Smoked Mozzarella Pizza

This smoked mozzarella pizza is topped with a light layer of marinara sauce, freshly smoked mozzarella cheese, fresh herbs and a sprinkle of grated Parmesan. It’s packed full of flavor and cooks in just about 20 minutes. 

My husband is one of those people who would eat pizza every. single. day. 

I’m not even complaining, I love pizza too. I just get sick of all of the normal New York style pizza options. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – New York pizza is not my favorite. It’s just so damn floppy. Who wants to eat pizza folded in half? 

I love crispy pizza with a crunchy crust that is only lightly covered in sauce and sprinkled with just the right amount of cheese. I don’t want grease running off my pizza. 

But, when it comes to homemade pizza I’m pretty much game for ANYTHING as long as it’s not greasy and floppy. I used to make pizza all the time but was actually shocked when I saw that I hadn’t made pizza for the blog since I made my Mediterranean tuna salad flatbread back in February of 2018. 

Plus, I had a lot of smoked mozzarella to use up so pizza was calling my name. 

How To Make Smoked Mozzarella Pizza

If you have never made homemade pizza before you’re going to LOVE how easy it is to make. 

1. Let your dough sit out until it’s room temperature. This helps the gluten relax so it’s easier to shape. You can spread it out in a circle or get wild and go with a more rectangle shape. Don’t get frustrated when shaping the dough. It will shrink back but you should be able to gently shape it into a size that could be cut into 8 nice size slices. 
2. Spread your favorite marinara or pizza sauce onto the dough. I like to leave 1/2 to 1 inch of space for the crust but that is really a personal call. I just happen to really love crust. Also, shout out to Rao’s Homemade pizza sauce because that stuff is LEGIT!
3. Top with thin slices of smoked mozzarella cheese, sprinkle on some crushed pepper and shove that baby into a hot oven! 
4. Devour. I did say it serves 4 but to be honest Art and I can eat this whole pie. 

If you’re not a fan of smoked mozzarella you can always use non-smoked and the directions would still be the same. And if you really need pepperoni on your pizza you have to try the pepperoni from Vermont Smoke & Cure. This is totally not sponsored this is just me letting you know about a really baller pepperoni. 

How To Find The Right Mozzarella

Before I moved to New York I did not have a lot of opportunities to try fresh mozzarella. If you’re like me and had no clue of the difference between fresh and the grated mozzarella in a bag here are a few tips. 

Fresh mozzarella is usually found in the gourmet cheese section and is a round ball often found in sitting in water in a plastic container. If it’s not stored in water it might be wrapped in plastic wrap and should feel squishy and wet to the touch. 

My grocery store had freshly smoked mozzarella and it’s wrapped in plastic and slightly less wet than traditional mozzarella but it should still be soft. 

In the end, you’re just looking for something that isn’t a hard ball that would have to be grated in order to even use. I’m guessing in a pinch pre-grated smoked mozzarella cheese would work but the taste might be slightly different. 

My absolute favorite part about this pie is all the fresh herbs I sprinkled on the top. I’m a sucker for fresh oregano and of course, summer is all about basil. I actually tried 2 times to grow a basil plant but they keep dying because I’ve been traveling too much. 

Don’t tell my other plants. They’ll hate me. 

If you’re in the market for even more delicious homemade pizza recipes you have to check out a few of these beauties: 

Blackberry Goat Cheese Pizza

Roasted Garlic Chicken Pizza

Grilled Chicken Sausage Pizza

Zucchini Corn Feta Pizza 

Chicken Souvlaki Pizza

Smoked Mozzarella Pizza

Yield: 4 servings

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

This smoked mozzarella pizza is topped with a light layer of marinara sauce, freshly smoked mozzarella cheese, fresh herbs and a sprinkle of grated Parmesan. It's packed full of flavor and cooks in just about 20 minutes. 

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Ingredients

• 1 pound pizza dough, room temperature
• 1/3 cup marinara sauce
• 6-8 thin slices fresh smoked mozzarella cheese
• 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• Fresh oregano leaves, to taste
• Fresh basil leaves, to taste
• 1 teaspoon grated Parmesan cheese

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees and prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silpat liner.
2. Spread out dough onto the prepared baking sheet and set aside.
3. Spread the marinara sauce over the dough leaving 1-inch from the edge clear of sauce.
4. Top with mozzarella slices and crushed red pepper.
5. Bake for 18-20 minutes or until the dough is fully cooked and the cheese is melted and lightly browned.
6. Remove from the oven and sprinkle the top with the desired amount of fresh oregano and basil leaves. If they are large give them a rough chop.
7. Sprinkle the top with Parmesan cheese and cut into 8 slices.

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 322 Total Fat: 8g Saturated Fat: 2g Trans Fat: 0g Unsaturated Fat: 5g Cholesterol: 6mg Sodium: 555mg Carbohydrates: 54g Fiber: 3g Sugar: 4g Protein: 9g

This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition information can vary for a variety of reasons. For the most precise nutritional data use your preferred nutrition calculator based on the actual ingredients you used in the recipe.