A simple ricotta pizza for lazy summer nights! It is mostly cheese and blackberries, which is a fabulous combo. Add some basil on top to make things a little more sophisticated, and you are on your way to an easy dinner the whole family will love!
Originally published July 7, 2015
Last week I was swimming at the lake with my sister’s family. Her 5-year-old daughter comes up to me, looks at my bare legs, and says, “Aunt Karen, I can see your sunscreen.”
No, honey, no. Some of us are just REALLY WHITE.
Her dad is half Mexican, and she is the lightest of the 4 kids, so her family is always telling her she’s white. But a light-skinned quarter-Mexican little girl who plays in the sun all day is still a heck of a lot darker than a lily-white European mutt like myself. I’ll have to work harder to rub that sunscreen in all the way. Maybe I will rub the Scandinavian right out of me.
Thanks to everyone who entered my Hidden Valley giveaway last week! It was so fun hearing from all of you. One of the winners chosen sent me her address, and she is from my little hometown! How crazy is that?? Small world right?
How to make blackberry ricotta pizza
My best friend Sarah visited me from Texas a few weeks ago. She has been sending me recipe ideas from Pinterest for the last few months so that we could cook amazing things together, and one of them was for this Blackberry, Basil, and Ricotta Pizza from The Stay at Home Chef’s lovely blog. I have to admit that I was dubious at first, but when you have gallons of blackberries to use up after spending hours picking them, and you’ve already made 4 pies and Blackberry Balsamic Glazed Chicken, you make blackberry pizza.
We tried to make our own ricotta but the charlatan in me got distracted and I forgot to stir the giant pot of whole milk at just the time it needed to be stirred, and instead of beautiful ricotta we ended up with a gallon of curdled milk. Oooops. Eric saved the day with some ricotta picked up on the way home from work.
We all loved this pizza. The first time we made it we decided it needed copious amounts of salt and pepper to make it more savory, and the next time I made it I took it a step further and added some green onions. I thought it added just the right touch. Don’t skip the basil!!
I used my go-to pizza dough for this recipe, which is right out of the Better Homes and Gardens cookbook. You can find details on how to make it on my Cherry Tomato and Goat Cheese Pizza that I posted back in 2011, about a month after I started my blog. The first paragraph is all about how I suck at making up my own recipes. It’s kind of funny to look back on 4 years later!
Blackberry Ricotta Pizza with Basil
Ingredients
- one pizza dough recipe, to make one 12-inch pizza*
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 cup blackberries, fresh, smashed
- 1 cup Parmesan, shredded
- 1 cup swiss cheese , or mozzarella, shredded
- 3/4 cup ricotta
- 1/2 cup blackberries, whole
- 1/4 cup green onions, chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon salt, more to taste
- pepper , ground, to taste - I like lots
- 2-3 tablespoons basil, fresh, chopped
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 450 degrees F. Put your pizza stone in the oven if you have one.
- Roll out your pizza dough on a floured sheet of parchment paper to about 12 inches. (If you don't have a pizza stone, you should probably transfer the dough to a baking sheet now.)
- Drizzle 1 tablespoon of olive oil over the top of the dough and use your fingers or a pastry brush to coat well, especially the edges.
- Use a fork to mash a half cup of blackberries in a bowl. It doesn't have to be perfect. Use the fork or a slotted spoon to ladle the pulp onto the pizza. Spread it around like you would pizza sauce. (You don't need the remaining juice, but don't throw it out. Drink that sweet nectar if you know what's good for you.)
- Top the smashed berries with 1 cup Parmesan and 1 cup swiss or mozzarella, making sure to get the crust.
- Use a spoon to dollop the ricotta over the pizza. It doesn't have to be perfect.
- Top with whole fresh blackberries and chopped green onions.
- Sprinkle with salt, and add pepper to taste.
- When the oven is hot, transfer the pizza to the oven. I transfer it using a a flat baking sheet, still on the parchment paper.
- Bake for about 8-10 minutes, or until the top has started to brown. You can broil it for a minute if you want it crispier on top.
- Remove from the oven and immediately sprinkle some chopped basil on top. Slice and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
You might also like:
Spinach, Bacon, and Feta Pizza:
Blackberry Balsamic Glazed Chicken:
Check out these recipes from friends!
Blackberry, Bacon and Blue Cheese Salad from Lemon Tree Dwelling
Berry with Arugula and Prosciutto Pizza from Foodiecrush
3 Cheese Peach and Prosciutto with Basil from Cooking Classy
If you are looking for a Gluten Free Pizza Crust, check out this one from Snixy Kitchen, it’s legit!
I have some Spaniard in me and some Scotch. As a child I got the best tans. Now? hahaha! The Scotch blood (or the plain American) has kicked in… ;) That is one yummy looking pizza!
Oh My Goodness this combo sounds off the charts amazing!!! Seriously WOW ;)
I am a world class “pizza snob”, so when this pizza didn’t immediately get a resounding “no way”, I figured I have to try it. It’s going to be dinner tonight! Looking forward to it, too!
Awesome Emanuel! I hope you like it, let me know how it goes!
Came out fantastic, and the basil is a must! Even my wife liked it, and she’s picky beyond belief! Will definitely make this again!
That’s awesome Emanuel!! Thanks for the review. I’m glad to meet another basil lover!
haha don’t worry – I am that white too! So pale!!
And whoa this pizza. Yay for blackberries and on pizza is even better!!
What an original idea to add blackberries to pizza – I love it! In the UK, blackberries aren’t ripe until September, but I’m making a note of this recipe to try when they are in season!
Fruit, cheese, and carbs?! What’s not to love!?
Haha, right Julia?? :)
Ooooo this looks DIVINE and so yummy :-)
I love your stories. And I love your food. This is particularly stunning!
Thank you Nicole!! You are one of the best flatterers I know :) :)
This looks so delicious, Karen! I was actually thinking when I first saw your post how you turned this into a savory dish, because ricotta is pretty neutral, as is pizza crust, and of course blackberries are more sweet than savory…reading on, it was interesting to find out your added some onion and more seasoning – I think that’s a fantastic idea. Can’t wait to give this a try! :)
You know Beeta it’s funny that you mention that because it never even crossed my mind to make this a dessert recipe, but the first time I mentioned it to family members they were like, oh, dessert pizza? Nooo.. haha. Amazing what a lil salt and pepper can do!
This looks absolutely phenomenal! Such a smart combo of flavors with the tart blackberries and mild, creamy ricotta. And love anything with fresh basil :) Pinning!
Hahaha, I have the same problem, my white self glows from the serious paleness! Gotta love kids and the innocent things they say. Fruit on my pizza is one of my favorites and I adore this blackberry twist!
This looks amazing – what a fun treat!
“such”!!!!!
Karen, I absolutely LOVE this pizza!!!! LOVE! looks like you put your gallons of blackberries to great use! This is suck a fabulous idea!!! Making this!
Thank you Alice!! I really did have a ton of blackberries, and you can only make so many pies. Well actually that’s not true, there are never enough pies, but I’m still glad I made this!! :)
Yay for blackberries! This looks awesome. I never thought about blackberries in a savory way. I need to try this soon. I’m all about store bought ricotta though. Ain’t nobody got time for that!
I used to think it was weird, but I am all about the savory blackberries this year! It’s totally good! Kathleen a friend of mine made a SARLAAC CAKE and posted it on FB recently–it looked just like yours, there’s no way she didn’t use your post. I asked her but she didn’t respond. So fun though right??
That’s so awesome! I wish I could see it! I’ve seen a few of my star wars treats on instagram. I love it when they tag me so I can see. It’s pretty cool.