Simple Prosciutto Pizza

This simple prosciutto pizza with basil and rocket is so easy to make and is the perfect easy weeknight dinner recipe. Let me show you how to make your own pizza base or use a store bought one for an even simpler dinner. This pizza is also made dairy free using a vegan mozzarella cheese that tastes so good combined with the salty prosciutto and fresh basil and rocket.

This easy and simple pizza recipe gives a gourmet feel while being so simple to prepare.

Honestly I am not kidding when I tell you how simple this pizza is to make. We are minimal on the toppings, most of which go on the pizza after it is cooked! But don’t let the minimalist nature of this pizza fool you – it’s definitely not minimal when it comes to flavour.

The salty prosciutto melts into the hot, oozy cheese and then the flavours are brightened and lifted thanks to the fresh basil and peppery rocket on top.

Honestly there is no other pizza I like better than this one. It is my go to and it feels fancy enough for a Friday night with a glass of wine. 

Also the minimal nature of this recipe makes the thought of making my own pizza base not that intimidating. It’s not a whole other thing you have to do – it’s basically all you have to do and even that is easy. You just need to prepare a little earlier than you want to eat.

But if you’re really short on time, or just exhausted from a big week of life then grab a store bought pizza dough or base and you’re already halfway done.

Seriously, you can have this pizza done quicker than it takes to scroll through the Domino’s menu. 

Key Ingredients

There are two components to this recipe, we have the homemade pizza dough and the simple pizza toppings. If you want to use a premade crust then your grocery list will be even shorter. 

Note all ingredients and their quantities are laid out in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.

• Plain flour – also known as all purpose flour in the US.
• Yeast – for the pizza dough recipe we use dry or instant yeast.
• Sugar – a little white sugar helps feed the yeast.
• Salt – any homemade dough can be bland, therefore it’s essential to add salt to the pizza dough for flavour.
• Marinara sauce – you can make your own marinara sauce using my recipe, or simply use a store bought version for the base of your pizza.
• Vegan mozzarella – as this is a dairy free pizza we’re using a mozzarella cheese made from coconut oil available at most supermarkets. 
• Prosciutto – the hero of this pizza is of course the finely sliced prosciutto. 
• Greens – for the topping I like a combination of fresh basil and rocket (also known as arugula) to add freshness and extra flavour to the pizza. 

Step-By-Step Instructions

To make this prosciutto pizza, we need to start with our homemade pizza crust. On particularly busy nights I 100% will just buy a store bought crust instead so if this is you, you can skip this step. Otherwise, for the best taste, I do recommend this super simple base.

I like to use my stand mixer with the dough hook attachment as it literally means even less work for me as it will knead the dough for me. But if you don’t have one you can also knead it by hand.

Start by adding the yeast and the warm water to a bowl and whisk to combine. Add in the flour, sugar, salt and oil and again mix until the dough forms. If you’re using a mixer, keep kneading on low speed until the dough pulls completely away from the sides leaving a clean bowl and the dough is elastic. If kneading by hand, turn the dough out of the bowl once it has just come together and knead until soft and smooth.

Remove the dough ball from the bowl and place about ½ a tablespoon of olive oil in the bottom of the bowl and place dough back in the bowl. Coat the dough in the oil and cover the bowl with plastic wrap and set aside in a warm place for about 45 minutes or until the dough has doubled in size.

TIP! If you’re struggling to find a warm environment for your dough to rise, turn your oven onto about 100°C while you mix up the dough. When done, turn off the oven and place the bowl in, leaving the door ajar. Leave it for about 45 mins and watch the dough double in size.

For the absolute best pizza at home I recommend investing in a pizza stone. I have only recently got one but the quality of how well the pizza bakes in terms of speed, texture and all round base crispness is unlike any other method I’ve tried at home. 

You want to start with a really hot oven, usually somewhere between 250-260°C (450-500°F) and place the stone inside the oven to heat. Preheating the stone should take about 30 minutes. I have a new Fisher and Paykel oven that has a heat setting that just says pizza and it automatically tells you when the oven is at temperature.

Basically we just want a really hot oven. And if you don’t have a pizza stone, you can simply just preheat your baking tray instead. 

Grab a large sheet of baking paper and lay it down flat on your work surface. Punch down the pizza dough to remove the air and turn out onto the baking paper. Press the dough out until you reach your desired shape for your pizza.

This pizza dough makes enough for one large, thick crusted pizza which I like for this simple pizza, but if you prefer a thin and crispy base you can divide it in half and make two pizzas instead.

Top the pizza dough with your marinara sauce and then the vegan mozzarella cheese. 

Carefully transfer the pizza still on the sheet of baking paper onto your baking stone or tray as quickly as possible (you don’t want to let too much heat escape from your oven) and let the pizza bake for about 10 minutes or until the edges are crispy and the cheese is bubbling.

Remove the pizza from the oven, again gently sliding the pizza on the baking paper onto a cutting board or placing the whole baking stone on a heat proof surface. 

Top the pizza with pieces of the prosciutto and torn pieces of basil and a handful of rocket. Slice and enjoy!

More weeknight dinners:

Honey Soy Chicken
Easy Chicken Fried Rice
20 Minute Hoisin Pork Stir Fry
Air Fryer Teriyaki Salmon
Creamy Salmon Tagliatelle (Dairy-Free)