A classic Hawaiian pizza is topped with tomato sauce, ham, pineapple wedges, and cheese. It’s an endearing combination of sweet, savory, gooey, and cheesy. Pineapple pizza, while not classically straight out of Naples, is an interesting idea. The sweet and bright fruit adds a spike of acidity that enhances the salty, savory ham and balances out the fatty cheese.
Here’s the thing: Blue Apron’s head chef John Adler pointed out that tomato sauce brings in a lot of the same flavors. Tomatoes are already full of natural sweetness and tangy acidity. Pairing tomato sauce and pineapples creates a bit of redundancy, flavor-wise. For some, this pie may be overly sweet.
We’ve created a variation that tones down the overall sweetness of this dish. Our version is a white pie, that combines sugary pineapple with spicy Calabrian chile oil, crispy pancetta, and garlic-spiked ricotta. It’s salty, sweet, cheesy, and a little bit spicy.
Pineapple Pizza with Garlic Ricotta
- Pizza crust – Make your own or start with pre-made dough, whatever you prefer
- Fresh pineapple rings
- Calabrian chile paste
- Ricotta
- Garlic
- Olive oil
- Fresh mozzarella
- Basil
- Proscuitto or pancetta
- Red onion
Prepare the ingredients
Start with whole pineapple rings. Use a grill or grill pan to cook the pineapple until you can see a few dark char marks. This will add rich carmelized sugar flavors to your dish. After the pineapple is charred and cooled, dice the rings into bite-sized cubes. Toss the pineapple cubes with Calabrian chile paste and olive oil, then set them aside to marinate.
If you’re working with pancetta, cook the lardons in a frying pan over medium heat until some of the fat has rendered out and the meat is nicely crispy. If you’re using prosciutto, just dice it into bite-sized pieces.
Dice the red onion into small, bite-sized pieces. Cube the fresh mozzarella, and destem the basil.
Grate one clove of garlic into the ricotta (use about 1 cup). Season with salt and pepper, then stir and set aside.
Prepare the dough
Shape your pizza into an approximate circle or press it into a sheet pan.
Prepare the pizza
Top your shaped crust with the red onion, diced ham, a few leaves of basil, and prosciutto or pancetta. Use a spoon to place dollops of ricotta across the pie, then scatter on the fresh mozzarella.
Bake and finish
Bake the pizza according to the recipe instructions corresponding with your crust.
Remove from the oven and top with the Calabrian chile-marinated pineapple. Enjoy!
Having a pizza party? Try some of our other favorite pies.
