Ricotta Cheese Pizza

Name: Ricotta Pizza Recipe with Mozzarella and Parmesan
Prep time: 1 h
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 1 h 30 min
Cuisine: Italian cuisine
Ingredients: Pizza dough 400 g; Ricotta 200 g; Mozzarella 100 g; Parmesan 50 g; Garlic 2 cloves; Olive oil 2 tbsp; Dill and parsley 3-4 sprigs each; Pickled onion 1; Pickled hot pepper 1; Oregano to taste; Wine vinegar 1 tbsp (for the onion)

☆ Rate it

1 h 30 mins

The first time I saw the Italian cheese ricotta, I declared with total confidence that it was practically the same as our homemade tvorog (farmer’s cheese)! In fact, for all the similarity, that is not quite true.

Ricotta is a traditional Italian dairy product, but unlike tvorog it is not made from milk. It is made from the whey left over after making mozzarella and other Italian cheeses.

Ricotta is slightly sweet because of the lactose, or milk sugar, in it. It is quite rich, and, interestingly, the fat content varies a lot depending on the milk it comes from. It can reach 20% or even more, though usually it is 8-10%. Traditionally ricotta comes from the southern regions of Italy (Lazio, Sicily, Calabria), but it is made in the north too.

Ricotta makes an excellent pizza topping. The classic Italian ricotta pizza (Pizza con la ricotta) is a staple on the menu of Italian pizzerias all over the world, not only in Italy. But homemade cheese pizza is always much nicer.

Ingredients

pizza 34 cm

Pizza dough 400 g
Ricotta 200 g
Mozzarella 100 g
Parmesan 50 g
Garlic 2 cloves
Olive oil 2 tbsp
Dill and parsley 3-4 sprigs each
Pickled onion 1
Pickled hot pepper 1
Oregano to taste
Wine vinegar 1 tbsp (for the onion)

Step-by-step recipe

Turn on cook modeKeeps your screen from turning off while the recipe is open

Filling

You can make very tasty ricotta at home. True, the “experts” will object that in Italy ricotta is made from whey, but let the “experts” go to Italy for their ricotta. Still, it is better to buy ricotta in a shop. For pizza you need soft ricotta, similar to dense tvorog. If you don’t mind that much, you can take good, grainy, fatty homemade tvorog (farmer’s cheese) instead of ricotta.

Pickled onion: make it ahead. Peel a small onion and, with a sharp knife, cut it crosswise into very thin half-rings. Mix the onion with 1 tbsp of wine vinegar and leave it for a few hours. Then pour off the acid. I make the pickled onion myself, from my own recipe. It is insanely tasty, and the smell is indescribable! Fans of spicy snacks to go with strong drinks will appreciate it.
Chop the Parmesan, peeled garlic and parsley leaves in a blender. You should get a dry, coarse “sand” of cheese and herbs with a light garlic aroma. Cut the mozzarella into large pieces: slices, or halves or quarters if the balls are small.
Separate the egg yolk from the white and mix the yolk into the ricotta. Add salt! Stir with a fork to get a soft, dough-like mass that can be spread. If the ricotta is a bit firm, grate it first.
That is all the preparation for the cheese pizza.

Pizza

«Pizza dough» the way I always do, following my usual recipe, which I have published more than once. After the dough rises, knead it again and roll it out into a flat round 5-7 mm thick. Put the dough on the pan, having lightly greased it with olive oil first. Let the dough rest for 15-20 mins so it becomes fluffier. Be sure to prick the dough with a fork in several places.

Next, carefully spread the mixture of ricotta and egg yolk over the dough, evenly and without gaps.
Sprinkle the pizza with 2-3 pinches of dried oregano. Put the pickled onion on top, separated into “straws”. Sprinkle with the mixture of Parmesan and parsley. The pizza turns a beautiful greenish color. A joy to look at!
Lay the pieces of mozzarella on top. It doesn’t matter that the pieces are thick. While the pizza bakes, the mozzarella melts and forms thin patches of cheese. Remove the seeds and stem from the pickled hot pepper and cut it with a sharp knife into strips along the whole length of the pod. Make 6-8 strips and lay them on the pizza. With the pepper, the pizza becomes very piquant and slightly hot.
Drizzle the pizza with olive oil and put it into an oven preheated to 200°C. The pizza bakes for up to 20 mins.

Serving

Sprinkle the finished pizza with coarsely chopped dill, leaves only, no stems. Right away cut the pizza into 6-8 pieces with a pizza wheel.
Serve it hot, and only hot! Once cheese pizza cools down, it becomes quite dry.

Calories and macros

249 kcal

100 g

Protein9.8 g16% of kcal
Fat11.9 g44% of kcal
Carbs24.5 g40% of kcal

Calculated from the recipe ingredients, excluding salt and spices. Data: USDA and Matvaretabellen.

Enjoyed the recipe? Pick me as a preferred source on Google, and you'll see my recipes more often in search. Choose on Google →

How did you like this recipe?

Thanks for rating!