So often, the simplest things in life are the best–and that especially holds true when talking about pizza. When I think back to the best pizzas I’ve ever experienced, it’s so much more about the quality of just a few pristine ingredients than piling a lot of stuff on. And when I’ve eaten pizza in Italy, this lighter hand with toppings is fully on display–even a simple combination of fresh tomatoes and garlic with a drizzle of olive oil can be transportive, especially on a perfectly charred, blistering crust. This spinach ricotta pizza was inspired by one that’s in my favorite cookbook for pizzas, Gjelina: Cooking from Venice, California. After experimenting through the years, I’ve made a few updates that for me, equal perfection. Watch the recipe below, then scroll on for the step-by-step recipe for making my spinach ricotta pizza with garlicky olive oil.
First, let’s talk crust.
In my opinion, that’s the most important part of any great pizza. This recipe begins with my signature easy homemade pizza dough, and then I decide if I’m going to bake or grill my pizza. For this recipe, I decided to bake it in the oven since I know that’s the option that works best for most people. But if you’re interested in learning our grilling method, don’t worry: it’s coming soon.
Since you’ll be sliding your topped pizza dough right from your peel onto a preheated pizza stone in the oven, you’ll want to be liberal with flour on the board. Sticking is the enemy, so add enough flour so it can easily slide right off. Once you’ve stretched the dough, which I explain here, it’s time to add your toppings.
Time for toppings.
First: garlic confit. Two words that will change your life. It’s a game-changing condiment that you can always keep on hand to top pizzas, sandwiches, toasts, and blend into salad dressings, and it really couldn’t be easier. You add several peeled garlic cloves to a shallow baking dish, cover with olive oil, then sprinkle with salt and a few fresh herbs. Bake low and slow until the garlic is soft and caramelized sweet. Done!
This garlicky olive oil goes all over the top of your pizza dough, along with several of the soft, sweet garlic cloves, forming the “sauce”–there are no tomatoes in this pizza, and I promise you won’t miss them.
