3-Cheese Sicilian Pizza with Sun-Dried Tomatoes
It’s not you, it’s me.
My exact words the moment I was forced to break up with New York Style pizza after mastering the Sicilian pie.
We’re back together now, but I hope the phrase paints a melodramatic picture of just how serious your love affair aims to be with this recipe.
As someone who grew up in an Italian family, surrounded by pantries filled with San Marzano tomatoes and more dried oregano than anyone should ever have access to, I adopted an inherent love for pizza at a young age. I mean, how could I not? Layers of melty mozzarella, provolone and parmesan on top of a golden crusty throne lathered in tomato sauce. Is there anything better?
Whether we charred it on the grill to get those bitter layers of flavor or baked it au natural on a stone in the oven, it always happily found its way to the dinner table. Sometimes it arrived in a box with a little three-legged table sitting in the middle of the pizza. Other days, we scoured the garden for fresh basil and tomatoes to make our own creation. Thinking back to those moments now, it’s no wonder why the first job I ever had was at a pizza joint, or that my family is only weeks away from opening up their second pizza restaurant in Tampa Bay.
When Mutti reached out to me to help celebrate their new Mutti® Sauce for Pizza, I instantly felt like I was sitting around the table with my parents again. Ecstatic. Getting ready to slice into a pie of sheer edible comfort. And let’s be honest, we could all use a little more of that right now!
If you’ve never cooked with Mutti, there are two things you need to know:
They’ve been Italy’s #1 tomato brand since 1899 -- need I say more?
I recently made this 3-cheese Sicilian pizza with sun dried tomatoes using their pizza sauce, and guess what? I’M A FAN.
Mutti® Sauces for Pizza are authentic, easy and conveniently on sale at Publix this month. Full disclosure: they gifted the sauce to me, and I’m glad they did.
Ingredients
22 oz pizza dough (santelli’s secret recipe!)
4 garlic cloves, minced
16 oz fresh mozzarella, cubed
1/2 cup goat cheese, crumbled
1/4 cup Pecorino Romano, grated
1/4 cup sun dried tomatoes
1 jar of Mutti® Napoli Sauce for Pizza
Fresh basil, to garnish
Olive oil, for coating + drizzling
Salt + Pepper, to season
Directions
To get started, coat the inside of a 12” x 18” x 2” pan with olive oil.
Stretch your prepared pizza dough to fit the pan. Gently drape the dough over each corner of the pan to help guide the shape. Use your fingers to lightly press the dough into an even layer. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and set aside to proof for 3-4 hours in a warm place.
Once the dough has risen (it’ll nearly double in size), preheat the oven to 550°F.
Begin to layer your toppings onto the dough, starting with a drizzle of olive oil and fresh garlic. Then add mozzarella, goat cheese, sun dried tomatoes and pecorino romano. Finish by ladling the sauce over the pie in a zig-zag pattern. Sprinkle it with salt and pepper.
Bake for 8-10 minutes on the bottom rack of the oven. Use a spatula to lift the pizza up and check for doneness. When the crust is golden brown, it’s ready to pull!
Slice, garnish with fresh basil leaves + serve!