Real Clever Food’s Four Cheese White Pizza with Garlic-Sautéed Spinach

This four cheese white pizza with garlic-sautéed spinach has been a favorite of Christy’s (@RealCleverFoods) ever since her Italian grandfather started making it for her as a little girl. It takes the best of  Italian-style comfort food and mixes it with decadent toppings for a versatile pie that works perfectly as a starter, main course, or creative side dish. 

While there’s a wide variety of white pizzas out there, we think this one will become your go-to for entertaining with its combination of provolone, mozzarella, fresh ricotta, and Pecorino Romano alongside garlic-sautéed spinach. It’s a tasty, light pizza that’s not too rich, making it great for any occasion. 

To make this white pizza really shine, we recommend using high-quality cheese that’s not too watery or reliant on additives. Most supermarkets will carry all four cheeses, but if you want to go local, try buying from a farmer’s market or specialty store for an extra-special touch.


Difficulty

Servings

One 12- to 14-inch (30- to 36 centimeters-) pizza

Prep Time

30 minutes

(excluding dough preparation)
Cook Time

60 to 90 seconds

By Christy Alia

Real Clever Food’s Four Cheese White Pizza with Garlic-Sautéed Spinach

Note

This pizza would suit a variety of dough styles –– we love our classic pizza dough for this  –– but if you want to use a sourdough base as Christy recommends, be sure to plan ahead and prep at least a day in advance. Not sure where to start? Try our sourdough pizza dough recipe. 



1. Fire up your Ooni pizza oven and aim for 400°C to 450°C on the baking stone.

–– use an infrared thermometer for a fast, accurate temperature reading.

2. Preheat your cast iron skillet pan in the oven for 4 minutes to sauté the spinach (this can also be done on the hob).

   

3. Use oven gloves to carefully remove the pan, then add the olive oil and crushed garlic.

Put the pan back in the oven for about 30 seconds to 1 minute, or until the garlic is no longer raw, but not browned.

4. Remove the pan from the oven then add the spinach and a pinch of salt and carefully mix with a wooden spoon to coat until the spinach is fully coated with the olive oil.

  You may need to add the spinach in smaller batches, depending on the depth of your skillet. Stir the spinach with a wooden spoon until just wilted, about 2 minutes. Unless you’re adding the spinach in batches, the residual heat in the cast iron pan will be enough to sufficiently sauté the spinach. Set aside and allow to cool to room temperature. 

5. Dust a work surface with semolina flour and begin stretching one of your dough balls out to a 12-inch or 14-inch round base, pushing the air from the center out to the edge.

6. Lay the stretched dough over a lightly-floured pizza peel, then lightly and evenly drizzle or brush the middle of the dough with olive oil.

  

7. Place the sliced provolone evenly over the pizza, then add the mozzarella and tiny dollops of ricotta, then finish off by topping it with the garlic-sautéed spinach.

8. Use your pizza peel to slide the pizza into the oven and cook for 60 to 90 seconds.

Use a turning peel to rotate your pizza every 20 seconds to ensure an even cook.

9. Remove from the oven when the crust is lightly browned or showing signs of leoparding around the edges and the cheese is melted.

  

10. Finally, sprinkle your freshly grated Pecorino Romano cheese over the top, then slice, serve and enjoy! .

Finally, sprinkle your freshly grated Pecorino Romano cheese over the top, then slice, serve and enjoy! 

Christy Alia

Christy (@RealCleverFood) is an experienced pizzaiola who hails from New York. Christy has been making pizza and bread since she was a little girl, thanks to her Italian grandfather who first taught her how. She’s also passionate about building a community around pizza too, as she’s the founder of #WomensPizzaMonth (in March), a proud Ooni Ambassador, and a member of Pizza Club. 

Recommended Products

1 / 1