Leek Bacon and Burrata Pizza
Flavor-packed Pizza
This leek bacon and burrata pizza is so full of flavor and textures. Pan-fried leeks and bacon are cooked with garlic and lemon zest for a sweet and savory topping. Gruyere and parmesan cheeses are baked with the leek pizza topping for a salty, rich layer. Finished with creamy burrata cheese, an extra drizzle of olive oil, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes for an extra special bite.
This leek pizza does not have a separate sauce that you pour onto the crust, like a typical pizza, but you won’t be missing a thing! The buttery leek mixture mixed with the creamy center of the burrata creates a substitute for the typical pizza sauce. This combination creates an easy way to get the white-sauce pizza experience without having to make your own cream sauce!
Leek Pizza Recipe Tips
When you make this leek burrata and bacon pizza, here are a few tips to make sure it turns out perfect:
- Leeks have lots and lots of layers, which can make them so tasty, but difficult to clean. Each layer can have dirt hiding in them that you want to remove before slicing the leeks and frying them. For easier cleaning, slice each leek in half crosswise and gently separate the layers. Wet a paper towel with cold water and wipe the dirt away, getting it as clean as you can.
- When rolling out the pizza dough, make sure you get it as thin as you can. I try to aim for ¼ inch thickness so it’s a crispier crust. The crispy crust pairs perfectly with the flavors of this ‘za!
- If there’s any pizza leftover, definitely reheat it in the oven for about 5 minutes at 350°F. It will keep the crust crisp and reheat the toppings perfectly.
Recipe Details
Do Some Prep
Before any actual cooking can begin, we’ll do a bit of prep work. First step will be to clean and slice the leeks. Remove the leafy green parts of the leeks and slice each one in half, lengthwise. Run each leek under cold running water or wipe them clean with a damp paper towel, making sure any bits of dirt are clean away. Once cleaned, thinly slice each half of the leek. On the same large cutting board as the leeks, mince the cloves of garlic and zest one lemon. On a separate cutting board, cube the slices of bacon into ½ inch pieces.
Make sure your oven is preheating to 450°F and set out a circular baking tray and a large frying pan. Now that everything is in place, let’s get started on cooking the pizza toppings.
Fry the Bacon and Leeks
Preheat a large frying pan over medium heat and add the diced bacon. Fry the bacon in it’s own fat, stirring it from time to time so that it can crisp-up on all sides. Let the bacon fry for 6 minutes and then transfer to a paper towel lined plate. Wipe the pan clean and then set it back over medium heat.
Add butter and olive to the pan and let the butter melt. Once melted, add the sliced leeks and toss to coat in the oil. Stir the leeks every minute or so, until they’re incredibly soft. Add the minced garlic and cook until the garlic is fragrant, about 1 minute more.
Take the pan off of the heat and season the leeks with salt, pepper, and the lemon zest. Stir the fried bacon into the leeks and set aside to begin assembly.
Assemble and Bake the Bacon and Leek Pizza
Now that the ingredients are prepped, assembly can begin. Flour the work surface and roll out the pizza dough into a circular shape. Transfer the dough to a baking tray and sprinkle the shredded gruyere cheese all over the top. Spoon the pan fried peeks and bacon into an even layer over the top of the cheese, leaving a little bit of dough around the edge for the crust. Sprinkle the parmesan cheese over the top and then place the baking tray in the oven. Bake the pizza until the crust is baked through and the cheese is melty, about 8 minutes.
Remove the pizza from the oven and let it cool on the pan for 5 minutes. Finish the pizza with a broken ball of burrata cheese, a glug of your favorite olive oil, flaky salt, freshly ground black pepper, and a pinch of red pepper flakes. Cut the pizza into slices and serve right away. This pizza would be great served with a Kale Salad with Rye Breadcrumbs or a side of Rosemary Parmesan Sweet Potato Fries.
I hope you love this leek bacon and burrata pizza as much as I do! I know it will be on rotation often, as my husband told me “this is the best pizza I’ve ever had!”
If you make this pizza, be sure to leave a comment or give this recipe a rating - I can’t wait to hear how it goes. As always, tag me on Instagram or Facebook in your photos. It makes me feel like we’re getting to cook together.
This leek pizza is made with pan fried leeks, crispy bacon, and creamy burrata. Finished with a bit of parmesan and gruyere cheese, lemon zest, and red pepper flakes, this pizza is incredibly flavorful.
- 1 lb fresh pizza crust dough
- 2 leeks
- 2 clove garlic
- Lemon zest from 1 lemon
- 4 strips bacon
- 1 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 tbsp olive oil, plus more for drizzling
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1 cup shredded gruyere or swiss cheese
- 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
- Pinch of red chili flakes
- Flaky sea salt and fresh ground pepper, for finishing
- 1 ball fresh burrata cheese
Preheat the oven to 450°F and set out a round baking tray.
Cut each leek in half length wise and remove the green ends. Clean the leeks well with cold water and a wet kitchen cloth, ensuring any dirt is removed from the layers of the leek.
Thinly slice the leeks, mince the garlic cloves, and zest the lemon.
On a separate cutting board, dice the strips of bacon.
If your pizza dough is refrigerated, set it out on the counter to come up to room temperature.
Heat a large frying pan over medium heat. Fry the bacon, stirring it occasionally, until it’s cooked through and crisp, about 6 minutes.
Transfer the fried bacon onto a paper-towel lined plate. Discard any oil remaining in the pan and wipe it clean.
Set the pan back over medium heat and add 1 tablespoon of olive oil and the unsalted butter. Once the butter has melted, add the sliced leeks to the pan and toss in the oil. Let the leeks fry, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes.
Add the minced garlic to the pan and cook for 1 minute, until very fragrant. Remove the pan from the heat.
Season the leeks and garlic with salt, pepper, and lemon zest. Add the fried bacon to the pan and toss everything together.
Flour a work surface and the top of the pizza dough. Use a rolling pin to the dough into a circular shape and transfer to the round baking tray.
Sprinkle the gruyere cheese over the top of the pizza dough and spoon the fried leeks and bacon over the cheese. Sprinkle the grated parmesan cheese over the entire pizza.
Bake the pizza for 8 minutes, until the dough is cooked through and the cheese is melty. Let the pizza cool on the pan for 5 minutes.
Place the ball of burrata cheese in the center of the pizza. Break the ball of burrata open, tearing a few pieces to cover the center of the pizza with the cheese.
Drizzle the pizza with an extra glug of olive oil. Sprinkle with a small pinch of flaky salt, freshly cracked black pepper, and a pinch of red pepper flakes.
Slice the pizza and serve warm.
