Whenever I ask the kids for a dinner idea I get one of three suggestions – Burgers, Tacos and PIZZA! That’s probably why I make so many varieties of each. I mean geez I wrote an entire cookbook around Burgers (called Burgers on a Weeknight, if you’re interested)…maybe I should make a Pizza one too! I would definitely want to include this Garlic Shrimp Pizza – because it is so yummy! The mild ricotta cheese let’s the Garlic Shrimp be the star of this slice, for sure.
It might seem odd, but the ricotta really does become like a sauce when it’s mixed with the garlic butter from the shrimp and the oil on the pizza dough. It melts down and spreads out to a velvety sauce that everyone is going to think you spent so much more time making than just spreading it out on the dough. If you don’t cook with fresh basil often, please take my advice and tear it instead of cutting it. If you cut it with a metal knife it turns brown (almost black) on the edges, which just looks icky. If you tear the leaves with your fingers, you don’t get as much bruising.
I left the shrimp whole when I cooked it and put it on the pizza. You could certainly cut them into halves or thirds if you don’t want it to be so chunky. I only added the fresh basil to my pizza but after eating it, I think some asparagus or spinach would go nicely with it as well. If you wanted to add that, I would use about half a pound less on the shrimp. For the asparagus, I would cut the ends off and then cut the stalks into thirds. For the spinach, I would just do a rough chop before putting them in.
Now Let’s Get Cookin’!
Garlic Shrimp Pizza
Ingredients
- 2 Pizza Dough see recipe below
- 2 tbsp Avocado Oil
- 1 tsp Garlic Powder
- 1 tsp Parsley
- 1½ lb Large Shrimp peeled, tail-off, deveined
- 3 Garlic Cloves Minced
- 4 tbsp Butter
- 1 tsp Red Pepper Flakes
- 1 tsp Italian Seasonings
- 1 cup Fresh Basil torn in pieces
- 16 oz Ricotta Cheese
- 2 cups Mozzarella Cheese shredded
Instructions
- Prepare all the ingredients. Preheat oven to 400deg.
- If you using pizza dough recipe from below – prep until step 6. If using store bought dough, prep as directed on package (should at least partially cook before adding pizza toppings.)
- Brush pizza dough with oil and sprinkle with garlic powder and parsley. Set aside.
- In a saute pan over medium-high heat, add butter and garlic. Once melted add shrimp, red pepper flakes, and Italian seasoning. Cook for 5 minutes (doesn't need to be cooked all the way).
- Spread half of ricotta on each pizza crust. Add half of shrimp (with melted butter) on each pizza crust. Sprinkle each crust with one cup of cheese and ½ cup of basil. Place in oven and cook for 10 minutes.
Pizza Dough
Ingredients
- 4 cups Flour
- 1 tbsp Yeast instant
- ⅓ cup Avocado Oil
- 1½ cup Warm Water
- 2 tbsp Sugar
- 2 tsp Salt
- 2 tbsp Avocado Oil for bowl
Instructions
- Prepare all of the ingredients
- In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, salt and yeast. Pour in water while stirring. Then add olive oil and continue to mix by hand. Mix until a sticky dough forms.
- Brush the insides of a second bowl with avocado oil and transfer ball of dough. Cover with towel or plastic wrap and let rise at least 1 hour. Dough should approximately double in size.
- Once risen, place dough on a baking sheet, lined with parchment paper. Stretch and press it out until you cover the baking sheet with ¼ inch thick crust. Let sit another 15 minutes.
- Place in 400 deg oven for 15 minutes.
- Continue to pizza recipe directions.
- If making for focaccia – brush with oil and add desired seasoning. Then bake for 15 minutes in 425 deg oven.
Estelle Forrest self-published this cookbook after a lot of playing around in the kitchen. You can purchase your own copy here:
AVAILABLE IN PRINT OR KINDLE eBOOK VERSIONS
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This looks so tasty. Pinned for future use and tweeted as well. Thanks for sharing at #omhgww.See you next week.