Garlicky Margherita Pizza

 

I love a great margherita pizza.  The ingredients are just so simple that they can all really shine.

But then I started making my Roasted Garlic Alfredo Pizza.   And I’m really a sucker for garlic and I started to wonder if the pizzas could do with a little merger.

So I added the garlic to the margherita pizza…or did I add tomatoes to the alfredo pizza?  Either way, it was everything I hoped for.  It is so delicious and my new favorite!

One change I made from previous margherita pizzas was to lower the oven temperature and increase the cooking time.  This allows the tomatoes to soften to perfection and the fresh mozzarella to melt evenly making for an absolutely perfect pizza!

Sunday Funday

Fresh Vegetables

• Creamy Italian Ranch Corn & Green Bean Salad from Faith, Hope, Love, & Luck Survive Despite a Whiskered Accomplice
• Curry Roasted Potatoes and Asparagus from A Messy Kitchen
• Garlic Basil Wax Beans from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Garlicky Margherita Pizza from Amy's Cooking Adventures
• Pan-fried Chicken with Curried Leeks and Lentils from Food Lust People Love
• Pinzimonio from Culinary Cam
• Roasted Chinese Eggplant from Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Tendli and Potato Fry from Sneha's Recipe
• Veggie Mac & Cheese from Mayuri's Jikoni

Garlicky Margherita Pizza

Pizza Dough (here’s my favorite)

Roasted Garlic

1 head garlic

1 tablespoon olive oil

Sauce

1 tablespoon butter

½ cup half & half

½ cup grated parmesan cheese

Freshly ground pepper

Toppings

8 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese, sliced

4 ounces cherry tomatoes, cut in half, seeds removed

Fresh basil, sliced

Prepare dough according to recipe instructions.

To roast the garlic, preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.    Chop the top end off the garlic (the root end will remain)

Drizzle the olive oil over the cut end of the garlic and massage it in.  Wrap the garlic in aluminum foil and roast in the preheated oven for 30 minutes or until the cloves are soft.  Set aside until cool enough to handle.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F and place a pizza stone in the oven to heat.

Squeeze the roasted garlic cloves from the head of garlic and mash.

Heat the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat.  Add the mashed garlic and cook for a minute.  Add the half & half and cook until steaming.  Reduce heat and stir in the parmesan and season with pepper.  Stir until the cheese is melted.

Roll the dough.  Remove the pizza stone from the oven and place the dough on the hot stone.

Spread the sauce over the dough and sprinkle with mozzarella and tomatoes.  Bake in the preheated oven for 18-20 minutes or until the cheese is melted and tomatoes are soft.

If desired, broil for 1 minute to brown the cheese.

Remove from oven.  Sprinkle with fresh basil, slice, and serve hot.