Description
A vibrant and flavorful white pizza featuring a blend of roasted garlic, creamy ricotta, fresh spinach, and melted mozzarella on a crisp homemade crust. This easy-to-make pizza combines savory and fresh ingredients for a delicious meatless dinner or appetizer.
Ingredients
Scale
Pizza Dough
- 1 pound refrigerated pizza crust dough
Roasted Garlic
- 24 medium cloves garlic (about 2 heads, separated, peel left on)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil (plus more for working the crust, if desired)
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt (more for sprinkling the garlic)
Ricotta Mixture
- 1 cup part-skim ricotta cheese (whole milk ricotta works too)
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 8 peeled roasted garlic cloves (from the roasted batch)
Toppings
- 10 ounces frozen chopped spinach (thawed and squeezed to remove any excess moisture)
- 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese (divided) (about 8 ounces)
- Optional: cooked chicken chunks (for variations)
Instructions
- Preheat the Oven: Set your oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit to start roasting the garlic.
- Prepare Garlic for Roasting: Place the whole garlic cloves, peel on, on a large piece of foil. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon olive oil and sprinkle with kosher salt. Seal the foil into a packet.
- Roast Garlic: Place the foil packet on a baking sheet and roast in the oven for about 25 minutes until cloves are soft, golden, and fragrant. Remove and allow to cool, then peel the garlic cloves and discard skins. Increase oven temperature to 450 degrees Fahrenheit to prepare for baking the pizza.
- Mix Ricotta Garlic Spread: In a small bowl, mash 8 peeled roasted garlic cloves with a fork. Add ricotta, 2 teaspoons olive oil, chopped basil, honey, oregano, 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, and black pepper. Stir well to combine.
- Prepare the Pizza Dough: Drizzle a baking sheet lightly with olive oil and place the pizza dough on it to rest if needed. Stretch the dough into an approximately 14-inch round on a greased pizza stone or baking sheet. If making two smaller pizzas (one meatless, one with chicken), split the dough in half and shape into roughly 8-inch rounds.
- Assemble the Pizza: Spoon dollops of the ricotta garlic spread evenly over the dough. Scatter the thawed, drained spinach evenly and distribute remaining roasted garlic cloves. If adding chicken, layer cooked chicken chunks on top.
- Add Cheese: Sprinkle the shredded mozzarella evenly over the toppings.
- Bake: Place the pizza in the 450 degrees Fahrenheit oven and bake for 9-10 minutes, or until the crust is golden and crisp and the cheese is melted and bubbling.
- Serve: Remove from oven and let cool for a few minutes. Slice into wedges and serve warm.
Notes
- To cook chicken for the optional topping, pan-sear or bake chicken pieces seasoned with salt and pepper until fully cooked, then cut into chunks.
- If using frozen spinach, ensure it is fully thawed and squeezed to remove excess water to avoid soggy pizza.
- You can substitute whole milk ricotta for a richer creaminess.
- Olive oil can be brushed on the crust edges for extra crispness and flavor.
- Honey adds a subtle sweetness to balance the savory garlic and herbs but can be skipped for a vegan variation.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Category: Main Course
- Method: Baking, Roasting
- Cuisine: Italian-American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/6 of a large pizza
- Calories: 320
- Sugar: 3 g
- Sodium: 520 mg
- Fat: 15 g
- Saturated Fat: 6 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 8 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 32 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 15 g
- Cholesterol: 35 mg
Keywords: white pizza, spinach pizza, roasted garlic pizza, ricotta pizza, vegetarian pizza, homemade pizza
