula Pizza with Ricotta was born.

I could've sworn that there was honey on it the first time I tried it, which I decided to omit when I was making my own. I then realized the original didn't have honey after all — I was simply tasting the sweetness of the ricotta against the saltiness of the prosciutto.

A close up photo of a slice of prosciutto and ricotta thin-crust pizza on a white plate.

Why you'll love this recipe

I'm notoriously bad at lunch. I almost always want to go out to eat unless we have pasta leftovers (which are the only leftovers I can really tolerate). It's really a terrible habit of mine!

Here's why I love this pizza for an easy lunch instead:

The thin pizza crust is SO easy to make and so quick that it really is a perfect lunchtime or weeknight dinner recipe.
Prosciutto, arugula and ricotta are delicious together and hardly require any prep to add to the pizza.
It's more elevated than pepperoni or cheese, making it the perfect choice for a casual dinner party. Or cut it into squares for an appetizer.

Thin-crust pizza dough

I've only made regular pizza dough a few times and remembered it being a bit tedious.

I wanted an easy thin-crust pizza dough recipe that could be made quickly about an hour before lunch so that the entire process was stress-free.

Here's what you need to make this 20-minute pizza dough:

yeast
lukewarm water
all-purpose flour
salt

It needs a little time to rest while you prepare the other ingredients, then you can knead it into a thin crust and add your toppings.

Overhead photo of pizza topped with arugula.

Ingredients

One of the reasons I love this Arugula Prosciutto Pizza so much is that it is so light.

Once you have the dough, you only need 5 ingredients to make up the sauce and toppings:

olive oil
minced garlic
ricotta cheese (whole or part skim)
prosciutto
arugula

There is no true sauce, just garlic and olive oil that make the base to this pizza.

Ricotta is lighter than the usual mozzarella cheese, and it's enough of a topping that it is still overall a light pizza, especially when you compare it to traditional pizzas with heavy sauce and toppings.

I also love the addition of arugula for a serving of healthy greens. Usually, I'm not an arugula fan, but I love it on this pizza combined with the ricotta and prosciutto. The arugula has the perfect amount of "spiciness" to compliment the sweet and salty flavors that are on the pizza already.

Substitutions

You can mix up this Arugula Prosciutto Pizza recipe up a number of ways.

Flour: You can use a gluten-free 1:1 flour substitute, such as King Arthur Measure for Measure Flour, to make this recipe without gluten.

Cheese: You can substitute any light cheese. Buffalo mozzarella or goat cheese would be great.

Prosciutto: Substitute any thinly-sliced ham such as pancetta. You could also use salami or pepperoni.

Arugula: Spinach would also be great on this pizza!

Toppings

Feel free to make this recipe your own with some more toppings! Here are a few ideas:

Freshly cracked black pepper
Sliced fresh figs
A drizzle of honey
Sliced pears
Sliced peaches
Caramelized onions

Overhead photo of prosciutto and ricotta thin crust pizza on the counter with small bowls filled with prosciutto and ricotta.

If I haven't convinced you already, you're just going to have to make this pizza yourself and you'll be a believer, for sure!

How to Make Thin Crust Pizza Dough

Making thin pizza crust is actually pretty easy, and doesn't require as much work or time as regular thick pizza crust. Here's what to do:

First, oil a pizza pan by pouring a little olive oil on the pan and spreading it around with your fingers, a paper towel or basting brush. Set aside.

In a large bowl, mix the water and yeast. Let the mixture rest for 10 minutes. It will begin to bubble slightly.

After 10 minutes, add the flour and salt to the water and yeast mixture. Use a spoon to mix it. As the dough begins to come together and solidify, use your hands to finish molding the dough. Add extra flour, one tablespoon at a time, if the dough is too sticky to work with.

Knead the dough for a few minutes on a lightly floured surface. Form into a ball. Let the dough sit for 5 minutes.

Then use a rolling pin to roll out the dough as thin as you can (about ¼-inch thick).

Very carefully pick up your dough and transfer it to the pizza pan. (Be sure that your pizza pan is sitting close by!)

Photo of prosciutto and ricotta thin crust pizza on the counter with stemless wine glasses filled with white wine.

How to Make Arugula Proscuitto Pizza

Once you have the dough, making the pizza is a cinch. Here's what to do:

While your dough is resting, you can gather your toppings. Preheat oven to 450°F degrees.

Using your fingers, a spoon or a basting brush, add olive oil to the crust. Then sprinkle with minced garlic.

Bake the dough in a preheated oven for 5 minutes.

Remove and add the rest of your toppings: prosciutto, ricotta cheese, topped with arugula.

Continue baking for another 10-15 minutes. Keep a close eye on it. When the crust is golden, the pizza is done!

Allow to cool for a few minutes before slicing into the pizza and enjoying!

A slice of prosciutto and ricotta thin-crust pizza on a white plate.

More pizza recipes

If you've been looking for a quick and easy lunch recipe or the perfect thin-crust pizza recipe, now you have it!

Did you make this recipe?

If you make and love this recipe, please leave a ★★★★★ review below! It means so much to me when you try my recipes, and I'd love to know how it goes. Please leave a comment below if you have any questions.