This is my second attempt at a non-traditional pizza.  I had ricotta cheese leftover from a recipe I made several days ago and I needed to use it up before it started to spoil.  I have this “thing” about not letting food go bad.  I try to use up everything I buy so that I feel I have not thrown away money on food that we don’t use.  So I try to group several recipes together when planning my meals for the month that have certain ingredients in common to use up those last little bits in jars and bottles.

Verdict:

It was good.

I did not have jarred pizza sauce so I made my own by doctoring up a jar of spaghetti sauce.  The ricotta cheese was pretty bland though.  Even adding a bit of garlic, oregano, Parmesan cheese and an egg I just expected more.  I don’t know why because ricotta cheese is more about texture than flavor.  Adding more spices would ruin the flavor of the overall pizza.  The creamy texture with the spicy pepperoni I used was a nice interplay but overall the family far preferred last nights Pesto and Sausage Pizza.

I served this with an Italian dressed Antipasto Salad.

Ingredients:

• 2 12″ pre-made pizza crusts (I used one GF and one thin crust)
• 1 jar of pizza sauce or spaghetti sauce (add additional dried oregano, powdered onion and powdered garlic to taste)
• 1 1/2 cups of ricotta cheese
• 1 large egg
• 1 tsp. powdered garlic
• 1 tsp. dried oregano
• 1/2 tsp. onion powder
• 1 cup parmesan cheese, grated (divided)
• 2 cups mozzarella cheese
• Spicy pepperoni, sliced thinly

Directions:

1. Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Spread 1/2 of pizza sauce over each crust leaving a 1/2″ border around the edge.
3. In a bowl mix together the ricotta cheese, egg, garlic, oregano, onion powder and 1/4 cup of parmesan cheese until well blended.
4. Gently drop teaspoons of the ricotta cheese mixture over the top of the pizzas and gently spread.  Do not cover the entire pizza but leave space in between each teaspoon.
5. Sprinkle pizzas with remaining parmesan cheese.  Evenly divide the cheese between the two pizzas.
6. Cover each pizza with 1 cup of mozzarella cheese.
7. Place sliced pepperoni over the top of the pizzas.
8. Bake for 10-12 minutes until golden brown.
9. Remove pizzas from oven and allow to rest for 5 minutes before cutting.