This smoked mozzarella spinach pizza is packed with flavor: a chewy, flavorful crust, sautéed spinach brightened with garlic and lemon, smoky mozzarella and creamy ricotta. A dreamy white pizza.
It’s Pizza Friday here!
This pizza is topped with sautéed spinach, lightly caramelized onions, lots of garlic, a squeeze of lemon, smoked mozzarella and dollops of ricotta — all on a chewy, flavorful crust.
Doesn’t get much better than that.
This is my kind of pizza: no red sauce, no meat — just pure, delicious white pizza. We often do one red and one white so everyone gets the best of both worlds.
This recipe is a copycat of a favorite local restaurant pizza. Their version has a flaky crust and the combination of spinach, smoked mozzarella and caramelized onions is perfection. I wanted to recreate it at home.
I had a huge bag of spinach (accidentally ordered four pounds from Costco — that’s a lot of spinach!) and some smoked mozzarella, so it was the perfect time to make this.
If you’ve been reading a while, this might remind you of my marinated kale and ricotta pizza — similar vibe, same love for greens and ricotta.
The smoked mozzarella is key: it adds a deep, smoky note that pairs beautifully with the bright, lemony garlic spinach. The spinach itself tastes incredible despite the simple preparation.
This is how I make it
Start with your favorite pizza dough. I use a reliable crust recipe I’ve made for years — it splits easily so you can make a thinner crust or keep it whole for a thicker, chewier base. While the dough rises, sauté the onions in butter until just starting to brown; if you have time, you can fully caramelize them.
Add garlic and then the spinach, cooking until it wilts. Finish the spinach with fresh lemon juice, plenty of garlic, a pinch of red pepper flakes and salt and pepper. Don’t be shy with the spinach — pile it on. This pizza is best when it’s generously green.
Spread olive oil over the rolled-out dough, layer on the spinach and caramelized onions, top with freshly grated smoked mozzarella and add ricotta in dollops for creaminess. Bake at 450°F until the crust is golden and the cheese is bubbly.
When it comes out of the oven, sprinkle with crushed red pepper, grated Parmesan and fresh herbs or microgreens. Slice and serve.
Smoked Mozzarella Spinach Pizza
Smoked Mozzarella Spinach Pizza
4 people
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Ingredients
Crust
- 1 cup warm water
- 3 teaspoons active dry yeast
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- Flour and coarse cornmeal for dusting
Filling
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 sweet onion, thinly sliced
- Kosher salt and pepper
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 12 ounces fresh spinach
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 8 ounces smoked mozzarella, freshly grated
- 1/2 cup ricotta cheese
- Crushed red pepper flakes, for topping
- Fresh herbs or microgreens, like basil, for topping
- Finely grated Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine water, yeast, honey and olive oil. Let sit until foamy, about 10 minutes. Add flour and salt and stir until the dough comes together but is still sticky. Form the dough into a ball and knead in the additional 1/2 cup flour on a floured surface for a few minutes. Rub the bowl with olive oil, place the dough inside, cover and let rise in a warm place for 1 to 1.5 hours.
- While the dough rises, heat butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add sliced onions with a pinch of salt and pepper and cook, stirring often, until beginning to brown, about 20 minutes. Stir in garlic.
- Add the spinach and lemon juice, stirring until the spinach wilts. Season with additional salt and pepper to taste.
- Preheat the oven to 450°F. Lightly dust a 10×15-inch baking sheet with flour or cornmeal.
- Punch down the dough and roll or stretch it to fit the baking sheet.
- Brush the dough with olive oil, spread the sautéed spinach and onions over the crust, top with smoked mozzarella and dot with ricotta.
- Bake 15 to 20 minutes, checking at 15 minutes. Bake until the crust is golden and the cheese is bubbly.
- Remove from the oven and sprinkle with crushed red pepper, Parmesan and fresh herbs or microgreens. Slice and serve.
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Plus — it has vegetables!