White Pizza with Herbed Goat Cheese & Fresh Basil

White Pizza with Herbed Goat Cheese & Fresh Basil 

I have never liked white pizza, but it was always because it had a whole bunch of ricotta on it. And I absolutely detest ricotta. Yuck. I can't really think of anything like with it in there. But you know what I do love... creamy, tangy goat cheese. Love love love goat cheese. So, I thought why not update a white pizza to include goat cheese instead of ricotta. Yes'um, it was so good. I bought some plain goat cheese at the grocery store, and then came home and turned it into a herbed goat cheese spread. It has lots of little goodies in it, like fresh basil, parsley, and chives, and some yummy roasted garlic. And just for some acidity, I also mixed in some grated lemon zest. This herbed goat cheese spread pairs beautifully with some homemade pesto, so make sure to put that on your pizza. Don't forget to garnish it with more fresh basil because it makes it sooooo much better!! Enjoy :)

Look at that toasty cheese :) 

Lots of yummy basil

For the Herbed Goat Cheese:

4oz Goat Cheese, Room Temperature

2T Fresh Basil, Minced

1T Fresh Parsley, Minced

1t Fresh Chives, Minced

1 Head of Garlic, Roasted

1T Olive Oil

¼t Lemon Zest

Salt & Pepper, To Taste

For the White Pizza:

1 Batch of Pizza Dough

2T Pesto

Prepared Herbed Goat Cheese

1C Fresh Mozzarella, Shredded

¼C Freshly Grated Parmesan Cheese

Fresh Basil, For Garnishing

Directions:

1. For the Homemade Herbed Goat Cheese:  Combine all of the ingredients in a bowl and mix to combine. The mixture should be smooth with the herbs mixed throughout. Season with salt & pepper to taste.

2. Preheat the oven to 500 degrees and roll out the pizza dough as thinly as possible and place onto a large baking sheet.

3. For the Pizza: Spread the 2T of Pesto in a thin layer onto the pizza dough. Next, spread the softened, herbed goat cheese mixture on top of the pesto, making sure that it is evenly spread out and not in clumps (it will be sticky & difficult, but just gently work with it until the whole pizza is covered). Scatter the mozzarella cheese on top of the goat cheese, followed by the Parmesan cheese.

4. Bake the pizza for 10 to 12 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown and the cheese is bubbly. Remove from the oven and immediately garnish with fresh basil. Cut into squares or slices and serve immediately.