I’m on a bit of a pizza kick lately, specifically Neapolitan-style pizza. The weather is slightly cooler, so heating up the pizza oven until it’s blazing hot doesn’t seem as daunting as it did in mid-summer. And if I’m making pizza, I might as well try out some seasonal flavor combos while I’m at it. That’s where this fig, blue cheese, and arugula pizza came from.
I made a batch of my cold-fermented pizza dough (the recipe is in my Pizza Marinara post), and since it makes enough dough for quite a few pizzas, I figured I might as well use some toppings we had on hand. That included a big selection of goodies from the farmers’ market: fresh green figs, baby arugula, red onion, fresh mozzarella, and crumbled blue cheese. Honestly, it was a great combo. The figs added a little sweetness, the blue cheese is a little funky, and the peppery arugula and red onion balance it all out.
If you don’t want to make a Neapolitan pizza with these toppings, you could totally make a sheet-pan pizza instead, using my favorite sheet-pan pizza dough recipe as the base. Okay, now onto the recipe below…
...if I’m making pizza, I might as well try out some seasonal flavor combos while I’m at it. That’s where this fig, blue cheese, and arugula pizza came from.
Ingredients & Prep
Pizza Dough
This pizza uses a cold-fermented pizza dough recipe that is detailed in my pizza marinara post. You want to make sure and let the dough proof for at least two hours at room temperature before shaping, stretching and baking.
The Toppings
All the quantities for the topping ingredients are suggestions, use more of less depending on how you like it.
- 9 fresh green figs – Sliced or quartered
- 16 oz fresh mozzarella – Diced or sliced into small batons. Drain and press with some paper towel to remove any excess moisture.
- 4 oz crumbled blue cheese – You can use any blue cheese you like here. Roquefort, Stilton, Gorgonzola all work, use one you like.
- 1/2 red onion – Thinly sliced
- A few handfuls of fresh arugula
- Olive oil
- Freshly ground black pepper
How to Make This Fig and Blue Cheese Pizza
- Proof Your Dough
Make sure to let dough proof for at least two hours at room temperature before you bake the pizzas. - Prep The Mozzarella
Prep your mozzarella by dicing or slicing into small batons. Drain and press between paper towels to remove any excess moisture. - Stretch and Shape
When you’re ready to bake, take a ball of dough and keep track of the top side, this will be the top side of the pizza when baked. Generously flour each side and flip the ball so the top side is down and gently press the ball out from the center to remove the air and create your crust edge. Flip the dough back over, so you have the top side up, and stretch your pizza into roughly an 8-9 inch round. - Top it!
Top the pizza with fresh mozzarella, crumbled blue cheese, figs, red onion and a drizzle of olive oil. Lay the pizza on your pizza peel and stretch to the full 10 inch round. - Cook Your Pizza
Cook in a very hot pizza oven — ideally around 750-850°F (400-450°C) — for 60–90 seconds. Let the pizza cook undisturbed for about 30 seconds, letting the bottom to set, and then turn frequently until the crust is puffy, blistered and slightly charred. - Finish and Eat
Once out of the oven, finish with another drizzle of olive oil, scatter over some fresh arugula, and top with fresh cracked black pepper.
Make This A Sheet-Pan Pizza
You can absolutely use this topping combo and make a sheet pan pizza. Great for a home oven!
- You’ll need a batch of my sheet pan pizza dough.
- Stretch the dough on a parchment lined baking sheet and bake at 500°F for 8-12 minutes, then broil for 3-4 minutes to get the cheese slightly browned and bubbly.
More Pizza and Focaccia Recipes to Try
Pizza Marinara – Neapolitan-style marinara pizza with a crisp, airy crust and simple tomato sauce. Made with a slow, cold-fermented dough and baked in an outdoor pizza oven. Classic and perfect!
Potato Pizza with Rosemary and Guanciale – Roman-style pizza con patate, a sheet-pan pizza topped with thinly sliced potatoes, fresh rosemary, and guanciale.
Pizza Fritta (Fried Pizza) – Small individual fried pizzas topped with mortadella, stracciatella, pistachios, and basil. A great snack or appetizer that is incredibly delicious.
Radio Bakery’s Sausage and Chive Focaccia – Make the viral sausage and chive focaccia from Radio Bakery at home! This focaccia has a soft, airy crust topped with Italian sausage, bacon, crème fraîche, and fresh chives.
Glazed Strawberry Jam Donut Focaccia – A no-knead sweet focaccia with strawberry jam and a vanilla glaze. Everything you love about a jelly donut, but as focaccia.
Artichoke Pizza – Easy homemade Sicilian-style pan pizza recipe with marinated artichokes, fresh mozzarella, ricotta, prosciutto, and Pecorino Romano.
Did you make this Fig Pizza?
Leave a rating and comment below—or tag @TheMostHungry on Instagram. I can’t wait to see it!
Fig Pizza with Blue Cheese and Arugula
Ingredients
- 1 Pizza Dough
- 9 Figs or as many as you want
- 16 oz Fresh Mozzarella diced and drained of excess moisture
- 4 oz Blue Cheese crumbled
- 1/2 Red Onion thinly sliced
- Arugula a few handfuls
- Olive Oil
- Fresh Ground Black Pepper
Instructions
- Make sure to let dough proof for at least two hours at room temperature before you bake the pizzas.
- Prep your mozzarella by dicing or slicing into small batons. Drain and press between paper towels to remove any excess moisture.
- When you’re ready to bake, take a ball of dough and keep track of the top side, this will be the top side of the pizza when baked. Generously flour each side and flip the ball so the top side is down and gently press the ball out from the center to remove the air and create your crust edge. Flip the dough back over, so you have the top side up, and stretch your pizza into roughly an 8-9 inch round.
- Top the pizza with fresh mozzarella, crumbled blue cheese, figs, red onion and a drizzle of olive oil. Lay the pizza on your pizza peel and stretch to the full 10 inch round.
- Cook in a very hot pizza oven — ideally around 750-850°F (400-450°C) — for 60–90 seconds. Let the pizza cook undisturbed for about 30 seconds, letting the bottom to set, and then turn frequently until the crust is puffy, blistered and slightly charred.
- Once out of the oven, finish with another drizzle of olive oil, scatter over some fresh arugula, and top with fresh cracked black pepper.
Notes
- All the quantities for the topping ingredients are suggestions, use more of less depending on how you like it.
- This recipe uses the same dough as my pizza marinara recipe. It's a slow, cold fermented dough. It takes 3 days to make, but it's mostly hands off and incredibly delicious.
Make This A Sheet Pan Pizza
You can absolutely use this topping combo and make a sheet pan pizza. Great for a home oven!- You’ll need a batch of my sheet pan pizza dough.
- Stretch the dough on a parchment lined baking sheet and bake at 500°F for 8-12 minutes, then broil for 3-4 minutes to get the cheese slightly browned and bubbly.
Did You Make This Recipe?
Leave a comment with your thoughts or share your version on Instagram by tagging @TheMostHungry. I’d love to see how you made it your own!
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Hi, I'm Rachel — the cook, photographer, and recipe developer behind Most Hungry.
This is my go-to spot for bold, approachable recipes rooted in Italian and Italian-American cooking, from hand-rolled fresh pasta to fall-off-the-bone ribs. Great food should be fun, doable, and absolutely delicious. Learn more about me →
2 thoughts on Fig Pizza with Blue Cheese and Arugula
Looks delish. I would add some prosciutto. 😋
Definitely! That would be SO good with the figs!