I'm not one for cooking things in bacon grease. Everything I've done that too just hasn't turned out that great. What's all the hype I thought? Well, I made this pizza and cooked the tomatoes in good applewood-smoked thick bacon grease, and... consider me a convert. Nothing was greasy here, just pure bacon love.
This made for a quick and easy weeknight meal for us and was quickly consumed the next day as well. The peppery arugula makes this a nice spin on the classic flavors of a BLT which I love oh-so-much.
{Recipe thanks to Cooking Light}
{Ingredients You'll Need}
- 1 refridgerated pizza dough- I like Trader Joe's Whole Wheat
- 5 applewood-smoked bacon slices
- 2 cups grape tomatoes, halved
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
- 1 tablespoon yellow cornmeal
- 1/2 cup marinara sauce
- 3/4 cup (3 ounces) mozzarella- torn or shredded
- baby arugula - 1 cup or more
- 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon white wine vinegar
- Preheat your oven to 450 then place the dough in a bowl that you've sprayed with cooking spray. Let it hang out for about 15 minutes while you make the rest of the pizza.
- Cook the bacon in a skillet until crisp- remove and crumble. Add the tomatoes and crushed red pepper and cook for 2-5 minutes. I cooked mine down really well so they popped and were nice and oozy.
- Sprinkle a baking sheet with cornmeal then roll out the pizza dough. Spread the sauce on top then add on the tomatoes and bacon. Sprinkle the cheese on top and bake on the bottom rack of the oven for 17 minutes. Combine the arugula with the vinegar and oil and top the pizza with it before you enjoy!
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