Leek mascarpone pizza is the answer to the question “What is your favourite pizza?” lately. This pizza with mascarpone cheese is very simple: it has leeks sautéed in butter, white pepper, mozzarella and mascarpone. This is a pizza bianca: mascarpone and leeks go directly over the dough without any tomato sauce. Well, of course we’re adding a generous pouring of olive oil!
Mascarpone on pizza? Yes, please! Creamy mascarpone cheese is a fantastic addition to any pizza to up the cheese factor and even add that little creamy hint here and there. This leek mascarpone pizza bianca, having no tomato sauce, relies on the olive oil and dollops of mascarpone for sauciness. And trust me, it’s not dry at all!
Mascarpone can either be added before baking – like I did in this mascarpone pizza recipe – or after. Adding it before, it will likely melt as the pizza bakes, creating little puddles of creamy goodness here and there. Alternatively, you can pipe it on the pizza the moment you take it out of the oven. This way you’ll have a cold dollop of mascarpone here and there, that will also look very pretty as a decorative element.
How to make leek mascarpone pizza bianca
This pizza recipe consists of 3 main steps: preparing the dough, preparing the leeks and then topping and baking the pizza. You can use a premade dough or if you want to make your own you will find ingredients and directions in the recipe card below. We are using 500 g of flour and the yield is either one large pizza if baked in an oven tray, or two round pizzas if baked on the stone.
How to prepare the leeks
Clean the leek(s) by cutting off the root end as well as part of the dark green top leaves. Remove the two outermost layers if damaged. Cut the leek in half lengthways and rinse it under cold water to remove dirt. Pat leeks dry and place them on a cutting board with the cut facing down. Slice the leeks in pieces that are about 1 cm thick.
Set a pan on medium heat and melt the butter. When the butter is ready, add the sliced leeks and sautée them always on medium heat. Add salt and white pepper and keep sautéeing the leeks until soft. If they start to brown, reduce the heat. Keep sweating the leeks until they get soft, about 5-6 minutes. When soft, remove the pan from the heat.
Stretch out the dough. I have decided to bake my pizza on my oven stone so I divided the dough into two balls and flattened them to a round-ish shape. Place sliced mozzarella all over the pizza dough, then proceed adding the sautéed leeks. After that, pipe some mascarpone dollops here and there. I find using a piping bag the easiest way, but you can also drop the cheese using two teaspoons. Lastly, pour some olive oil on top of the pizza. You don’t need much, but it is very important that it is of good quality.
Bake in the preheated oven at 250°C (480°F) until the cheese has melted and both cheese and crust have browned. I have a fan-forced oven and it takes about 8-10 minutes in mine. I also preheat the stone for about a half hour before placing the pizza on it. If baking the pizza in a pan it may take a slightly longer time.
L is for leek
The first time I encountered pizza with leeks was at a friend’s place. Leeks are not the most popular pizza topping, indeed. Yet leek pizza in Sweden makes perfect sense. Leek has been around these northern lands for quite some time, as there is evidence of it from testimonies earlier than the Vikings. Wanna hear a nerdy story about leek? (Say yes, say yes!!)
Okay, so let’s go back to the days when I was a language student, because that’s my background. My favourite subject was Germanic philology. Everyone hated it and I loved it. So much that I would spend my free time deciphering runic inscriptions (but only those in the Elder Futhark). I know, I was am weird.
Okay, let’s get to the point. It is believed that the letter ᛚ of the runic alphabet takes its name from the word *laukaz which means “leek”. Alright, there is also another theory that suggests that this rune was in fact named *laguz after the word for “lake”. Neither has ever been denied so I always liked to think that in the Elder Futhark L is for Leek. Such an awesome vegetable, ever since well before the Viking Age! Okay, now that I have had my Hermione Granger moment, back to this leek mascarpone pizza (please don’t judge me)!
You’ll love having mascarpone on pizza and most of all you will love the sautéed leeks as pizza topping! Make this leek pizza when you want an original pizza topping that is vegetarian and full of flavour. Surprise your friends just like I had been surprised the first time I was offered pizza with leeks. It’s a guaranteed success!
I love leeks! Do you love leeks? You should also try my leek lasagna!!
This pizza bianca recipe was originally published in March 2018 and has been updated in May 2020 with new pictures and a recipe card.
Leek mascarpone pizza bianca
Ingredients
For the pizza dough
- 500 g flour
- 300 ml lukewarm water
- 15 g fresh yeast
- 1 tsp honey
- 15 g salt
- 2 tbsp olive oil (optional)
For the topping
- 250 g leeks
- 30 g butter
- 1/3 tsp salt
- 1/3 tsp white pepper
- 150 g mozzarella
- 70 g mascarpone
Instructions
- Add the flour to a large bowl. Dissolve the honey in the water and crush the fresh yeast in. Stir to dissolve and pour into the flour bowl. Stir the mixture with a spatula, and when the dough starts coming together add the salt. Knead the dough on a floured surface, optionally adding 2 tbsp of olive oil. Roll the dough into a ball, put it back in the bowl, cover it with cling film and let it rise for a couple of hours (or preferably overnight) in a warm place.
- Clean the leeks, remove root end and part of the darker leaves. Cut in half lengthways, rinse under cold water to remove dirt. Pat the leeks dry and place on a cutting board with the cut facing down. Slice leeks into 1-cm bits. Melt the butter in a pan on medium heat, then add leeks and sauté for a couple of minutes. Add salt and white pepper and keep sweating the leeks on medium heat until soft, about 4-5 minutes. Remove from heat when soft.
- When the dough is ready, divide it into two balls and stretch them out to form two round shapes. Place sliced mozzarella onto the dough, add sautéed leeks and pipe mascarpone here and there. Top with a thin circle of olive oil over the ingredients.
- Bake in the preheated oven at 250°C (480°F) for about 10 minutes, until the cheese has melted and the crust has lightly browned.
Notes
Love the idea. I love pizza Bianca and I know I can make it plant-based and replace the mascarpone with a different option. the leek idea is genius, perfect flavour.
Thanks Cory! Yes, if you have a vegan alternative to mascarpone and mozzarella you’re good to go. I love the texture of mascarpone but the leeks are the true star in this pizza recipe. Especially well seasoned with white pepper! <3
Bianca pizza is one of my all-time favorites, but this one has leeks on it which makes it even better!
Hi Sharon! If you love leeks you will have to give this combination a try!
This just looks delicious, really! I love these flavors, too, so good. I’ll make this!
Thank you, Paige!
Your pizza Bianca looks absolutely delicious. I want to give it a try with the leeks, it sounds so flavorful with the mascarpone!
Thanks Denise! You’re going to love mascarpone on pizza!
Wow, finally an authentic pizza Bianca recipe. Love this.
Thank you, Sophie! I love pizza bianca!
Delicious! I want to add some thinly sliced potatoes to it, too! The combination of mozzarella, mascarpone and leeks is delicious on pizza!
Potatoes! Yes, they are fantastic on pizza bianca!! Great idea, Sara!
Someone was just telling me about how leeks can add so much flavor to food and then I saw your pizza! What perfect timing – I’ll be making this pizza asap that’s for sure.
Hey Alena, how hilarious! That’s a sign you have to try leeks on pizza asap!
Leek on pizza? Oh I must give this a try. Sounds so delicious and looks fab too. Pizza Bianca has always been my fav. Can’t wait to make this.
Thank you, Natalie! I hope you’ll love it!
I just love white pizza… and the leeks on here are a game changer! So delicious, and love that its such a budget-friendly dinner. Thank you for this great recipe… will be making it over and over again!
This must be the most fun way to make even a kid love leeks! Thank you, Candice!