White pizza was impossible to find out here in the high desert, so we went to work on a homemade recipe. Using our homemade dough, it was easy to put together, using our favorite fresh ingredients , and lots of garlic, it tastes just like Philly. Sometimes I leave the mozzarella off and let the ricotta speak for itself! This is one of the recipes in Bob Johnson’s cookbook, The Left Over Ranch Cookbook: Memories on a Plate in the Pizza and Pasta chapter.

Bob Johnson

Spinach and Garlic White Pizza

White pizza was impossible to find in the high desert so Bob went to work creating this homemade version loaded with fresh spinach, lots of garlic, and creamy ricotta dollops. Fresh quality ingredients on a Napoli style crust, tastes just like Philly!

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Prep Time 20

Cook Time 12

Total Time 32

Servings: 4

Course: Dinner, Lunch

Cuisine: American, Italian

Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients

12 oz pizza dough homemade or store bought
5 cloves garlic peeled and minced
2 handfuls fresh baby spinach
½ tsp salt
½ tsp pepper
½ tsp pepper flakes
6 oz mozzarella chopped finely divided
1 large tomato or equivalent sliced thin
1 oz Romano cheese freshly grated
1 oz Parmesan cheese freshly grated
1.5 tbsp olive oil for 13” pizza
5-8 dollops ricotta
Semolina flour

Equipment

Pizza steel, stone or cast iron pizza pan
Pizza peel

Method

Prepare the oven and dough. Heat oven to 450°F with the pizza steel or stone inside. Allow to heat for about 20 minutes — essential for a crispy crust. Roll out the dough to approximately 13 inches, shape to fit the peel, and place on a pizza peel dusted generously with semolina flour.
Top and bake. Spread the olive oil across the dough first, then sprinkle on the garlic, salt, pepper, and pepper flakes. Lay on 3 oz of mozzarella, followed by the spinach, then the tomato slices, then the remaining 3 oz of mozzarella. Sprinkle the Parmesan and Romano over the top then add the ricotta dollops evenly distributed. Slide onto the hot steel or stone and bake for about 12 minutes, rotating 90 degrees a couple of times, until the cheese begins to brown.
Rest and serve. Remove from the oven and allow to rest for several minutes. Cut into pieces and serve.

Notes

This is a white pizza, no tomato sauce, so the olive oil base and generous garlic are what make it sing. Don't be shy with the garlic! Sometimes Bob leaves the mozzarella off entirely and lets the ricotta speak for itself, try it both ways and see which you prefer. Additional toppings work beautifully here too, pepperoni, prosciutto, or fresh garden vegetables all make great additions. For the dough, store bought works perfectly or try Chef Rider’s Quick and Easy Pizza Crust recipe in Allrecipes. For the base technique see our Classic Napoli Style Pizza. This recipe appears in the Pizza and Pasta chapter of the Left Over Ranch Cookbook.