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Nothing beats a Jersey fresh tomato in the summertime. Utilize local produce to whip up a seasonal recipe like this Garden Fresh Ricotta Pizza!
Whether it’s fresh from your garden, coming from a Farmers Marker or CSA share, it important to support your local farmers and choose local!
A few weeks ago, I posted on Instagram that Adrian and I created a “balcony garden” at his apartment. We are first time gardeners, and pretty much have no idea what we are doing! A few customers at work have given me some great tips and tricks along the way. We are still learning. It has been really fun so far and it is fun to see our progress!
We planted tomatoes, bell peppers, basil, dill, mint, parsley, and cilantro. Everything is doing great so far. Some growing much faster than others. The mint is growing like crazy. I think I’ll have to make some mojitos soon!
One thing we will have to do a better job next year is starting earlier. Our balcony garden is still at the very beginning of its growth stage and we are unable to utilize any of the produce yet. I am so anxious to try something we grew! We have two little tomatoes that I am overly excited about.
With our garden not being ready to harvest yet, I turned to a local Farmers Market for seasonal produce for this recipe. Living in New Jersey has its perks during this time of year. Jersey Fresh tomatoes are one of my favorite things in the summertime. Plus, I grabbed some zucchini and fresh basil.
This isn’t your traditional pizza. I wanted the produce to be the star! The ricotta cheese mixed with sautéed leeks and garlic were the perfect addition to a garden-fresh pizza for the summer. I turned them into four mini pizzas. You could easily make this as one large pizza, but for two people it is easier for portion control.
Garden Fresh Ricotta Pizzas
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 20 mins
- Total Time: 35 mins
- Yield: 4-6 1x
Description
Support local farmers and enjoy this Garden Fresh Ricotta Pizza with seasonal summer produce.
Ingredients
- 1 pre-made whole wheat pizza dough
- 1 leek, sliced
- 1 tbsp garlic
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 1 cup part skim ricotta cheese
- 1/3 cup mozzarella cheese
- 3–4 tomatoes, sliced
- 2 zucchini, sliced
- 1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped
- 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar (or 1/4 cup balsamic glaze)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Prepare 2 baking sheets with cooking spray.
- In a small pan, add olive oil over medium heat. Saute leeks and garlic until just beginning to crisp. Set aside and let cool.
- Divide pizza dough into four equal parts. Roll each out into about an 8-inch round. Place on baking sheet.
- In a small bowl, combine ricotta cheese, mozzarella cheese, and leeks & garlic mixture. Evenly spread on each rolled out pizza dough in an even layer.
- Evenly layer tomato and zucchini slices on top.
- Bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes, until crust is golden brown and vegetables are tender.
- While the pizzas are baking, add balsamic vinegar to a shallow pan over low-medium heat. Let simmer, whisking occasionally, until reduced by half to create a balsamic glaze. Remove from heat and pour in a small dish. Let cool.
- When pizza is done, drizzle with the balsamic glaze and top with fresh basil.
Keywords: pizza, local, farmers market, vegetarian,
What are your top gardening tips & tricks?
We make pizza every Friday night and I’ve never thought to use ricotta cheese. Genius! These are almost too pretty to eat… almost 😉
I have pizza every Friday night too!
these pizzas look soooo good! I love putting ricotta on my pizza 😀
This pizza just screams summer! Loving how fresh and colorful it is. I bet it tastes even better 😉
I love this classic summer combo. I grew up across the Delaware in PA and I loved stopping at the Farm stand on our way home from the pool in the afternoon. We’d load up on zucchini and tomatoes! Love this pizza.
I love ricotta on pizza! I’m picky and don’t like melty cheese ( i know) so creamy ricotta is my way all the way!
no melty cheese?! At least you know you can put ricotta in its place!
Great photos, Julie! I love everything about this pizza – especially the tomato, basil and ricotta! That’s summer on a pizza 🙂
I always struggle with the crust when I make pizza at home. Mind sharing the brand you used for the whole wheat crust?
Thanks Marissa! I’ve been working really hard on trying to improve my photography skills.
I used a dough from the refrigerator case at the grocery store. It’s fresh dough and I just let it puff up a little bit at room temp and roll it out like I just made it from scratch!
Tomatoes, basil, and zucchini– my summer faves! These pizzas look incredible. All the best flavors 🙂
I’ve been making everything in balsamic this summer– such a great, fresh flavor.
This looks amazing! Fabulous photos too! Oh, and love those little tomatoes. Please share a pic when they’re ripe!
Ohh so jealous of your lovely balcony garden – very impressive to this black thumb! And this pizza is my kind of summer time comfort food – yum.