Grilled Summer Tomato Pizza

The best pizzas are those cooked at ultrahigh temperatures. Did you know that a grill can get much hotter than an oven? And it’s summer in the South, so keep that heat outside! I keep the process simple by using individual-sized whole-grain naan flatbreads, but any prepared pizza crust will work here. And I grill the crusts for a few minutes before building the pizza to lock in some extra smoky flavor.

What sets this pizza apart is an ultralight layer of basil-and-garlic-infused mayonnaise (yes, mayonnaise!) brushed delicately over the crust before grilling. Mayonnaise (just a touch!) gives this pizza the ultimate “Southern” stamp; adding a bright pop of flavor and a creamy element to this simple-yet-elegant pie. The rich, creamy mixture complements the tomatoes beautifully and allows you to use less cheese for a lower-in-calorie but full-on- flavor pizza.

As for cheese? Splurge on the good stuff. Fresh mozzarella is much lower in sodium than its shredded, part-skim counterpart and has a rich, velvety texture that melts like butter over the pizza crust. You don’t need much! Fresh mozzarella also contains gut-healthy probiotics.

And to top it all off, I recommend placing a few bigger, but thin, slices of tomato on the crust and then tossing a few handfuls of heirloom cherry tomatoes over the top like a salad. You can never have too many fresh summer tomatoes!

2 whole-grain naan, lavash or flatbread
2 cups heirloom cherry tomatoes, halved
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 ounce grated parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons olive oil mayo
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
1 garlic clove, grated or finely minced
1 small heirloom tomato, seeded and
thinly sliced
2 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese,
thinly sliced

Preheat grill to high.

Place flatbreads on grill, grill 3-4 minutes each side or until flatbreads start to brown.

Combine cherry tomatoes, vinegar, and parmesan cheese; toss to coat. Combine mayonnaise, oil, basil, and garlic in a small bowl. Whisk to combine.

Lightly brush mayonnaise mixture over grilled flatbreads, leaving a 1-inch border. Layer with large tomato slices and fresh mozzarella.

Sprinkle cherry tomatoes on top. Grill 8 to 10 minutes, over indirect heat, or until the crust is crisp but not burned and cheese is melted. Remove from heat; top with additional basil and parmesan cheese.

Sidney Fry is a two-time James-Beard-Award-winning food and nutrition writer who loves creating simple, healthy recipes and thoughtful, actionable content for the hungry consumer. A healthy living proactivist, Sidney is also a registered dietitian nutritionist, recipe developer and mama of three based in Birmingham, Alabama.