Fig and prosciutto pizza with arugula and hot honey

Last Updated on September 15, 2024 by Jacqueline Rafidi

Meet your new favorite weeknight dinner – Fig and prosciutto pizza with arugula and hot honey. A homemade pizza loaded with sweet and savory flavor in every bite!

Well, hello! It’s been a few months since I’ve shared a new recipe and I’m so excited for this to be the one I make a comeback with!

My favorite time of year is here; The transition of bright and beautiful summer with its abundant produce and the cool (bug-free) fall season trickles in along with one of my favorite fruits – figs! As the fig season rolls in and we embrace the beauty of late summer, there’s no better time to make a delicious homemade pizza that combines the sweetness of figs with the saltiness of prosciutto. 

Today, I’m sharing one of my all-time favorite pizza recipes: Fig and Prosciutto Pizza with Arugula and Hot Honey! I made this pizza last month and shared it on my Instagram stories and many of you asked for the recipe. It’s no secret that I love figs – as seen in my fig jam and goat cheese burger, fall salad with figs and gorgonzola, and pan seared chicken thighs with fig jam and soy glaze. This combination of fresh, seasonal ingredients comes together in the most delicious way and is perfect for a quick weeknight meal or a special weekend dinner with friends and family.

What you’ll need

This pizza is the perfect marriage of sweet and savory flavors, and you don’t need many ingredients to make it shine! Here’s what you’ll need:

• Store-bought pizza dough (I grab mine from a grocery store like Trader Joe’s or you can make your own using your favorite pizza dough recipe)
• Fresh figs, any color, sliced AND cut into segments. It adds nice dimension to the pizza.
• Prosciutto di Parma, torn into bite-sized pieces. It’s best if it’s prosciutto di Parma
• Low moisture mozzarella, shredded by hand. Store-bought shredded cheese just doesn’t do the job here. 
• Italian seasoning or Dried oregano ​to mix with the mozz to add some tasty speckles
• Whole milk ricotta cheese, for little dollops of creaminess
• Extra virgin olive oil and garlic to spread on the dough and make it EXTRA delicious
• Baby arugula​, for a fresh and peppery bite
• Hot honey for a sweet and spicy touch

What is Prosciutto di Parma?

Prosciutto di Parma is the rockstar of Italian cured meats, made from the hind legs of certain pigs and aged to salty perfection in Parma, Italy. It is sliced paper thin with a buttery texture, eaten as a cold cut or crisps up if cooked. What makes it special is its strict production process in Parma, Italy, ensuring high-quality standards and a distinct, melt-in-your-mouth texture that regular prosciutto just can’t match. If you’re using prosciutto, always go with prosciutto di Parma if you can find it!

And if you’re looking for a pork-free alternative to prosciutto, duck prosciutto or lamb prosciutto are great substitutes—offering a similar rich, salty flavor and velvety texture, minus the pork! You can also use very thinly sliced beef mortadella which doesn’t offer quite the same flavor or texture, but is another pork free substitute to prosciutto. You can also always leave it out of recipes to keep it free of pork.

Prepping the toppings

First, the pizza dough. If you’re really wanting this to be a quick weeknight meal, use a store-bought dough, remove it from the fridge and let it sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes while you prepare the rest of the ingredients. This step is key to getting that perfect stretch and a really good crispy crust when it bakes. If you have a bit of extra time and want to make this pizza super special, you can also make your own pizza dough.

While the dough is resting and coming to room temp, start preparing your toppings:
– Prep the fresh figs by slicing them into rounds and wedges. I do both to add some extra dimension and a fun look to the pizza.
– Start shredding your mozzarella and mix in the Italian seasoning. I always recommend shredded the cheese yourself so it melts better.
– Add some of the olive oil to the baking sheet and mix the reminder with a grated clove of garlic. This will go all over the top of the dough. Set it aside.
– Wash your arugula and dry it in a salad spinner (one of my favorite kitchen gadgets of all time).

And that’s it! You’re ready to assemble the pizza!

Fig and prosciutto pizza with arugula and hot honey

1. Roll out your pizza dough on a lightly floured surface into a thin, even layer about 1/3 inch thick. You can shape it into a round pizza or go for more of a flatbread style by making it into a long oval.
2. Transfer the dough onto a oiled or parchment paper lined baking sheet. If you’re using a pizza peel, dust it lightly with flour or cornmeal to prevent sticking.
3. Now, let’s talk about the base of this pizza. Instead of traditional tomato sauce, spread a thin layer of the garlicky olive oil all over the top of the pizza dough. This gives the pizza a delicious savory note with each bite and makes the crust taste like a crispy garlic bread. 
4. Once the base is ready, scatter the shredded mozzarella, lay the fig slices on top, tear and scatter the prosciutto and add dollops of the ricotta cheese throughout.
5. Preheat your oven to the highest temperature possible (sometimes I make pizzas in my toaster oven/air fryer which goes up to 450F max, but 475-500 would be best. Slide the pizza into the oven and bake for 12-15 minutes, or until the edges of the dough are golden brown and the cheese is bubbly and melted. The key to a perfect fig prosciutto pizza is getting the crust crispy while the toppings caramelize and meld together.

Finishing touches

When the pizza is done – naturally my favorite part – let it cool slightly before drizzling on some hot honey and adding a handful of fresh arugula on top. The peppery arugula adds a bright, fresh bite that balances the richness of the cheeses and prosciutto. If you want it to have more of a spicy kick, you could add some red pepper flakes.

Serve and enjoy

This fig prosciutto pizza recipe is best served hot, fresh out of the oven, with a side salad and a glass of wine. Since this is not your traditional pizza, I like slicing it in a non traditional way – in funky, oblong shapes. The contrast of sweet and salty along with the crispy crust and fresh greens, makes this one of my favorite pizzas to make during this time of year.

I hope you love this fig and prosciutto pizza with arugula as much as I do. It’s the perfect way to celebrate the flavors of fig season, and the combination of ingredients goes a long way in making this pizza truly special.Switch things up!

Switch things up!

– Use fig preserves or fig jam in place of the fresh figs. This is a great option if figs are out of season – which is most of the year! It’ll balance out the saltiness of the prosciutto perfectly!
– Swap the ricotta cheese for goat cheese to add some tang (which always pairs well with figs). Blue cheese or gorgonzola would work great here as well!
– As mentioned, you can switch the prosciutto di Parma for a duck or lamb prosciutto, a thinly sliced beef mortadella or leave it out entirely for a pork-free alternative. 
– For an extra spicy kick, top off the pizza with red pepper flakes 

Fig Jam and goat cheese burger with arugula and bacon

Fall Salad with Figs Gorgonzola and Pecans

Pan Seared Chicken with Fig Jam & Soy Glaze

When you make this fig and prosciutto pizza with arugula and hot honey, comment down below and rate this recipe to let me know your thoughts! Also, share a picture or tag me on Instagram @thebitewithjackie, I love seeing your remakes!

Fig and prosciutto pizza with arugula and hot honey

This combination of fresh, seasonal ingredients comes together in the most delicious way and is perfect for a quick weeknight meal or a special weekend dinner with friends and family.

5 from 1 vote

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes minutes

Total Time 35 minutes minutes

Course Appetizer, Main Course

Cuisine American, Italian

Servings 4

Ingredients

  

• 1 lb prepared pizza dough
• 3 Tablespoons olive oil divided
• 1 clove garlic grated
• 1 ½ cups low-moisture mozzarella shredded
• 2 Tablespoons Italian seasoning OR dried oregano
• ½ cup whole milk ricotta cheese
• 3-4 figs slice half in rounds and half in wedges
• 2-3 sliced prosciutto di Parma

Optional additional toppings:

• Spicy honey
• Fresh baby arugula

Instructions

 

• Preheat your oven to 450F.
• Pull the dough out from the fridge and let it come to room temperature. While you wait, use 1 Tablespoon of olive oil to grease the baking sheet, shred the mozzarella and add the Italian seasoning, cut the figs into slices and wedges and mix the rest of the olive oil with 1 clove of grated garlic.
• Once at room temp, roll the dough out onto a lightly floured surface until about 1/3 inch thick. You can make it into a circle for a typical pizza shape or an oval for a flatbread shape. Spread the entire top of the dough with the garlic olive oil mixture including the crust. This gives the crust a garlic bread-like taste.
• Top it off with the shredded cheese + seasoning mixture leaving about ½ inch border along the edges for the crust. Scatter the fig slices and wedges on top of the cheese, the tear the prosciutto into bite size pieces, scrunch them up and scatter them on top as well.
• Place dollops of the ricotta cheese around the pizza, then place it in the oven for 10-15 minutes.
• Pull the pizza out, drizzle on the hot honey (if using) and add the fresh baby arugula right on top. Slice it up however you like, I love oblong shapes for this pizza, and enjoy!

Notes

For a pork-free alternative to prosciutto, use duck or lamb prosciutto, thinly sliced beef mortadella or leave out the prosciutto entirely and sub for goat cheese or blue cheese for a salty contrast.

Keyword fig and prosciutto pizza, figs, pizza