Skip to main content
Epicurious

French Bread Pizzas With Ricotta, Roasted Tomatoes, and Pesto

By Katherine Sacks

5.0

(1)

Image may contain Food and Pizza
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Katherine Sacks.

Creamy ricotta cheese, herby pesto, and roasted cherry tomatoes give these French bread pizzas bright flavor and a fresh look.

Recipe information

  • Total Time

    30 minutes

  • Yield

    4 Servings

Ingredients

1 1/2 pints cherry tomatoes, halved (about 3 cups)
1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons olive oil, divided
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste
1 (12–14") soft loaf French or Italian bread, split in half lengthwise
1 garlic clove, smashed
1/2 cup fresh ricotta (about 5 ounces)
3/4 cup coarsely grated Parmesan (about 3 ounces)
2 tablespoons fresh store-bought or homemade basil pesto

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Position rack in top third of oven and preheat to 425°F. Toss tomatoes, 1 Tbsp. oil, 1/4 tsp. salt, and 1/4 tsp. pepper on a rimmed baking sheet. Roast until tomatoes start to blister, about 13 minutes.

    Step 2

    Place bread, cut side up, on another rimmed baking sheet and bake 5 minutes. Remove from oven and rub cut sides with garlic.

    Step 3

    Dollop ricotta on cut sides of bread. Top evenly with tomato mixture, then sprinkle with Parmesan. Bake until Parmesan melts, about 10 minutes.

    Step 4

    Whisk pesto and remaining 2 tsp. oil in a small bowl until smooth. Drizzle on pizzas and season with salt and pepper.

TagsPizzaItalian AmericanItalianEuropeanCherry TomatoTomatoVegetableRicottaCheeseDairyParmesanMainDinnerLunchVegetarianNut FreeQuickEasy30 Minutes or LessWeeknight MealsSuper BowlEpicurious

See Related Recipes and Cooking Tips

Read More
Halloumi Lasagna
In this lasagna, soft layers of pasta and béchamel are interspersed with a rich tomato sauce laden with hearty Mediterranean vegetables.
Feta and Sun-Dried Tomato Dip
Creamy and bright with just a subtle bit of heat, this five-ingredient, make-ahead dip is ready for company—just add crudités.
Pasta Alla Mezcal
This marinara sauce is great tossed with any pasta for a quick and easy weeknight dinner that will leave you thinking, “Why didn’t anyone try this sooner?”
Spinach Ramen Gratin
You can consider this recipe a template for creating a gooey, cheesy instant ramen dish with an appetizing golden crust in the oven.
Almost Cannoli Galettes
Cannoli and sfogliatelle require complex technique—making them is best left to the professionals. But a galette-inspired variation? That’s a snap to do at home.
Smothered Italian Sausage
This is what I call a fridge-eater recipe. The key here is getting a nice sear on the sausage and cooking the tomato down until it coats the sausage and vegetables well.
Spaghetti With Cabbage, Pancetta, and Calabrian Chile
Cabbage is the unsung hero of the winter kitchen—available anywhere, long-lasting in the fridge, and super-affordable. It’s also an excellent partner for pasta.
Sofrito Bolognese
An ex-boyfriend’s mom—who emigrated from Colombia—made the best meat sauce—she would fry sofrito for the base and simply add cooked ground beef, sazón, and jarred tomato sauce. My version is a bit more bougie—it calls for caramelized tomato paste and white wine—but the result is just as good.