Easy Three Cheese Caprese Pizza

This quick and easy three-cheese Caprese pizza comes together in less than 30 minutes for a fresh, fun dinner that your family will love! Switch up pizza night at your house this week and try something new that's filled with the timeless flavors of tomato and mozzarella!

This post was sponsored by Lifeway Foods. As always, all thoughts and opinions are my own!

You Will Love This

• If you love the classic flavors of Caprese, you are going to love love love this pizza! It has all those traditional flavors of fresh mozzarella, fresh tomatoes, and fresh basil, with the addition of basil pesto shredded mozzarella and delicious tangy farmer cheese.
• If you love this Caprese pizza recipe, be sure to check out my:
  • Cheesy Caprese Garlic Bread
  • Easy Caprese Pasta Salad
  • Creamy Caprese Mac and Cheese
  • Weeknight Sheet Pan Pizza
• If you want to try a delicious homemade pizza dough, check out my:
  • No Knead Pizza Dough
  • Quick and Easy Pizza Dough
  • Beer Pizza Dough (no yeast!)
  • Easy Flatbread Pizza Dough

Ingredients and Substitutions

• Pizza Dough - Store bought works well for this recipe but if you want to use homemade pizza dough I've got some really easy delicious pizza dough recipes as well! Store bought naan would work in place of the pizza crust too!
• Olive Oil + Dried Oregano - I love to par-bake my crust with extra virgin olive oil and dried oregano. The combination adds such a delicious depth of flavor and a little something special to this Caprese pizza.
• Pesto - Store bought or homemade basil pesto will work well as the sauce for this pizza!
• Whole Milk Mozzarella Cheese - You could also use part skim shredded mozzarella for this recipe, but I love the extra flavor and creamy texture that whole milk mozzarella has.
• Lifeway Foods Farmer Cheese - The special ingredient in this three cheese pizza is tangy, dry curd Lifeway Foods Farmer Cheese! Think ricotta but with less moisture and more flavor! Farmer cheese is one of my favorites to add to pizzas or flatbread because the cultured soft cheese adds a depth of flavor along with a creamy texture. It's also filled with probiotics and protein! If you don't have farmer cheese on hand, feel free to sub whole milk ricotta but you'll want to use a cheese cloth to squeeze out the extra liquid so it doesn't make the pizza soggy - that's why farmer cheese works best!
• Fresh Mozzarella Cheese - For this recipe I used Ciliegine which are fresh mozzarella balls that are about the size of cherries. You may also find fresh mozzarella pearls or Bocconcini which are balls about the size of an egg. Fresh mozzarella also comes in an 8 ounce ball or a large log shape which can be 8 ounces or 16 ounces.
• Roma Tomatoes - I like to thinly sliced Romas for this Caprese pizza but you could also use halved cherry tomatoes or grape tomatoes. I like to use one of those three as they are meaty with few seeds which means they don't release quite as much moisture as other kinds of tomatoes.
• Fresh Basil Leaves - Nothing compares to the flavor of fresh basil on this Caprese pizza!
• Balsamic Glaze - If you've never tried balsamic glaze before, this recipe is a great one to start with! The reduced balsamic vinegar adds a delicious tangy slightly sweet flavor to the pizza that pairs perfectly with the mozzarella and tomato.

Instructions

Gently press dough (try my favorite pizza dough here!) into a circle and slap it back and forth between your hands to create a 14-inch crust. Transfer to a pizza pan. Par-bake cust with olive oil and oregano.

Remove from oven and spread pesto across the crust, leaving about an inch around the perimeter.

Spread shredded cheese evenly across the pizza.

Add sliced tomato in a single layer across the cheese.

Dollop farmer cheese across the pizza.

Add fresh mozzarella. Brush the crust with more olive oil.

Bake for 10-15 minutes or until the cheese is melted. Broil for a couple minutes if desired to get the crust dark golden brown.

Add a few pinches of Kosher salt, a pinch of black pepper, fresh basil, a drizzle of olive oil, and a drizzle of balsamic glaze, and enjoy!

Tips

• The way this recipe is written, it will make a 14" hand tossed style pizza. If you prefer a thinner crust feel free to use less dough or stretch the pizza into a larger circle! Just keep in mind that you'll likely need to reduce the amount of toppings as well or you may end up with a soggy pie. See my tips below on how to combat that though!
• I love to use this pizza pan whenever I make pizzas at home because the holes in the bottom allow the pizza to crust through evenly and get a little more crispy. If you don't have a pizza pan you can use a baking sheet or cast iron skillet. Feel free to add a piece of parchment paper to your pizza pan or baking sheet to make for easy clean up!
• Feel free to switch up the cheeses on this pizza! I love the trio of farmer cheese, fresh mozzarella, and shredded mozzarella but shredded Parmesan cheese, Monterey Jack, or even provolone would be delicious too!

No Soggy Pizza!

• Soggy pizza is my arch nemesis which is why every pizza/flatbread recipe I make recommend par-baking the crust before topping! Par-baking is the best way to make sure that your pizza doesn't get soggy and cooking it with olive oil and dried herbs just infuses another delicious layer of flavor at the same time.
• There is a lot of moisture loaded ingredients on this pizza which means it can get soggy if it's not constructed purposefully. The layer of shredded mozzarella acts as a base to soak up some of that moisture, but in order to avoid soggy pizza make sure you:
  • Don't use too much pesto. Pesto contains a fair amount of olive oil so when you use it as a base for pizza, you just want to spread a thin layer. Too much pesto will cause the pizza to become soggy. You can always add a drizzle of pesto over the pizza at the end if you want to get more of that yummy pesto flavor!
  • Slice your tomatoes thinly and don't overcrowd the pizza with them. They will release a lot of moisture which is why I prefer Roma, cherry, or grape tomatoes.
  • If you're using ricotta instead of farmer's cheese you'll want to use a cheese cloth to remove some of the liquid from the ricotta.
  • Pat your fresh mozzarella cheese dry before adding to the pizza.

FAQ

Storage and Reheating

• Storage: Store leftover Caprese pizza in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week.
• Reheating: Reheat leftovers on a pizza pan in a 350 degree oven for about 5-10 minutes or until warmed through. Drizzle with olive oil and season with a pinch of Kosher salt and fresh basil before serving.

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