Grilled Tomato Basil Pizza
It’s summer! Fire up the grill and make this Grilled Tomato Basil Pizza for dinner this weekend!
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When does one actually become an adult? Sure, you could make the legal argument that it’s at age 18 or perhaps 21. But when do you actually become an adult? A couple of our best friends that we knew back in our Atlanta days came up to visit recently. We hung out with them almost every weekend back in those grad school days. We’d get together and play video games or talk about gardening or watch sports. We even made it out to one of his semi-pro football games once, but that is a story all by itself.
Fast forward 6 years. We live in upstate New York. They live in Philly, but they’re moving to Colorado this summer. They also have a son who is a year older than Robbie. Needless to say, our weekend was very different from those days back in Atlanta. At one point, we got to talking about being “adults.” I put that in quotes as none of us actually felt like we’re adults. I mean, we are adults. We have kids and dogs. We have jobs. We have houses with lawns that need to be mowed. We go to bed at 9pm. But we still feel like we’re kids! I love watching a good cartoon or playing video games still. It’s just that I have to do it much earlier now.
Adulting. Have you guys heard of this? It’s the act of growing up and being responsible. As in, “I got up for the gym 2 days this week. And I didn’t fall asleep at work. #Adulting” As the four of us were sitting on the back porch chatting about being adults, we realized that adult is just a term. We are adults in that we are responsible, but we are still kids at heart!
Over the course of the weekend, we enjoyed all sorts of delicious food…most of it on the grill. Some things never change! For their last night in town, I decided to make some grilled pizzas. Have you guys ever grilled pizza? It’s delicious! Those tasty charred bits around the edge of the crust. The smoky delicious flavor from the charcoal. Yum! The flavor is out of this world! And grilled pizzas cook fast…like really fast. And since they are cooked on the grill, there’s no need to heat up the oven indoors. Win!
So I opted to keep it simple and made a Grilled Tomato Basil Pizza. Sometimes the simplest combinations are the best, right? Plus, with grilled pizzas, it’s best to keep the toppings light. Too many toppings will make the pizza harder to grill. And I gotta say that the Grilled Tomato Basil Pizza was an excellent option. We sat around chatting about old times and celebrating our friends’ upcoming move to Colorado. And then we went to bed at 9pm. #Adulting
This Grilled Tomato Basil Pizza was definitely a winner! Oh, and here’s a tip we’ve picked up when it comes to grilling pizzas. Make smaller, individual sized pizzas. They are much easier to handle on the grill. I’ve made full-sized grilled pizzas in the past, and it can definitely be done. But it’s just much easier with smaller pizzas! Also, since the pizzas cook so quickly on the grill, you’ll need to precook any meat or veggies. (That’s why I typically go for more simple toppings like this Grilled Tomato Basil Pizza.)
Let’s celebrate being adults and fire up the grill this weekend. I think another Grilled Tomato Basil Pizza is on the menu. Cheers, my friends!
Grilled Tomato Basil Pizza
Ingredients
For the Dough
- 4½ cups bread flour
- 2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp instant yeast
- 1¾ cups water
- 3 Tbsp olive oil
- cornmeal for dusting
For the Grilled Pizza
- canola oil for brushing grill grates
- olive oil for brushing pizza
- 1 cup pizza sauce
- 1¾ cups mozzarella cheese shredded
- ¼ cup Parmesan cheese grated
- 3 Roma tomatoes very thinly sliced
- fresh basil torn
Instructions
For the Dough
- Using a countertop mixer, add flour, salt and yeast; stir until well combined. Add water and olive oil; mix on low speed until dough comes together. Increase speed to medium and continue mixing for 5-6 minutes. (Note: If the dough appears wet and doesn’t pull away from the sides of the bowl, add 1-2 Tbsp of additional flour. Similarly, if the dough appears dry, just add 1 Tbsp of additional water.)
- Divide the dough into 4 equal portions. Shape each portion into a round ball. Sprinkle cornmeal generously on a sheet pan and then place each dough ball on pan. Brush tops of dough balls lightly with olive oil.
- Cover pan lightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
- The next day, gently press the dough balls into ½”-thick round discs. Lightly brush the tops of the discs with olive oil. Cover lightly with plastic wrap and let dough rest at room temperature for 2 hours.
For the Grilled Pizza
- About 20 minutes before dough is ready, light charcoal grill for direct heat. (I aim for ~550-600°F, but note that cooking times will vary greatly based on temperature of your grill.)
- In a small bowl, combine shredded mozzarella and Parmesan cheese; set aside.
- Once dough has rested, stretch each ball into an 8” round pizza. (If needed, a rolling pin can be very helpful for shaping pizza dough.)
- Using a grill brush (or folded paper towel and tongs), brush the grill grates with canola oil.
- Working with one piece at a time, place dough on a cornmeal-dusted pizza peel (or rimless cookie sheet). Slide dough onto grill. Close lid and let cook for 2 minutes.
- Using grill tongs, slide the dough back onto the pizza peel or cookie sheet. Flip pizza over so the uncooked portion is on bottom. Brush the dough lightly with olive oil and spread ¼ cup of pizza sauce on top. Sprinkle ½ cup of cheese across the top of the pizza and then lay several slices of tomato on top. Slide pizza back onto grill and let cook for 3-5 more minutes.
- Transfer pizza to a cutting board and top with fresh basil. Let rest for several minutes before slicing.
- Continue grilling remaining pizzas.
I’m an adult by age, but definitely don’t always feel like one that’s for sure (and not 100% sure I ever will, lol). And that’s not a bad thing in my opinion 😉 Love grilled pizza! It definitely adds another flavour element. We attempted to use our charcoal grill twice this weekend, but never got around to it and just opted for propane, but hopefully next weekend! This pizza looks delicious David and perfect for Meatless Monday 🙂 It’s healthy, but pizza so a win win if you ask me! Have a great week, my friend!
You know, I think you are totally right, Dawn! Who says you can’t behave like a kid (in the good way, of course) even if you’re officially an adult? 🙂 You know we love our pizza around here…and we love grilling, too. So this grilled pizza is pretty much the best of both worlds if you ask me! Thank you so much for the comment, and my apologies in getting back to you. We were on vacation, and now I’m playing catch up a bit here. Thanks, my friend!
Sounds like a great weekend! I love grilled pizza but haven’t made it in years. I have forgotten what a great thing grilled pizza is. I think a key is keeping the toppings simple. I love the tomato basil combination! Have a great week!
Oh, it was indeed a great weekend! We’ve actually been out on vacation for the last 2 weeks, so I’m just now getting back into the swing of things (my apologies for the delayed response!), but I’m thinking we need to have another grilled pizza night here soon. You are totally right about the simple toppings! The crazy, loaded pizzas are better suited for indoors. Thanks so much, Kathy! I hope you’ve been doing well! 🙂
Haha – dude, you won’t believe how many times Lil Shashi tells me to act my age – guess I’m still trying to win at “adulting” – yet another term Lil Shashi introduced me to (my lingo is gonna take a blow when she heads to college) 🙂
I haven’t ever grilled a pizza before – wow – I can imagine how delicious those charred bits are! Next time we have a little time to prep for our Movie nights, we are gonna have to try this! Thanks for the inspiration, my Upstate NYC friend! Hope y’all had a wonderful weekend and YOU had a wonderful Father’s Day!
Hahaha…you’ll have to call lil Shashi at college and get her to keep you in the loop on the latest slang. 🙂 Adulting is definitely one of my favorite new phrases! Of course, I bet the kids would just roll their eyes at us since we’ve taken one of their phrases. Hah! So you should definitely try grilling a pizza! I have a dream to one day build a woodfired pizza oven in our backyard, but so far Laura won’t give in on that one. So the charcoal grill totally works in a pinch, and the charcoal grilled flavor on this one? Yum!! Thanks so much, Shashi…and my apologies in getting back to you. We were on vacation, and now I’m playing catch up a bit here. Playing catch up and wishing we were still floating down the Rhine river…hah.
I’m so glad I’m not the only one who has yet to feel like a real grown-up. When I was 15 I assumed that at 18 or 21 or (gasp) 29 I’d be there but big fat NOPE. Despite all the trappings of adulthood I still feel like I’m 15. I’m glad you had so much fun with your friends! Grilling pizza is my favorite way to cook it at home but I haven’t found a crust I love yet so I’m going to try yours next time :). Happy Monday!
Yes! I totally agree, Kelsie. I keep thinking that one year I’ll feel like I’ve “grown up” and become an “adult.” But the years keep ticking by…and I still feel like a kid. We just got back from vacation (sorry for the delay in responding to you!), and I totally wandered into a comic book/graphic novel store in a small town in France. I spent at least 45 minutes in there looking at comic books…and I don’t speak a lick of French! Hah! Laura wasn’t as amused as I was about that one. 🙂 Anyways, do give this crust a shot for grilling pizza. It worked well for us. It’s different from our regular pizza dough, but it worked well on the grill. Hope you’ve been doing well, my friend!
Grilled pizza is the superior way to cook a pizza. It kind of tastes like those coal fired pizza places, which certainly isn’t a bad thing! I keep telling my friend that one day we’ll feel like adults – I’m getting married this fall and she just bought a house but we feel about as old as we did in college, haha. Until then we’ll continue #adulting by going to work, doing the dishes…you know. I can’t wait to try this recipe, I love testing out a new crust!
See! We totally agree with the whole adulting thing, Jessica. I might have a house with a lawn to mow and other “important” chores…but I still feel like I’m in college. (Thankfully I don’t necessarily act that way…hah!) So grilled pizza is totally one of my favorites, especially during the summer when our grill pretty much never gets put away! I have a dream to one day have a woodfired pizza oven in my backyard, but I’m not sure if that will ever happen. I’m ok with that though as this charcoal grilled pizza is pretty darned amazing! 🙂 (My apologies in the delayed response here. We’ve been on vacation, but now I’m back and playing a bit of catch-up!)
I loved that “being adults” chat, sometimes we do that same talk with my girlfriends and we have a lot of fun while doing it! This grilled pizza looks just perfect I can just imagine the charcoal-y flavors you put into the pizza!
Yeah, I guess we just get more and more chores as we get older…but that doesn’t mean that we have to act old, right? 🙂 Thanks so much for the kind words, Gaila…and my apologies for the delayed response. We were on vacation for the last 2 weeks, and I’m catching up today. I hope you’ve been doing well, my friend!
Hi David. This pizza is perfect for a hot summer night. I really like the simple toppings, less is sometimes better. Even at my age I really enjoy being around young people and we always have a good time; I think those connections help me stay young (at least my mind, the body is a whole different story). Glad you had a great Father’s Day weekend.
Hey there, Dorothy! Simple toppings are absolutely the way to go when it comes to grilling pizza. And like any good simple recipe, the quality of the ingredients goes a long way! I bet you have some excellent garden tomatoes that would be perfect on this pizza! 🙂 Thanks so much for your comment, and my apologies in the delayed response. As you corrected figured out, we were on vacation…and now I’m playing a bit of catch up today. I hope you guys have been doing well!
Going to bed at 9 p.m.? David, I don’t know which adults can do that so this example sounds more like a kid thing to do (I wouldn’t mind doing that on a regular basis though). Honestly, I don’t feel very often like a kid version of myself is hiding inside of me. But sometimes I feel like I’m old enough for my retirement (Especially when I need to wake up around 5am having inly 4 or 5 hours of sleep). It’s confusing and complicated. For Monday. Let’s better talk about this delicious grilled pizza. One the other hand, you should eat pizza, not talk about it, right? So please David ship me a few large slices ASAP. And my special request would be smoked mozzarella. Thank you very much in advance!
Haha! I hear ya about feeling old enough for retirement, Ben. On one hand, I feel like I’m still a kid…but on the other hand, I’m ready to retire! When is an acceptable age to retire? 🙂 I agree that grilled pizzas make Mondays better! And I’m thinking a bit of smoked mozz on this pizza might need to happen. We are just getting back from vacation (my apologies on the delayed response here), and now I want another grilled pizza! I hope you had a great Canada Day weekend, my friend!
You can’t even imagine what all the games I play with my kid. It feels really great at times when you forget about being an adult and behave like a kid. BTW loved the grilled tomato basil pizza, David. 🙂
I couldn’t agree more, Puja! Sometimes it’s great to just forget about chores and responsibilities and just be a kid again! 🙂 Thanks for the kind words, my friend!
I’ve only made my own pizza a hand full of times and every time I eat it I always beat myself up for not making it all the time. David, I feel like a teenager, a very responsible teenager but a teenager none the less. The fact that I don’t have kids or many friends with kids makes me feel super duper young. I think my generation is waiting to start a family, all of my girlfriends are in their mid 30s and only one of us is family planning. The rest of us are more concerned about where we are eating brunch on Saturday, this weekend we found a bottomless mimosa deal!! Adulting is totally overrated.
Homemade pizza is so darned good, Mary! In fact, we barely ever order pizza anymore. Maybe (and I mean maybe!) once a year? During the summer, grilled pizzas are totally where the fun is! I have a dream to one day have a brick oven in the backyard, but for now this charcoal grilled option is pretty darned tasty! 🙂 Oh, and I totally agree with you that adulting is overrated! Speaking of adulting (or lack thereof), we just got back from a 10-day vacation…so my apologies in the delayed response here. Now I’m trying to get caught back up today. Happy 4th of July, my friend!!
i love grilled pizza! it always gets super crispy and smoky (: also, how do you go to bed at 9pm?? it’s still light out at that time these days. i’ve got too much youtube to watch and junk to eat to go to bed that early (;
Oh, it definitely still is light out at 9pm…that’s what makes it so hard to go to bed! But the alarm clock is set for 4:45am, and let me tell ya…that makes you really want to go to bed by 9! 🙂 Thanks so much for the kind words, Heather…and my apologies for the delayed response. We’ve been on vacation for the last 2 weeks, and I’m trying to get caught back up now. But I really just want to be on vacation again! hah!
Hey David, you make me feel so much better by saying that you go to bed at 9pm. Both Lynne and I do too. Now we don’t have kids so we probably aren’t as exhausted as I can appreciate you guys might be, but we do have a cat that howls at 2am every morning, and I do get up at 4am to do my blog stuff. and visit the gym before a 10 hour session at work. So by 9pm I’m shattered! Now, I’m seriously thinking of trying out this recipe on Saturday 8th July. I’m just waiting on confirmation from some friends that they’ll be free to attend a BBQ then with Lynne and I. I love pizza’s and usually do them in the oven on my pizza stone, but this grilling on a BBQ pizza is something I’m not yet tried. And who knows we may be all sitting around chatting. Until 9pm. LOL 🙂
Wow, you get up to do blog stuff at 4am? That’s intense dedication, Neil! I’m mega impressed. (Also, I totally feel your pain about the cat howling at 2am. Haha!) Some nights, 9pm can’t come soon enough! The problem is that 9pm is still light right now, so it doesn’t feel like bedtime…but if we don’t go to bed early, then the next morning is going to be particularly tough!
So I highly recommend giving this one a shot, Neil! Grilled pizzas just have so much unique flavor. Like you, we typically make our pizzas indoors on a stone…but it’s fun to mix it up sometimes. The best advice is to keep the toppings simple for grilled pizzas. Meats and most veggies need to be pre-cooked since the pizza isn’t on the grill for very long…and that just adds too much time to the process! Keep it simple with a nice tomato basil combo. 🙂 Oh, and my apologies on the delayed response here. Laura and I just got back from vacation, so I’m trying to get caught back up here. I hope you and Lynne have been doing well!
Definitely a winner and simple is the best, especially in summer! I have never grilled pizza, (saving this recipe for my husband’s to do)I bet it will make the outside smell so amazing and even reach your neighbor’s house!!
Oh, you and your husband should totally try grilling a pizza, Balvinder! We typically do pizzas indoors, but the flavor from the grill is really quite unique. And quite delicious, too! 🙂 My apologies in the delayed response here…we’ve been on vacation, and I’m just now getting caught back up! I hope you’ve been doing well!
Yum! It looks so tasty 🙂
Why thank you very much, Pamela! It’s hard to beat pizza on the grill! 🙂
I have never had grilled pizza. It sounds delicious. Your pizza looks amazing!!
Thanks so much, Dawn! Grilled pizza really is quite tasty…the flavor from the grill brings a new level of deliciousness to this one. 🙂 My apologies in the delayed response here…Laura and I have been on vacation, and I’m just now getting caught up! I hope you’ve been doing well. I’m about to hop over and check out your latest posts!
ahh yes, ‘adulting.’ I still don’t feel like an adult and, at 45, I suppose I should. 😉
We’ve grilled a lot of pizza, but never over charcoal. I bet it gives pizza that extra something like it does for steak and burgers. This is a must try!
So I say that adult is just a term! We might have adult chores, but that doesn’t mean that we have to act like adults, right? I still feel like a teenager! Do try grilling your pizza over charcoal next time, Marissa. The charcoal flavor is nothing short of amazing! Also, my apologies in the delayed response here. Laura and I have been on vacation, and I’m just now getting caught back up! I hope you’ve been well! 🙂
This is my favorite pizza I love tomato/fresh basil combo. When I make my pizza dough, I make the dough and I have it sit in my bedroom overnight (usually the warmest spot in the house). : ) I then punch it down, divide it and roll out two pizza crusts. I let them rest and then put on the toppings. I have to use my oven indoors instead of our grill but they come out wonderfully. Letting the dough proof in the fridge is also a good alternative and it will last for about three days if all the dough is not used at once.