Roasted Pear Ricotta Pizza Weekend Gathering!

Today I’m sharing how to customize your own DIGIORNO pizza for a weekend gathering, with ricotta and pears, for a Roasted Pear Ricotta Pizza!

Friends, today I’m writing as part of my continued partnership with DIGIORNO pizza, after a recent trip to their headquarters in Solon, Ohio. Inspired by so many tastes and experiences with the wonderful chefs and bakers, and learning about the 20 year history of DIGIORNO pizza, it was truly educational, but was also a bit nostalgic for me.

A trip to DIGIORNO

Twenty years ago, DIGIORNO made baking pizza a whole new experience for home cooks! I remember it well, being a mom of little kids, that finally there was an oven-ready pizza that tasted like a pizza should taste, one that our family has served at home ever since. It’s all about the taste.

And the flavor is in the self-rising crust, the cheese and fresh toppings.

The DIGIORNO Original Rising Crust bakes up crispy on the outside and soft and tender on the inside. The self-rising crust is topped with big, juicy toppings and paired with their signature sauce, to make the fresh-baked taste of pizzeria or delivery pizza in your very own home.

While onsite, we had the opportunity to sample a variety of pizzas.

One of my favorite slices to try was the DIGIORNO pizzeria! Tuscan-Style Chicken pizza! This particular style, the crust is crispy on the outside, and soft and airy on the inside! The dough is yeast-raised and has a malted barley flavor, drizzled with extra virgin olive oil for added flavor.

The passion and the “gold standard”

As we went through the kitchens and met the chefs, you could just feel the passion and love that they have for this brand. Starting with Chris Zelch, who is a fifth generation expert baker who started working with dough at age 4 in his grandparent’s bakeries, I loved how he shared the process of getting that “perfect” crust. “The dough is alive; it’s a living thing,” he shared with us. Chris’s team and and the culinary team work to develop new tastes and flavors, making sure they meet the “gold standard.”

I also got to travel and share the pizza love with these fine friends: Cheryl, from Tidy Mom, Kim, from TomKat Studio, and Jared, from Sugar & Cloth.

Pizza tasters

We also learned that they hire professional pizza tasters. WOW! Did you know that it takes 6 months to be trained to become a pizza taster?

They rate food on every aspect from taste to texture, using their five senses, with an expertise that comes from careful training and calibration, such as crispness, creaminess, tartness or taste, which allows DIGIORNO pizza to make pies that are enjoyed by pizza lovers.

We got to jump into the sensory booths, and were handed a freshly cooked piece of pizza to “score” ourselves. My score for this pizza? 15 out of 15!

Rise to the occasion

Lastly we ended with DIGIORNO pizza chefs and bakers, Chris Zelch, and Forrest Waldo, in the Nestlé Culinary Center. I personally had a hands-on experience making our own dough, and coming up with our own concept of pizza in the bakery facility, with Holly, a chef for 36 years. Together we came up with these flavors that I’m sharing with you today: Roasted Pear Ricotta Pizza.

Roasted Pear Ricotta Pizza

Being a pizza lover, pear lover, and bacon lover – why not combine these together with a creamy, fresh ricotta cheese, with honey, topped with a smoky Mozzarella cheese?

We hand made our dough. Roasted the pears, added the ingredients – and into the hot pizza ovens they went.

After we baked and tasted this pizza, I thought how fun it would be to make this very same pizza in my own home!

I was so inspired with the passion and love that went into this experience of being a part of DIGIORNO pizza for the day,that I couldn’t wait to get home to host my own weekend gathering!

A weekend gathering

Since weekend gatherings are the way that most of us entertain, and it’s easy to set a pretty table with balanced foods, I was inspired to head back home to Oregon, send out a few invites, re-create these lovely flavors, and host a weekend pizza party.

Choose several flavors of pizza so your guests have variety!

Recreating the pizza I made at DIGIORNO is simple, and easy to do yourself! All you need to do is start with a DIGIORNO Original Rising Crust Four Cheese pizza.

All this to say, my party idea today is the perfect flavored pizza, with a fresh-baked taste of sweet and savory, and what I love the most: It’s delivered in my very own home!

Creating your own pizza for your weekend gathering

1. Start with a DIGIORNO Original Rising Crust Four Cheese pizza. Bake for about 20 minutes, and the crust will be crispy on the outside, and soft and tender on the inside.

2. On top of the self-rising crust pizza, add ingredients: Roasted pears, ricotta, bacon, and smoked mozzarella cheese; broil for 3-4 minutes and serve!

3. Set the table with small plates, fruit, veggie platter, pretty flowers, and decorative napkins.

For your next party, think ahead to how you can add your favorite flavors on a DIGIORNO Original Rising Crust Four Cheese pizza!

Or, better yet, let your guests add their favorite toppings and customize their own!

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Get the Recipe:

Roasted Pear Ricotta Pizza

Prep Time: 10 minutes mins

Total Time: 35 minutes mins

Yield: 4

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Ingredients

 

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• 1 DIGIORNO Original Rising Crust Four Cheese pizza
• 1 Bartlett pear, thinly sliced
• 1 cup ricotta cheese
• 4 Tbsp. honey, divided
• 5 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
• 1 cup smoky Mozzarella cheese, shredded

Instructions

 

• Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees F. Slice the pear in thin pieces and lay on a foil-lined baking sheet. Drizzle with 2 Tbsp. of honey; bake for 20-25 minutes until soft, turning once. Set aside to cool.
• Bake the pizza according to package directions.
• Mix the ricotta cheese with 2 Tbsp. of honey; set aside.
• Assemble the cooked pizza with the ricotta mixture, sliced pears, crumbled bacon, and shredded Mozzarella cheese, and broil for 3-4 minutes, until cheese is bubbly and browned.

Author: Sandy / Reluctant Entertainer

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This post is sponsored by DIGIORNO pizza, but as always, all opinions are my own. Our family loves DIGIORNO pizza, and have enjoyed it in our home for years!

Looking for a salad to serve with your pizza?

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