Grilled Pita Pizza with Prosciutto, Chanterelles, Arugula and a Fried Egg

One of my favorite parts of the day is the 20 minutes that I spend in bed with my roommate before we go to sleep.

Relax. I’m obviously referring to pillow talk.

As a longtime mild insomniac, I used to dread going to bed, since I knew the misery that was most likely in store. On bad nights, I’d lie alone in the dark for hours, mind racing, constantly looking at the clock and thinking “If you go to sleep right now, you can sleep for 6 (5, 4, 3…) hours!” Honestly, sleeplessness is incredibly boring and stressful, and the unfortunate lack of beauty rest has necessitated the purchase of some prohibitively expensive eye creams.

Needless to say, I’ve tried a multitude of insomnia remedies over the years: warm milk, baths, magnesium, melatonin, eating random sleep-inducing foods, focusing on my breath, listening to the Harry Potter audio books on a loop, etc. Sadly, few of those things helped, and some were scarily counterproductive. (Focusing on my breath actually increased my anxiety, as it led to thoughts like, “Oh my God, I have to breathe in and out FOREVER?!”) My doctor keeps telling me that exercise is the most effective way to combat sleep issues, but unfortunately, we all know that’s outside my wheelhouse.

I can’t say that my sleeping habits have necessarily improved since acquiring a roommate, but the whole “going to bed” experience has become infinitely more pleasant. Having a personal space heater is pretty sweet, and I really look forward to our late night discussions, which are interesting, to say the least. Especially given the fact that coherent thoughts usually give way to ridiculous exhaustion-induced observations/confessions/complaints pretty quickly on Logan’s end. As a point of reference, last week he sleepily suggested that I shave my head or wear a swim cap when I sleep because my hair itches him when he spoons me. Great ideas!

In addition to debating the potential benefits of night baldness, Logan and I often discuss food before bed. As you can imagine, he has a lot to say on the subject. Sure, sometimes he just wants to talk about random creations that he’s seen on Instagram that evening (he follows several barbecue establishments), but more often than not, he offers musings on meals that I’ve made or recipes that I’m developing for this site. Truth be told, he’s quite helpful, and the food for thought (pun intended) that he provides makes me hate him significantly less when the snoring starts a few minutes later.

I was particularly inspired by a recent pillow chat about pizza, which is one of the dude’s areas of expertise. After Logan passed out, I spent a good hour contemplating potential pizza recipes before transitioning to planning my outfits for the week. (Insomnia is so productive!) I debated various crust options, cheeses and toppings, and there were definitely several intriguing options in the mix, including a roommate-inspired pizza-quesadilla hybrid. However, the clear winner was Grilled Pita Pizza with Prosciutto, Chanterelles, Arugula and a Fried Egg, which made its first glorious appearance in my kitchen yesterday afternoon.

Eating this deliciousness was hands-down the best part of my week, and that’s saying a lot because I didn’t think anything could possibly bring me more joy than Travolta introducing the wickedly talented “Adele Dazeem.” I die.

As you may have gathered from ze pictures, these pita pizzas are personal-sized perfection. The grilled whole wheat pita base is fabulously crispy, and it’s topped with spicy tomato sauce, melted mozzarella, salty prosciutto and garlicky sautéed chanterelle mushrooms. That combination is awesome on its own, but when you add peppery arugula, a sunny-side up egg, and freshly shaved parmesan? OTHERWORLDLY. That moment when you cut into the egg, and the whole pizza gets bathed in egg-y goodness is magic. I could hardly keep it together. (In fact, I didn’t really. I texted pictures to my pizza loving friends, called my roommate, and blew up my gchat with tales of the triumph.)

I couldn’t be more thrilled to inform you that these decadent pizzas are actually shockingly healthy. First of all, they’re portion controlled, which is helpful for those of you that struggle to control yourselves around a giant ‘za. The whole-wheat pita packs a hefty amount of fiber to keep you full and satisfied, and the egg and prosciutto add a solid amount of energy-boosting protein. Plus, despite the cheese-y taste, there’s only ¼ cup of low-fat mozzarella cheese involved. Thong bikinis for everyone!

In other good news, this fabulous pizza is as simple as it is versatile. It can be made from start to finish in under half an hour, and it’s 200% idiot proof. I recommend adding it to your weeknight dinner repertoire, but I also love the idea of serving it for a fancy brunch. The recipe can be easily multiplied to feed a crowd, pairs well with cocktails, and is very sexy looking. If you enjoy compliments half as much as I do, you need to get on this ASAP. These bad boys are a serious crowd pleaser.

Here’s to hoping my insomnia leads to more stuff like this, friends. Certain things in life are worth a little extra eye cream…

Grilled Pita Pizza With Prosciutto, Chanterelles, Arugula and a Fried Egg: (Makes 2 pizzas)

Ingredients:
1 cup chanterelle mushrooms, cleaned and sliced (Yes you may use different/cheaper mushrooms if you must.)
3½ teaspoons olive oil, divided
1 large clove garlic, minced
4 slices prosciutto di Parma
2 whole wheat pitas (The pocket-less version works best.)
½ cup marinara sauce (I like to use a spicy marinara sauce, but you do you.)
½ cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
2 large eggs
1 cup baby arugula
2 tablespoons shaved Parmesan cheese
½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional)

Preparing your Grilled Pita Pizza With Prosciutto, Chanterelles, Arugula and a Fried Egg:

-Pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees.

-Wash the chanterelles very well, they tend to be pretty dirty.

-Pat the mushrooms dry and slice.

-Heat 1½ teaspoons of olive oil in a medium pan. When hot add the chanterelles, minced garlic, and a pinch of kosher salt to the pan. Sauté for about 5 minutes until the mushrooms are lightly brown. Remove from the heat and briefly set aside.

-Heat a grill or grill pan over medium-high heat and brush both sides of each pita with olive oil.

-When the grill is hot, add the pitas and cook for 3-4 minutes on each side until grill marks appear. (If you do not have a grill/grill pan, don’t panic. You can lightly brown the pitas in a cast iron skillet or whatever pan you happen to own, okay?)

-While the pitas are grilling, tear the prosciutto into roughly 2-inch pieces.

-Place the grilled pitas onto a baking sheet. Spread each pita with ¼ cup marinara sauce and sprinkle with ¼ cup shredded mozzarella cheese.

-Divide the chanterelles and prosciutto between the to pizzas.

-Transfer the pizzas to the oven and bake for 8-10 minutes until the cheese is melted and the prosciutto has crisped at the edges.

-While the pizzas are in the oven, fry your eggs. Heat two teaspoons of olive oil in a non-stick pan over medium heat. When hot, carefully crack each egg into the pan. Let the eggs cook for 3-4 minutes until the white are set, but the yolk is still runny. (If you don’t like runny eggs, cook them longer. Duh.)

-Remove your pizzas from the oven and top each with ½ cup baby arugula and a fried egg. Sprinkle with shaved Parmesan and crushed red pepper flakes, and serve immediately.

Grilled Pita Pizza with Prosciutto, Chanterelles, Arugula and a Fried Egg

Author - Serena Wolf

Print recipe Save RecipeSaved!

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes minutes

Yields: 2 pizzas

Ingredients

• 1 cup chanterelle mushrooms cleaned and sliced (Yes you may use different/cheaper mushrooms if you must.)
• 3½ teaspoons olive oil divided
• 1 clove garlic minced
• 4 slices prosciutto di Parma
• 2 whole wheat pitas The pocket-less version works best.
• ½ cup marinara sauce I like to use a spicy marinara sauce, but you do you.
• ½ cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup baby arugula
• 2 tablespoons shaved Parmesan
• ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes optional

Instructions

• Pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees.
• Wash the chanterelles very well, they tend to be pretty dirty. Pat the mushrooms dry and slice. Heat 1½ teaspoons of olive oil in a medium pan. When hot add the chanterelles and minced garlic, and a pinch of kosher salt. Sauté for about 5 minutes until lightly brown. Remove from the heat and briefly set aside.
• Heat a grill or grill pan over medium high heat. Brush both sides of each pita with olive oil and place them on the grill. Grill for about 3 minutes on each side until grill marks appear. (If you do not have a grill/grill pan, don’t panic. You can lightly brown the pitas in a cast iron skillet or whatever pan you happen to own, okay?)
• While the pitas are grilling, tear the prosciutto into roughly 2-inch pieces.
• Place the grilled pitas onto a baking sheet. Spread each pita with ¼ cup marinara sauce and sprinkle with ¼ cup shredded mozzarella cheese.Divide the chanterelles and prosciutto between the to pizzas. Transfer the pizzas to the oven and bake for 8-10 minutes until the cheese is melted and the prosciutto has crisped at the edges.
• While the pizzas are in the oven, fry your eggs. Heat two teaspoons of olive oil in a non-stick pan over medium heat. When hot, carefully crack each egg into the pan. Let the eggs cook for 3-4 minutes until the white are set, but the yolk is still runny. (If you don’t like runny eggs, cook them longer. Duh.)
• Remove your pizzas from the oven and top each with ½ cup baby arugula and a fried egg. Sprinkle with shaved Parmesan and crushed red pepper flakes, and serve immediately.

I’m thrilled to be a part of Food Network’s Comfort Food Feast this week. For more inspired pizza recipes, check out the amazing blogs below.

The Heritage Cook: Gluten-Free Pizza Crust and Homemade Pizza Sauce
Jeanette’s Healthy Living: Easy Turkey Taco Pizza
Devour: Top 5 Pizzas Without Sauce
Elephants and the Coconut Trees: Pepperoni Pizza Puffs
Weelicious: Pizza Balls
Dishin & Dishes: Iron Skillet Chicken Pesto Pizza
Napa Farmhouse 1885: Pizza with Sun-Dried Tomato, Red Pepper and Corn
Red or Green: Pizza with Green Chile, Chicken and Cheese (Gluten-Free)
Virtually Homemade: Individual Cheese Quesadilla Pizzas
Food for 7 Stages of Life: No Yeast Pizza Dough
In Jennie’s Kitchen: Easy, Homemade Pizza Dough
The Blue Apron Blog: Our Favorite Pizza Toppings
The Sensitive Epicure: Mini Deep Dish Polenta Pizzas (Gluten-Free)
FN Dish: Homemade Pizza Comfort by the Slice