No fresh tomatoes? No problem! This white pizza with roasted garlic will give you summer vibes (and nostalgic taste memories) all year long.
I love all my pizza recipes, but this one is extra special.
It reminds me of the garlicky diced tomato slices I'd order late at night in Manhattan, way back in my early twenties when I lived in NYC. It reminds my husband, John, of the monthly pizza nights he looked forward to as a kid in South Jersey, when his family would order a pie like this one from their favorite local pizza shop.
Isn't it amazing how the simplest foods—in this case, a basic white pizza with roasted garlic and canned tomatoes—can hold so much power?
A minute or two after I slid my first test of this recipe onto the steel baking plate in the oven, I heard John shut his laptop and follow his nose to the kitchen. "What on Earth are you making?" he asked. "I can't concentrate. It smells amazing in here."
I made him wait until the crust puffed up and began to char in spots, then I opened the oven to reveal the finished pizza, a garlic-scented landscape of bright red tomato peaks, bubbling cheese, little oily pools, and speckles of oregano. "Woah. That is the EXACT pizza I loved when I was growing up" John marveled.
Immediately, the chaos of the day wafted away, replaced by delicious, garlicky memories. I laughed at the thought of John and his brother fighting over the last slice of their coveted Slacks pizza. John tried to imagine a young Peg out too late in the East Village, on a tipsy quest for greasy tomato slices.
While our 3-year-old son played with his magnetic tiles in the other room, 100% oblivious that his parents ever had past lives, John and I huddled around a hot pizza, sharing memories of much simpler times.
If that's not comfort food, I don't know what is.
Pro tip
Spend a few extra dollars on high-quality canned tomatoes for this recipe. Because there are so few toppings, the flavor of the tomatoes (or lack thereof) will really stand out.
Looking for more white pizza recipes?
- Three-Cheese White Pizza
- White Pizza with Black Garlic and Ricotta
- Genius White Pizza with Bacon, Leeks, and Cream
- Tomato and Peach Pizza with Herbed White Sauce
- Spring Onion and Chive Pizza with Genius White Sauce
- Prosciutto and Cantaloupe Pizza
White Pizza with Roasted Garlic and Diced Tomatoes
Equipment
- Rolling pin (optional)
- Large rimmed baking sheet or baking stone/steel
- Pizza peel (optional)
Ingredients
- 1 head roasted garlic (12 cloves)
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1 cup drained diced tomatoes (about half of a 28-ounce can; choose the highest quality canned tomatoes you can find, such as San Marzano)
- 4 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese, cut into ½-inch cubes
- ¼ cup finely shredded parmesan cheese
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 500°F (if using a baking sheet) or as high as it will go (if using a baking stone/steel; place the stone/steel in the bottom third of the oven before you start preheating). Let the oven preheat for at least 30 minutes. Then, if you’re using a baking stone or steel, switch the oven to Broil on high.
- In a small bowl, combine the roasted garlic cloves, olive oil, salt, and a grind or two of black pepper. Mash the garlic into the olive oil until it is smooth enough to spread.
- Stretch or roll out your dough to a 12- to 14-inch circle, then transfer it to an oiled or parchment-lined baking sheet or a lightly floured pizza peel (if using a baking stone/steel).
- Spoon the roasted garlic–oil mixture onto the dough. Use your hands or a pastry brush to spread it evenly all the way to the edges of the dough. Scatter the tomatoes on top, followed by the mozzarella and parmesan cheeses. Sprinkle with the dried oregano and a pinch of salt.
- Transfer the pizza to the oven and bake until the crust is golden and the cheese has browned in spots—8 to 10 minutes on the baking sheet, 6 to 8 minutes on the baking stone/steel.
- Remove the pizza from the oven. Drizzle it lightly with olive oil, if desired, then let it cool for a few minutes before slicing and serving.
Delo Tuliao says
How I wish I could grab this lovely pizza through my monitor. One thing I love more is the Pizza Night Wine from Theme Night Wines. Really amazing wine. A must-try.