It’s FRIDAY! And Fridays call for pizza. I haven’t had pizza in forever and I was a little worried that I wouldn’t be able to chew pizza with my new braces, but let’s be real, even a mouth full of wire and tender teeth can’t keep me from pizza. I was craving a white pizza this week, similar to one that I had at one of my favorite pizza places in New Orleans (Pizza Delicious, if you’re wondering), so I whipped up this super simple Garlicky Kale and Ricotta Pizza.
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Ricotta for the Win
Ricotta is what really makes this pizza special. If you’re not familiar with ricotta, it’s creamy and light all at the same time. The flavor is mild, almost sweet, and closer in flavor to fresh milk than most cheeses. This allows the pizza to have a delicious creaminess without feeling overly heavy, which is exactly what I want for a summer pizza! Plus, since the ricotta is so deliciously moist, I didn’t even need a sauce. Just a light brush of olive oil and garlic on the crust and I was good to go!
What Kind of Pizza Dough to Use
You can make this Garlicky Kale and Ricotta Pizza on any type of dough you like. This time around, I needed something a bit softer so that I could chew it with my braces on, so I went with my classic Pizza Dough recipe. Another couple of good options are my Thin and Crispy Pizza Crust, or my Honey Wheat Pizza Dough. But you could certainly buy a store-bought pizza dough if you’re short on time. I hear Trader Joe’s has an excellent ready-to-go pizza dough!
Garlicky Kale and Ricotta Pizza
Servings 4 2 slices eachIngredients
Garlicky Kale
- 1 Tbsp olive oil ($0.13)
- 1 clove garlic, minced ($0.08)
- 6 cups torn kale leaves ($0.50)
Pizza
- 1 large pizza dough* ($0.32)
- 1 Tbsp olive oil ($0.13)
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder ($0.02)
- 1 cup whole milk ricotta ($1.13)
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella ($1.25)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400ºF. If your kale is still on the stem, pull the leaves from the stems and tear them into 2-inch pieces. Rinse the kale well in a colander.
- Place the minced garlic and olive oil in a large pot and sauté over medium heat for about one minute, or just until the garlic is soft and fragrant. Add the kale and continue to sauté for about 5 minutes, or until it has wilted. Season with a pinch of salt.
- Stretch your pizza dough (about 12-14″) and place it on your pizza pan. In a small dish, combine the olive oil and garlic powder, then brush it onto the surface of the dough. Scatter the sautéed kale over the surface, then top with dollops of ricotta. Finally, sprinkle the shredded mozzarella over top.
- Bake the pizza for 15-20 minutes, or until the crust has browned, the cheese is melted, and the cheese has begun to brown on the edges. Slice the pizza into 8 pieces, and serve.
See how we calculate recipe costs here.
Notes
Nutrition
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How to Make Garlicky Kale and Ricotta Pizza – Step by Step Photos
Start by preheating your oven for the pizza (400ºF for the type of dough I used). If your kale is still on the stem, pull the kale leaves from the stems and tear them into 2-inch pieces (you’ll want about 6 cups). Rinse them well in a colander. Add 1 Tbsp olive oil to a large pot along with one clove of minced garlic. Sauté the garlic for only about a minute, or until it is soft and fragrant, but not brown.
Add your rinsed kale to the pot. Don’t worry if it’s still quite wet, the water will steam the kale and help it wilt. I had an ENORMOUS bunch of kale, and this was about half of that bunch.
Continue to sauté for about 5 minutes, or until the kale is wilted. Season with a pinch of salt.
In a small bowl, combine 1 Tbsp olive oil and 1/4 tsp garlic powder. Stretch your pizza dough over your pizza pan (about 12-14 inches, it’s flexible!) and brush the garlic oil over top.
Next, scatter the garlicky kale over the dough, then add dollops of ricotta (about 1 cup total). Finally, sprinkle 1 cup shredded mozzarella over everything.
OMG it already looks so good. This pizza does bake a little longer than most pizzas, because the toppings are piled fairly high.
Bake the pizza until the crust is golden brown, the cheese is melted, and the cheese is beginning to brown on the edges. YUM.
Slice the pizza into 8 pieces, grab a cold glass of white wine, and enjoy!!
Terrific delicous easy recipe– I took “easy” one step further and used whole wheat pita bread rounds for the crust (just laid them flat on a large baking sheet and followed the rest of the directions. Making it this way is “migraine prevention diet” friendly, too. Thanks for another great recipe, Beth!
This is GOOD! I knew I’d like it because I love ricotta, and I definitely added more than one clove of garlic and will add more next time ;) You’ve inspired me to try making pizza more, I usually don’t like pizza without red sauce but this one is sooo delicious. – I had a little extra kale (used one whole bag of Trader Joe’s kale and a TJ’s garlic crust) but am just saving it to mix into scrambled eggs.
This looks so amazing! I have a question though.
My mum recently bought a can of kale since fresh is not available where I live. Do you think this recipe would work with preserved, already chopped kale? I really have no clue what else to do with that can.
Yes, I actually think that’s a great option for canned kale! I would just make sure to drain it super well so the pizza doesn’t get soggy. :)
The recipe looks great . But I dont take any kinda cheese . Can I use just ricotta cheese to make a pizza?
Your help will help me tons . Thanks
yes, that is how I make it. I sometimes think people eat too much cheese on pizza. A true Italian pizza is no or little cheese.
This was delicious. So simple and tasty. We will definitely be making it again.
Just made this for dinner tonight. It is so good. The ricotta and garlic really make this pizza amazing! I just used a premade Trader Joe’s pizza crust. Works great. I will definitely be making this again.
Love using those premade crusts!
Making this one for. First time tonight from the vegetarian meal plan!! Thanks for putting that together Beth. It’s exciting to see your blog get so big.
Can you think about adding a few optional desserts to the meal plan? My wife said it would be a nice addition to the plan.
Cheers!
This looks amazingly good! I will be trying it very soon
Let us know what you think Amy!
Beth, I would love to know how you determine your prices for each ingredients.Specifically, where in the world can I get 6 cups of kale for .50?? I definitely need to be shopping there. Thanks!
Hi Rachel! A lot of grocery stores sell huge bags of pre-chopped kale now for super cheap. I can sometimes get it for $1.50. So in this case if I used about 1/3 of the bag, that’s where I would arrive at the $0.50 price. I calculate the cost of the amount of an ingredient I use based on the receipt price and container size. You can see examples in my tutorial about How to Calculate Recipe Costs. It’s something I think everyone should try at least once because it can be so insightful! :)
Just made this tonight. We used the thin and crispy crust recipe, subbed spinach for the kale, and added some shredded grilled chicken. It was delicious and held together pretty well, especially since my husband went a little nuts with the cheese.
What would you think about subbing spinach for kale? Would it need to be sauteed first?
Yes, I would definitely still sauté it first to remove some of the moisture, but it cooks down twice as fast as the kale, so that should be nice! :)
This was sooooo tasty, the pizza looks amazing. Thanks for the recipe
DELICIOUS!!! My husband and I had a blast making this together, and we used your thin crust recipe for the dough… it was sooo good! Next time I think I’ll add roasted garlic to the oil instead of powder, and I might add lemon juice to the kale before it goes on.. only because that’s how I make my kale chips, so it was missing that for me. Thanks for the recipe!
Looks great. I make my own pizza dough. Make your dough but dont let it rise. Put in container or ziplock bag. Place in fridge for a few days( 2 to 5). when ready Take out and let rest for 2 hrs b4 use. Make pizza of choice. Place on preheated pizza stone, at highest temp your oven can reach. Mine hits 8 to 900°(kettle grill conversion,wood burning) you will never go back. But i do use indoor oven at 500° in bad weather.
This was soooo tasty! I mean like “never eat another kind of pizza ever again” kind of tasty!!! I cheated and used the pre-made frozen Organic crusts from Trader Joe’s and I also added sliced tomato on top. I can’t wait to make this again!
Absolutely fabulous!! We made this for dinner two nights ago and LOVED IT! It also made fantastic leftovers for lunch the next day. Such a cool restaurant-quality meal!
We use your deep dish no-knead crust and substitute whole wheat flour for half of the white flour. We also roll out the crust to a regular thickness instead of deep-dish. (I like this dough because it has less yeast and ferments longer than typical pizza dough – easier to digest.)
How did you know I went gleaning for the local food bank this weekend, and the farmer let us take home whatever we wanted, so I have a kitchen trash bag full of beautiful farm fresh kale?
Wait, gleaning for the food bank but took some home??
Ohhh ricotta on pizza is my favorite! I need to make this asap.
Oh wow, I’m so glad I came across your site again! I used to browse it a few years ago too but there are so many amazing dishes that are really budget friendly – it’s helped me out a lot this week!! Thanks :)
This was great! Husband and I loved it. We used low fat ricotta and it still so good. Thank you!
Your recipes are amazing. So many people I know visit your site and cook the most fabulous dinners using your recipes. You are creative, dedicated and a life saver.
The pizza looks amazing. Is it possible that I can add ground Italian sausage? Thanks, Beth!! :-)
Ooooh, LaTrice! That would be amazing!! Just make sure to brown it before adding it to the uncooked pizza.