Mini Pizzas with Cappicola, Artichoke, and Arugula

I really like making these mini pizzas. Because they’re so small, they don’t need to bake as long as a full size pizza so they’re really easy to throw together on the nights that I get home from work late. I also find that they make it easier to keep my portion size in check. For some reason when I make a full size pizza we polish the whole thing off with no problem, but with the mini pizzas there’s always enough left for the next day’s lunch. I think its because it easier to have “one more slice” than it is to have “one more pizza.” Or something.

We switched it up this time and used whole wheat dough. It was a lot less sticky, which made it easier to roll out than the usual white dough. It wasn’t very stretchy though so it was difficult to shape… we gave up trying to make them round since they seemed to want to be triangles. They still tasted good, and that’s all that mattered! I just got  new pizza stone, so I baked these on that instead of on a cookie sheet. The pizza stone is so worth it – the bottom of the crust gets nice and crispy. They aren’t too expensive either – the one I got came with a pizza paddle and it was only $14. Well worth it, in my opinion. Especially since you can also bake breads and cookies on it!

Pizzas with Cappicola, Artichoke, and Arugula

• 1 whole wheat pizza dough
• 1 cup arugula
• 6 slices cappicola (about 3 oz), chopped
• 1/4 cup artichoke hearts, chopped
• 1 recipe chunky pizza sauce
• 4 oz fresh mozzarella, chopped
• 4 oz romano cheese, shredded

Preheat oven to 450. Divide dough into 12 portions and flatten into rounds. Top with arugula, cappicola, and artichokes. Spoon about 2 Tbs sauce on top, then top with cheeses. Bake until crusts are browned and cheese is melted – about 12 minutes.