This White Pizza Grilled Cheese takes everything you love about classic white pizza and tucks it between two slices of buttery, garlicky bread. Creamy garlic-herb ricotta cheese, melty mozzarella, and Parmesan create the cheesiest grilled cheese sandwich ever.
White Pizza Grilled Cheese is an easy, 20-minute lunch or dinner that’s a serious upgrade from ordinary grilled cheese!
Please, walk away from this white pizza style ricotta grilled cheese right now if you don’t like cheese. Seriously, if you’re a hater of melty, gooey goodness, you best leave. Stop reading, hit that little X in the upper right hand corner.
Still with me? Yeah, I thought so. I’m still here too. Sigh … what can I say. Beautiful cheese … it’s a weakness. A glorious weakness.
Today I’ve got something super, duper cheesy. Ridiculously cheesy. Almost too cheesy. And garlicky and herby, too. It’s a grilled cheese sandwich modeled after white pizza. White Pizza Grilled Cheese.
The Story Behind the Recipe
Surely you’ve heard of – and enjoyed – classic white pizza? We’ve got garlic. We’ve got olive oil. We’ve got mozzarella. Maybe some Parmesan, maybe some ricotta, definitely a few herbs like basil or oregano. Slapped on a perfect pizza crust, baked into pure excellence. Simple, straightforward food at its finest.
So, you know, I thought I’d take something perfect and bastardize it a little bit. If I’m breaking any cardinal rules of food, well … I don’t really care, because I’ve discovered a really, really delicious new form of grilled cheese sandwich.
The inside …
Sorry, I’m a little speechless.
Just … you know. Cheese.
White Pizza Grilled Cheese Recipe Ingredients
- Ricotta cheese – I like to use whole milk ricotta for maximum rich creaminess, but if you prefer to use a lower-fat version, that will work too.
- Olive oil – For the ricotta garlic herb spread.
- Garlic – You’ll two cloves of garlic: One clove, minced, for the ricotta filling, and another cut in half to rub on the bread for extra garlic goodness.
- Basil – I like to use fresh when I have it, but you can use dried too.
- Oregano – Just like with the basil, fresh is lovely, but dried is delicious as well.
- Salt & pepper
- Parmesan cheese – Shredded.
- Mozzarella – Thinly sliced. I like to go with full-fat mozzarella for maximum gooeyness.
- Bread – I tend to use a classic white bread for my white pizza ricotta grilled cheese. Sourdough is another incredible choice. Feel free to use whatever your favorite bread might be!
- Butter – Make sure it’s nice and soft, at room temp, so that it’s spreadable.
Adaptations/Variations
- White Pizza Grilled Cheese with Tomatoes – Add sliced tomatoes or smear on some tomato jam before cooking.
- White Pizza Grilled Cheese with Spinach – Pile in a few baby spinach leaves before cooking.
- White Pizza Grilled Cheese with Roasted Red Peppers – Add a couple of slabs of freshly roasted red bell peppers for a smoky touch.
How to Make It
- Mix together the ricotta, olive oil, garlic, herbs, and salt and pepper.
- Spread the ricotta mixture evenly inside all pieces of bread.
- Lay the mozzarella slices and sprinkle parm on one side of each sandwich.
- Top with the other piece of bread.
- Cut your remaining garlic clove in half and rub the outside of each sandwich with the garlic.
- Generously butter both sides of the sandwich. I like to use about a tablespoon of butter per side (listen, with all this cheese, there’s just no reason to hold back).
- Cook in a large frying pan or on a griddle over medium-low heat, flipping often, until golden crispy on the outside and melted inside.
Tip for Success
- Don’t rush the cooking process. It’s tempting to try to speed it along, but the secret to a good grilled cheese is to cook it low and slow. This gives the cheese inside plenty of time to melt and allows the bread to develop that perfectly golden crust without burning.
I hope you love this ultra cheesy, decadent White Pizza Grilled Cheese as much as we do! It makes such a great treat for a vegetarian lunch or dinner (especially paired with a creamy tomato soup!)
White Pizza Grilled Cheese
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup whole milk ricotta cheese
- 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic (divided; one peeled and minced for the ricotta mixture and one peeled and halved to rub on the outsides of the bread)
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil (or 1 teaspoon dried)
- 2 teaspoons chopped fresh oregano (or 1/2 teaspoon dried)
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
- 8 ounces mozzarella cheese (thinly sliced)
- 8 slices white bread (6 slices if your bread is on the larger side)
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter (room temp for easy spreading; 2 tablespoons per sandwich; if you prefer, use salted butter, just know that with the salt in the ricotta and cheeses the sandwich may be a bit on the salty side)
Instructions
- In a small bowl, mix together the ricotta, olive oil, garlic, basil, oregano, salt, and black pepper.*
- Lay down the bread slices and, using a butter knife, spread the ricotta mixture evenly on each piece. The ricotta mixture should coat the insides of both pieces of bread. Note: If you’re using large pieces of bread, you may want to make more of the ricotta mixture, or only make two or three sandwiches instead of four).
- Lay the mozzarella slices evenly on every other piece of bread (one side of each sandwich). Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and close the sandwiches by place both cheesy insides together.
- Rub the outsides of the sandwiches with the cut side of the garlic clove, then butter both sides generously.
- In a large frying pan over medium-low heat, cook the sandwiches, flipping often, until they’re golden-brown on the outside and the cheese is melted inside, about 10 minutes.
- Serve immediately.
Notes
Nutrition Facts
More Grilled Cheese Sandwiches
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- Spinach & Artichoke Grilled Cheese – like the classic dip, only better. Proof that’s possible!
- Chipotle Butternut Squash & Pepper Jack Grilled Cheese – spicy!
- Cranberry, Pear, & Brie Grilled Cheese – perfect for using up leftover cranberry sauce. (Make extra sauce so you have an excuse!)
- Balsamic Strawberry & Brie Grilled Cheese Sliders tasty AND cute.
- And even more grilled cheese sandwich recipes – 32 melty, gooey, savory, fruity, and just plain over-the-top grilled cheese sandwiches.
Hi! I’m Karen – I’m a real person with real, vetted recipes – over 900 of them! Since 2009, every recipe on Kitchen Treaty is thoroughly tested and loved before I hit “publish.” I’m a home cook, certified plant-based pro, and mom. I’m a vegetarian married to a carnivore, and my goal is to coexist deliciously.
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