After posting the Napoletana Pizza Dough recipe, I just had to follow up with my favorite pizza caprese. Our basil and tomatoes are coming in like crazy, and this is certainly a tasty and easy way to enjoy our garden bounty. You just layer on sliced tomatoes and chopped basil, sprinkle on some olive oil, and then top with sliced fresh mozzarella. If you want to get adventurous, throw on some minced garlic. The idea is to keep it simple and allow the flavors of the fresh ingredients to shine.
Recipe Notes
You can make the dough a day ahead and keep it in the refrigerator until ready to shape it. You can also use a gluten-free pizza dough.
I like to mince a clove of garlic and add it to the basil and tomato layer.
I like the cheese to melt a bit in the oven, so I put it on before baking, but you can also reserve the cheese until the pizza is out of the oven and then lay it on top, which will soften it just a bit before slicing.
Pizza Caprese
Equipment
- 12-inch or larger pizza stone or pan
- paper towels
Ingredients
- thin crust pizza dough
- 2 roma tomatoes
- 15 basil leaves (chopped)
- 8 ounces fresh mozzarella
- extra virgin olive oil
Preparation
- Preheat oven to 500° F/260° C.
- Cut tomatoes into thin slices and lay them on a paper towel to soak up excess liquid.
- Cut the mozzarella into 1/4-inch slices and lay them on a paper towel to soak up excess liquid.
- Chop the basil leaves.
- Press the dough into a 12-inch circle. Lay the tomatoes on in concentric circles around the dough, about 1/2-inch away from the edge. Sprinkle on the chopped basil and some olive oil. Lay the sliced mozzarella around the top.
- Bake for 10 to 12 minutes until crust is browned and cheese is just starting to bubble. Remove from the oven and transfer to a cutting board. Allow to sit 5 minutes, then slice and serve.
Sounds and looks great. I would have to include the garlic myself. Garlic makes almost anything taste better.
Wow, I am pretty well known for my pizza but I like the looks of this. It looks like a pizza two could enjoy on romantic summer evening! I look forward to trying this (and the homemeade napolean dough).
I do something very similar, though I soak the tomatoes in balsamic vinegar for a few minutes, and I brush garlic olive oil on the crust before I put down the tomatoes.
YUM
Its yummmy!. I love the name caprese, but i would like to ask, an italian name caprese what do you mean the word caprese?. Thank you so very much…its so great…