I did it. Seriously. I went back to TJ’s (which is almost an hour away) and bought a ton of those Monteli organic pizza crusts I raved about in an earlier post – they’re heavenly – and also picked up some fresh basil to make one of my favorite pizzas. And this one is good at any time of day!
Fresh basil is so delightful, it deserves to be appreciated unto itself; combined with the sweetness of heirloom tomato and the creaminess of fresh mozzarella cheese, it’s practically transcendent. Add a mischievous bit of heat via crushed red pepper, and it may just be the pizza perfection.
It all starts with an amazing Monteli crust, brushed with olive oil. Why olive oil and not marinara? So the other flavors can shine – I find that marinara can be overpowering as a sauce. Over the olive oil, a generous sprinkling of those crushed red peppers (sprinkled onto the crust so that they’re fixed in place and can be evenly distributed – try it, it works really well!), then shredded cheese, chopped basil…
…heirloom tomatoes, and sliced fresh mozzarella!
A quick baking and it all comes together. We used a slightly drier mozzarella to prevent the pizza crust from becoming soggy when the cheese melted and released its moisture. Gooey cheesy goodness!
These are (honestly!) pizzas that can be made quickly, especially if you prep the ingredients beforehand (chop those tomatoes, onions, and even the basil if you’re going to use it quickly). You can’t beat a freshly-made pizza with super fresh ingredients!
These pizzas are equally good cold, too, so be sure to save leftovers for another meal or a tasty snack. With all those crusts on hand, you know we’re already plotting our next pizza masterpiece!
Comments are closed.