Grandma's White Pizza

Ricotta and mozzarella join forces for a pizza Nonna would be proud of.

a slice of grandma pizza with beads of grease on the pan
Photo:

Brie Goldman

Prep Time:
15 mins
Cook Time:
20 mins
Total Time:
45 mins
Servings:
8
Yield:
1

This Long Island favorite, often called Grandma pizza, starts with a square-shaped dish. With under an hour of cook time and the flexibility to pre-make your pizza dough, this recipe will quickly become a family favorite.

Olive oil and a healthy heaping of herbs like oregano and parsley give this homemade pizza recipe loads of flavor. The dough and toppings are made with ingredients you may already have on hand. Ricotta and melty mozzarella make this pizza rich and creamy. When choosing a mozzarella, keep in mind that whole milk mozzarella has more fat and calories than part-skim, which gives it a richer flavor. When it melts, whole milk has a nice "stretch" and a silkier texture than part-skim, which tends to brown faster.

Ingredients

Grandma's White Pizza

  • 3 Tbsp. olive oil

  • 2 cloves garlic, minced

  • ¼ tsp. dried oregano, crushed

  • ¼ tsp. dried parsley, crushed

  • tsp. crushed red pepper

  • ⅓ cup plus 1 Tbsp. grated Parmesan cheese

  • 1 cup whole-milk ricotta cheese

  • 5 oz frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry (1/3 cup)

  • ¼ tsp. salt

  • ¼ tsp. black pepper

  • 1 portion Grandma-style pizza dough

  • 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese (8 oz.)

  • 1 Tbsp. chopped fresh rosemary (optional)

  • Chile-infused honey

Grandma-Style Pizza Dough

  • 1¾ cups lukewarm water (105° to 115°F)

  • 1½ tsp. active dry yeast

  • 4½ cups all-purpose flour

  • tsp. salt

Directions

  1. Place an oven rack in the lower third of the oven. Preheat the oven to 425°F. Grease a 15x10-inch baking pan. In a small bowl combine the first five ingredients (through crushed red pepper) and 1 Tbsp. of the Parmesan cheese.

  2. In a small bowl, stir together the ricotta cheese, spinach, salt, and black pepper.

  3. On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough portion into a 15x10-inch rectangle; place in the prepared baking pan and stretch to fit, pressing the dough up the sides and letting it rest as needed.

  4. Spread the olive oil mixture over dough. Top with small dollops of the ricotta mixture. Top with the mozzarella cheese and remaining ⅓ cup Parmesan cheese.

  5. Bake until the cheese and crust are lightly browned, 20 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes. If you like, serve topped with rosemary, additional crushed red pepper, and chile-infused honey, if desired.

Grandma-Style Pizza Dough

  1. In an extra-large bowl combine the water and yeast, let stand 5 minutes or until yeast is foamy. Stir in the flour and salt. (Dough will be shaggy.)

  2. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead until smooth and elastic, about 3 minutes. Place in a well-greased bowl, turning to grease surface of dough.

  3. Cover with plastic wrap; let rise at room temperature until double in size, 1½ hours. Punch dough down. Shape into two balls. If not using dough right away, cover and chill for up to two days.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)

460 Calories
16g Fat
60g Carbs
19g Protein
Nutrition Facts
Servings Per Recipe 8
Calories 460.2
% Daily Value *
Total Fat 15.8g 20%
Saturated Fat 6.8g 34%
Cholesterol 34.7mg 12%
Sodium 768.6mg 33%
Total Carbohydrate 59.9g 22%
Dietary Fiber 2.7g 9%
Total Sugars 1.1g
Protein 18.7g
Vitamin D 0.2mcg 1%
Vitamin C 2mg 10%
Calcium 312mg 24%
Iron 4.3mg 24%
Potassium 243.9mg 5%
Fatty acids, total trans 0.2g
Vitamin D 7.2IU
Alanine 0.7g
Arginine 0.9g
Ash 3.6g
Aspartic acid 1.3g
Caffeine 0mg
Carotene, alpha 0mcg
Choline, total 21mg
Copper, Cu 0.2mg
Cystine 0.2g
Energy 1925.9kJ
Fluoride, F 44.5mcg
Folate, total 188.1mcg
Glutamic acid 5g
Glycine 0.5g
Histidine 0.5g
Isoleucine 0.8g
Leucine 1.6g
Lysine 1.2g
Methionine 0.4g
Magnesium, Mg 44.7mg
Manganese, Mn 0.7mg
Niacin 4.8mg
Phosphorus, P 299.4mg
Pantothenic acid 0.7mg
Phenylalanine 0.9g
Phytosterols 11.7mg
Proline 2g
Retinol 109.7mcg
Selenium, Se 37.3mcg
Serine 1g
Theobromine 0mg
Threonine 0.7g
Vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol) 1.3mg
Tryptophan 0.2g
Tyrosine 0.8g
Valine 1g
Vitamin A, IU 2253.2IU
Vitamin A, RAE 204.2mcg
Vitamin B-12 0.5mcg
Vitamin B-6 0.1mg
Vitamin K (phylloquinone) 92.4mcg
Water 113.3g
Zinc, Zn 2.1mg

*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.

Related Articles