Cottage Cheese Pizza

Yes, you read that correctly.  Have you ever wanted a creamier pizza sauce?  Here's the time saving trick!

The cottage cheese is a simple fix that doesn't require stirring and reduction like an alfredo sauce.  

If you have your preferred methods of assembly and cooking, like store bought dough or a pizza stone, then use them.  The below dough and grilling are my preferred methods... and grilling infuses the pizza with a smokiness I love - especially snacking on the leftovers the next day.

My go to is a HOLY PAN and my gas grill. A Holy Pan?  Yes, I find it divine and it has holes!  I was given a vegetable grill sheet years ago and one day I put my pizza dough on it (to cook indoors) and it's been my pizza pan ever since!

So that's my suggestion for how to get a thin crust pizza.  

Other tips - don't over sauce and don't over cheese.  We love them both, but with too much of either, the dough gets soggy.  Less is more.

Pizza Ingredients:

(makes 2 twelve inch pizzas)

Dough (see below recipe or store bought)

1 cup cottage cheese 

1/2 jar Beyond The Olive Sun Dried Tomato Tapenade

3/4 lb Sliced - not shredded - mozzarella or provolone

1 small zucchini peeled (see photo)

1 large portabella mushroom diced

olive oil for the pans

4 garlic cloves chopped

basil leaves

Everything But the Pizza olive oil to finish (optional)

Instructions:

Pre-heat oven to 425, or gas grill to high-high-high.

Oil cooking pans.

Mix the the cottage cheese and sun dried tomato tapenade together.

Roll out the dough on your oiled pans.

Spread the cottage cheese-sun dried tomato mix evenly over the dough.

Lay down one layer of cheese.  Fill in gaps.

Arrange the zucchini strips over the pizza.

Sprinkle the mushroom pieces, chopped garlic and basil leaves on top.

In Oven - bake for 7 minutes.  Turn the pizza around (even convection ovens cook unevenly) and check the bottom of the crust.  

Cook another 5 minutes or until crispy.

On grill - place pan on hot surface. Close lid and turn to medium-medium-medium.  Cook for 7 minutes and turn the pan.  Check the bottom of the dough (it should pull up easily when ready.  Cook another 5 minutes at medium-low-medium or until the dough is crispy and the cheese is bubbling.

Drizzle with Everything But the Pizza oil or another chili oil if you like a litte spice!

Slide pizza off of pan.  Cut on cutting board and serve.

Serves 4-8 

Dough:

1 package yeast (1/4 oz)

1 teaspoon sugar

1/4 cup warm water

2 1/2 cups whole grain, all purpose or semolina flour (or a combo of your choosing)

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup water

2 tablespoons olive oil

Activate the yeast in a non metallic bowl with the sugar and 1/4 cup warm water.  Stir, then let it sit until it foams.  

Add the flour and salt and then slowly add the water.  I prefer hand mixing so I can feel the texture and elasticity.  Add 1/2 of the olive oil.  I kneed for about 10 minutes.  Add more water if it feels too dry.  

Clean the bowl and add the remaining olive oil.  Form a ball of the dough and put it back in the bowl.  Turn it over, so the olive oil coats both sides.

Let rise until double.  If it's super hot out - put it in the refrigerator to slow it down. A "slow rise" in the refrigerator gives the dough a more fermented flavor (but may take 6-8 hours).

When ready to bake, punch it down and divide into two.  Roll each ball out separately as needed for your pan size and desired thickness.

... or store bought works too!