This is one of my favorite homemade pizza recipes. Roasted red pepper pizza uses a homemade roasted red pepper sauce drizzled over the pizza. No basic tomato sauce, you’re going to love the depth of flavor this red pepper sauce gives the pizza! The perfect bite has tons of sauce, a dollop of the ricotta cheese and some chopped fresh basil. My favorite!
I’ve always said, homemade pizzas deserve a gold medal for “The Easiest and Fastest Dinner Ever”. Homemade pizza beats pasta, it beats a grilled cheese, it even beats one pan casseroles. This is the recipe for when you sat in traffic for an extra 30 minutes, when it’s pouring rain but you had to make an extra stop for diapers on the way home, or when you’re just too tired to slice and dice ingredients but you want something home cooked. Yes, this roasted red pepper pizza is going to win dinner that night.
How to make roasted red pepper sauce
The star of this pizza is the roasted red pepper sauce. Instead of a traditional tomato sauce pizza, this pizza sauce is all bout the roasted red peppers! And the good thing is, it’s really easy to make! Everything blends up in either a food processor or other blending gadget. You don’t even need to chop the clove of garlic, just throw that thing in whole and let the food processor do it’s job! Here’s what you’ll use in the sauce:
- 7oz jar of roasted red peppers with the liquid drained
- 1 clove of garlic
- 1/2 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4 teaspoon of salt
Throw everything in the food processor and blend until it’s completely smooth. Done!
This sauce is so rich in flavor you can use it in other ways, not just on pizza! Here are some other ideas how to use the roasted red pepper sauce:
- To dip cheese or fried mozzarella sticks
- On garlic bread
- For dipping a grilled cheese
- As a pasta sauce (you’d need to double the recipe though)
It’s a really versatile sauce that will work well in appetizers or main dishes!
The perfect pizza crust
I’ve made this pizza countless times. It’s easy, packed with flavor, and a unique twist for pizza night. So I’ve got some tips for you for getting the best pizza crust from you dough.
First, you want to use fresh dough. Not the kind in the tube that pops open, you want the fresh dough. In my grocery store I find this right underneath the section with the tubed breads and cinnamon rolls on the very bottom.
Next, when you’re rolling this out you want to aim for a 12” circle. I use my tape measure to make sure I’m exact! Flour your counter and add flour to your rolling pin and start rolling into a circle. Flipping it over occasionally and adding a little more flour if it starts to stick to the counter or the rolling pin.
Now it’s time to pretend your kitchen is a pizzeria. After I roll it out a few times and start to get the circle shape, I pick up the dough and put it over top of my fists and then use my fists to work the dough in a circle to stretch it out. I forgot to take a photo of what this looks like, so check out this video on Youtube of the method. Skip to about the 3:30 mark!
After you’ve got your 12” circle dough, place it on your baking pan and prick it a few times with a fork. Bake without anything on it for 8 minutes at 425 degrees.
Once the crust has pre-baked and you’ve add your toppings, the last step to the best pizza crust I brushing the exposed crust with a little olive oil then sprinkling it with salt and garlic powder. Now, bake your pizza and enjoy!
And, if you like quick pizza recipes you might also like:
Balsamic Goat Cheese Pizza
Pesto Pizza
Like roasted red pepper flavors? I have a Roasted Red Pepper Sauce with Ravioli you might like!
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PrintRoasted Red Pepper Pizza
Roasted Red Pepper Pizza uses a sauce made from blended roasted red peppers drizzled over ricotta cheese to create and warm, savory, and quick pizza recipe. This is one of my favorite homemade pizza recipes to make!
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 12 minutes
- Total Time: 22 minutes
- Yield: 12″ pizza
- Category: 30 Minute Meals
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: Pizza
Ingredients
1 refrigerated pizza dough
1 7oz jar roasted red peppers, drained
1 garlic clove
1/2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 and 1/2 cups shredded Mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup ricotta cheese
1/2 tablespoon Parmesan cheese
5-6 fresh basil leaves, chopped
Extra virgin olive oil, garlic powder, and salt for crust
Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 425. Lightly spray a pizza pan with cooking spray. Open the pizza dough and roll on a floured surface until you have a 12″ circle. (See above in post for a more detail explanation of the best way to roll out the pizza). Bake for 8 minutes then remove from oven.
2. In a food processor or blender, blend the roasted red peppers, garlic clove, salt and 1/2 tablespoon of oil.
3. After the pizza dough has pre-baked, cover it with the Mozzarella cheese, leaving a small border for the crust. If you feel it needs more cheese depending on how large your pizza dough is, by all means add more cheese! After the crust is covered with the Mozzarella, spoon over top in small dollops the ricotta cheese, then sprinkle over top the Parmesan cheese, then drizzle the roasted red pepper sauce. With a basting brush (or you can use a paper towel as a brush) coat the crust with some extra virgin olive oil and very lightly sprinkle with garlic powder and a little salt. Bake at 425 for 10-12 minutes until the crust is crispy and the cheese is lightly browned and bubbly.
4. Top with the chopped basil. Allow to cool a little, then slice and eat!
The sauce goes on AFTER the toppings??
Yupp! You drizzle the sauce all over the top 🙂
How long will the purée last in the fridge if I make a big jar of it?
I’d say up to 3 days for best flavor and freshness.
Great recipe. I had some leftover red pepper sauce (like yours but with added parmesan) and was looking for some inspiration to use it on pizza. I followed your suggestions and it came out great.
Me and tomatoes don’t get along very well now, unfortunately, so this is a great alternative and I think it’s better than regular pizza sauce.
Thank you!!
that’s great! I’m so glad you liked this, thanks for letting me know!