Roasted Tomato Ricotta Pesto Pizza

Pizza is usually an easy Friday night meal. I say “usually” because you can either pop a frozen pizza into the oven, call your pizza delivery service, or you can do as I do: Make your own dough and top it with fresh ingredients. My pantry and refrigerator are almost always stocked with pizza-making items. Recently, my Roasted Tomato Ricotta Pesto Pizza was designed using ingredients that I had on hand! It’s a gorgeous and tasty pizza that is sure to please your family.

You can make your own pizza dough or you can purchase a good pre-made dough from your grocery store. Some local pizzerias offer their doughs either fresh or frozen for purchase. I like to make my own pizza dough with my Vitamix. I’ll admit that the Vitamix isn’t the easiest appliance from which to remove the dough, but I certainly like the taste of the final product. The baked crust is crunchy and chewy and just the right consistency of both. Whether you make it yourself, or purchase pre-made dough, be sure that the dough is at least room temperature before rolling it out.

I like to roast my own tomatoes. Roasting is a great way to use fresh tomatoes that are slightly past their prime. My favorite tomatoes for roasting are pear-shaped tomatoes. You can use any kind of tomatoes including grape, cherry, and regular salad tomatoes. Also, roasting the tomatoes will bring a sweetness to usually bland winter tomatoes. Learn how to roast tomatoes by clicking here: How to Roast Tomatoes.

This delicious pizza has toppings of roasted tomatoes, sliced garlic cloves, dollops of ricotta, a couple handfuls of shredded mozzarella, all spread over a bed of pesto on a fresh pizza dough.

Bake in the oven.

And sprinkle with some shredded Parmesan. Serve and enjoy!

This pizza pairs well with a red wine. You can also serve beer or soda if you prefer.

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From the kitchen of A Food Lover’s Delight….

Roasted Tomato Ricotta Pesto Pizza

Ingredients:

Prepared pizza dough (store-bought or make your own), room temperature
Flour to help stretch the dough if it’s sticky
1 c pesto (you can use basil, oregano, or another herb pesto)
2 c roasted tomatoes
4 garlic cloves, peeled and sliced thinly
1 (8 oz) container fresh ricotta cheese
2 c shredded mozzarella cheese

2 T shredded Parmesan for garnish

Method:

1. Heat your oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Oil a pizza or baking pan using oil that will stand up to high heat. I like to use the cooking sprays that are specially formulated for high heat.
3. Roll or stretch out the prepared pizza dough into a round or rectangle to fit your pan. You may need some flour to help you stretch it out. Move the dough to the pan.
4. Spread the pesto over the dough, leaving about 1 inch of the dough uncovered around the edges.
5. Sprinkle the tomatoes and the garlic cloves evenly over the pesto.
6. Drop the ricotta by dollops around the pizza.
7. Sprinkle the mozzarella evenly over the pizza.
8. Bake the pizza for 7 – 12 minutes depending on the heat of your oven. Check to see that the bottom of the pizza is not burning before the filling has cooked sufficiently.
9. Remove the pizza from the oven and let sit for a few minutes for ease of cutting.
10. Cut the pizza into slices, sprinkle each slice with a bit of Parmesan, and serve!

Serves 3 – 4 depending on appetites! Offer a tossed green salad with my Favorite Bleu Cheese Dressing or my Tarragon Balsamic Dressing.

Variations: You can add or subtract the appropriate amounts of ingredients depending on how “wet” or “dry” you like your pizza. Add some cooked chicken breast or spicy sausage to this pizza. Use Boboli or other prepared/baked pizza bread doughs if you wish, just drop the cooking time and oven temperature to what’s noted on the package. Garnish with some chopped fresh herbs instead of the shredded Parmesan.

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