Roman-Style Thin-Crust Pizzas

Thin and cracker like, these pizzas have creative toppings and make an excellent dinner or appetizer.

Prep Time:
15 mins
Cook Time:
20 mins
Total Time:
35 mins
Servings:
4
Yield:
2 9-by-15-inch oval pizzas

Our recipe for thin-crust pizza uses our classic pizza dough and is rolled out—rather than stretched—to create flat, cracker-like crusts. There’s no red sauce happening here, instead a creamy layer of Alfredo sauce is topped with combinations like ricotta with prosciutto and peas, spinach with Parmesan, and thinly sliced potatoes with red onion and arugula.

Making your own crust may seem like a lot of effort, but you won’t need any special equipment, and the dough only requires two hours of rising time at room temperature, during which time you can prepare the sauce and gather your toppings. Serve these pizzas for lunch or dinner, or cut them into smaller slices and serve as a delicious, crowd-pleasing appetizer. 

overhead view of a thin crust pizza with ricotta, prosciutto and peas

Paola + Murray

What Is Roman-Style Pizza?

Different than chewy Neopolitan pies and thicker Sicilian-style crusts, Roman pizza is thin and crisp, with an almost cracker-like crust. To achieve the right texture, we roll the dough out until it's totally flattened instead of stretching it as we do in other recipes. This helps to remove any air bubbles while ensuring an even thickness from edge to edge.

Make Ahead

Kneaded dough can be refrigerated for up to three days before shaping and baking. (Making it ahead of time has the added advantage of building a rich, yeasty flavor and even better texture.) Be sure to coat the dough with olive oil and cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap to keep it from drying out as it sits, and let it come to room temperature before rolling out.

Ingredients

Ricotta-Peas-Prosciutto

  • 1 cup whole-milk ricotta (9 ounces)

  • cup fresh peas, blanched and drained; or frozen peas, thawed (3 ½ ounces)

  • 3 ounces thinly sliced prosciutto, cut into 1-inch strips

Spinach-Parmigiano-Pepper Flakes

  • 4 cups lightly packed curly-leaf spinach leaves, thick stems removed (from 1 large bunch), thoroughly washed and dried

  • ½ ounce Parmigiano-Reggiano, grated (a scant ¼ cup)

  • Red-pepper flakes, for serving

Potato-Red Onion-Arugula

  • 8 ounces Yukon Gold potatoes (2 small), very thinly sliced on a mandoline or with a very sharp knife

  • ½ cup very thinly sliced red-onion rounds (from 1 small)

  • ½ ounce Parmigiano-Reggiano, grated (a scant ¼ cup)

  • Baby arugula, for serving

Directions

  1. Heat oven; roll out dough:

    Preheat oven to 450°F, with rack in lower third lined with a pizza stone or baking sheet. Divide dough in half. On a piece of parchment dusted with semolina, roll one piece of dough into an approximately 9-by-15-inch oval. Season with salt and pepper.

  2. Transfer to baking sheet; top with sauce:

    Transfer on parchment to a baking sheet or pizza peel. Spread half of Alfredo sauce over dough, leaving a 1/2-inch border.

  3. Arrange toppings over sauce; bake:

    Arrange toppings over sauce (see Variations section below for more details). Slide pizza (still on parchment) onto stone. Bake until crust is golden brown in places and crisp, 8 to 10 minutes. Slice and serve. Repeat with remaining dough and toppings.

Variations

Ricotta-Peas-Prosciutto: Dollop half of ricotta, in small spoonfuls, evenly over dough, leaving a 1/2-inch border. Top evenly with half of peas and prosciutto; lightly drizzle with oil before baking.

Spinach-Parmigiano-Pepper Flakes: Top evenly with half of spinach, cheese, and pepper flakes; lightly drizzle with oil before baking.

Potato-Red Onion-Arugula: Top evenly with half of potatoes, then half of onion and cheese. Bake, then top with half of arugula.

More Pizza Recipes to Try:

Originally appeared: Martha Stewart Living, May 2018
Updated by
Esther Reynolds
Headshot of Esther Reynolds
Esther Reynolds is an experienced recipe developer, recipe tester, food editor, and freelance writer with over a decade of experience in the food and media industries.

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