This pizza, needless to say, was quite an adventure! I had so much fun, and am now kicking myself for not ever grilling pizza dough before.

Why, why, why did I think it was some mysterious and extremely difficult thing to master and do all of these years?? It was shockingly and surprisingly EASY. I mean like, REALLY easy. Like how lame do I feel now, easy.

And the whole consistency, as well as the flavor, was WAY better than baking in a home oven even on a pizza stone! Smacked my forehead pretty good yesterday and literally did a happy dance on the deck when everything came together like the breeze coming in off of lake. I must’ve looked as ridiculously slap-happy-silly as I felt! 😀

 

 

Though I humbly pride myself now and then, calling myself a fearless “Grill Diva”, I admit, that this was the ONE THING that I had been holding off on trying.

This was, as pathetic as it may sound to some, one of my “bucket list”, must-try-before-I-die, items that I had to give a shot no matter what. I told myself, don’t be afraid, and that even if I fail this time, I will keep trying until I get it right! 😉  

 

 

The hubs has been having to travel for his job lately, 3 trips back-to-back actually, so I’ve had plenty of time to myself to muster up the courage to just do this.

Once and for all, just do it.

And now was the perfect time, as there would be no extra pressure and I’d just plain have a back-up plan if the dough ended up a disaster!

Well….no back-up plan was needed! Not at ALL! Just look how gorgeous!!

And if I can do this, so can you!! 

 

 

I had read several recipes for years and the fret to me was all in the timing they said. That you had to have all of the items completely ready to go, keep them to a bare minimum and a simple sauce so that it could be splattered in a rush on top and the items thrown on in a total panic before the second side burns to a crisp.

THIS is why I was scared to try.

So I thought, why the big ol’ rush??

Let’s break it down and make it easy with NO fret. 😉  

 

 

I mean really! A grill gets hot. HOT, hot. So the grilled, still warm, thin crust pizza dough should heat RIGHT back up no problem.

Just simply grill both sides, remove it, and then top at your leisure with literally NO pressure! That was the plan, and the plan WORKED. Worked like a charm. 😉    

 

 

Prepping everything else though, is a must of course. You still do have to have everything ready to go. But going ahead and grilling both sides and removing it, would now work for company as well as doing small individual ones for kids, too.

Grill them up and let them go to town adding an assortment of different toppings! Shred the cheese going on top nice and fine, and it will instantly melt while everything reheats! Yes, it’s just that easy. 

 

 

I LOVED the combination of the sauce I made that blended so well with the ingredients I chose, and the french goat cheese dollops on top were the crown jewels!

But the sky is the limit here. You can make whatever pizza combo that your own heart desires for this! 

 

 

I popped open a jar of creamy alfredo sauce to play with, adding spicy brown mustard and horseradish to a small amount of it to compliment the grilled steak, but you could certainly go with a red sauce if preferred.

I was on a roll and wanted something totally different, though. 😉  

 

 

This might be a REALLY fun thing to consider doing for this upcoming holiday weekend! Memorial Day is right around the corner and mini versions of all sorts could be a wonderfully fun idea!

You can even please the vegetarians and anyone that has allergies, strong dislikes, and even the pickiest of kids, too. A definite please-all with assorted toppings of all kinds to choose from.

The main thing is just not to be afraid to grill the dough. I know I will never be scared again and will continue to do this all year round!

And I so hope that I’ve given you the courage to just go for it and give it a try, too! 

Have a wonderful holiday weekend everybody! And remember our soldiers. Those who have fought for our freedom, many who have lost their lives doing so, and to those who continue to protect us by putting their own lives in danger every single day so that we may all live in peace. 

 

 

GRILLED STEAK PIZZA with MUSTARD-HORSERADISH ALFREDO SAUCE, ROASTED VEGGIES & GOAT CHEESE 

Serves 4-6

 

1 (16 oz.) ball frozen pizza dough, thawed, I used “Pizza Buddy” brand and really liked it, or simply make your own homemade

EVOO (extra virgin olive oil)

1-2 steaks of choice weighing 12 oz. total, I used sirloin

generous amount of seasoned salt and fresh cracked black pepper

drizzles of worcestershire sauce

4 oz. goat cheese, (from a 6 oz. pkg.) 

 

For Oven-Roasted Veggies:

1 small sweet Vidalia onion, sliced

1 medium-sized red potato, unpeeled and cut into small squares

12 grape tomatoes, sliced in half lengthwise

1 small green bell pepper, sliced into rings (insides removed)

2 small cloves fresh garlic, sliced

1/4 cup EVOO

1/2 Tbl. Italian Seasoning

1 tsp. Herbs de Provence

1/8 tsp. each salt and coarse ground black pepper

2 cups torn frilly-edged kale, discard thick tough very center area and stems

about 1 1/2 cups fresh sliced cremini mushrooms (baby bellas)

3 strips thick-cut quality lean bacon, snipped into 1/2″ wide pieces

 

For Mustard-Horseradish Alfredo Sauce:

2 oz. goat cheese

1/2 cup alfredo sauce, I used Bertolli’s but Barilla’s is also good

1 tsp. spicy brown mustard

1 tsp. hot horseradish

 

DIRECTIONS:

Make sauce first:

In medium-small bowl, soften goat cheese gently in microwave just a little. Same as you would cream cheese, just until very soft. Whisk in rest of the Alfredo Sauce ingredients until well-mixed and creamy. Cover and set aside.

 

Roast Veggies next:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Spray well one large baking sheet, add onions, potatoes, tomatoes, green bell peppers and garlic. Drizzle EVOO over. Sprinkle evenly with herbs, salt and pepper. Toss to coat and mix. Spread back out evenly. Pop into preheated oven and bake for 15 minutes. Remove from oven, add kale, mushrooms and raw bacon. Toss to coat and spread back out evenly. Spray top with a little butter-flavored no-stick spray. (I like Crisco’s). Pop back into oven and bake for another 15 minutes, remove from oven, turn bacon pieces with tongs and bake another 5 minutes or until bacon is done. Remove and set aside.

 

For Steak:

Preheat grill to high to get get grates nice and hot. Sprinkle each side of steak(s) with salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle each side with worcestershire sauce, enough to lightly coat completely. Turn grill down to medium-high, oil grates with vegetable oil-soaked paper towel with tongs, place steaks on grill and grill, uncovered, for about 5 minutes each side. You want to sear the steaks on the outside, making nice grill marks, and keeping the steaks rare inside. When both sides are seared, remove to a plate and cover.

 

The finish line:

Wipe off grill grates cleaning the residue left on from the steaks. Turn grill down to medium heat. Stretch and roll out pizza dough on lightly floured surface to about the size of a 16″ pizza. Place onto a sprayed baking sheet. Oil top with EVOO. Place EVOO side down onto grill (laying on by hand), straighten out any bunched up areas, brush top with EVOO, and close lid. Grill for a few minutes at a time, checking underneath every so often until lightly golden and nice grill marks can be seen. With large spatula and tongs, flip pizza dough over and grill second side with lid closed. (Lid is closed to ensure that the dough cooks on the inside just like bread.) 

When done, remove with tongs back onto the large baking sheet or a large pizza paddle. Evenly spread the top with sauce, pile on the roasted veggies and top with the steak sliced against the grain into thin slices. Add rest of goat cheese (4 oz.) by pinching pieces off in small amounts. With a large spatula slide pizza back onto grill, close lid and grill for only 1 – 2 minutes longer with lid closed to soften cheese and reheat ingredients. Remove promptly back onto baking sheet or pizza paddle. 

Slice with a sharp knife and serve with a nice glass of white wine! 

*Note: After the second grilling, the steak remains perfectly rare to medium-rare inside. Outside of slices are only barely brown in color, and remain tender and juicy inside.  

 **Also, I used a 6 oz. package of plain, French-Style Goat Cheese for this, but you can use whatever kind you like, even herbed or seasoned, so long as the flavors all go together well with the rest of the ingredients.