We recently came across this recipe in the New York Times, and it was like a trip down memory lane for us – because in the 90s, when we were kids, French bread pizza was all the rage. It was the feta pasta of that era, but since the new millennium dawned this version of pizza has very much fallen by the wayside. We decided to indulge on this nostalgia trip, however, because this recipe is vegetarian and an easy and tasty meal to whip up on a weekday night. And we also got to do some research on French bread pizza, which we’ll share with you: it was invented by a late-night food truck on the Cornell University campus as something for drunk college students to chow down on, and then it spread across the country as an alternative to regular round pizzas. This version here is slightly elevated, using pesto instead of regular tomato sauce and adding in some fresh mozzarella slices, so it’s a little different than what you might remember getting out of a Stouffer’s box, but it still hits all those notes of a quick and tasty take on pizza.
To make this, you’ll need:
- 2 bunches of Italian parsley
- Garlic
- Pine nuts
- Olive oil
- Parmesan cheese
- A loaf of French bread
- An 8-ounce ball of fresh mozzarella
- Red pepper flakes
- Dried oregano
First you can make the pesto: pluck all the leaves off both bunches of parsley and throw them in a food processor along with 3 garlic cloves and 1/4 cup of pine nuts. Blend everything together until the parsley is well chopped, then add in 1/3 cup of olive oil and blend again. Use a spatula to scrape down whatever comes up the sides of the bowl and blend in 1/4 cup of Parmesan, plus a large pinch of salt, plus any extra olive oil you might need (added one tablespoon at a time) to make for a smooth pesto.
Next, measure out 1/4 cup of olive oil into a small pan and grate in 4 garlic cloves. Cook over medium heat for 3 minutes until the oil sputters, but the garlic shouldn’t start browning.
Now cut your French bread in half lengthwise, then slice each half down the middle so you have four open-faced pieces. Brush with the garlic olive oil, then place the bread on a baking sheet and cook at 450°F for 5 minutes. When it comes out of the oven, spread the pesto on top of each piece of bread. Cut your mozzarella into 16 slices and place 4 slices on top of each section of bread.
Cook again for another 5 minutes, until the cheese has started to melt, then broil on low for 2 more minutes to finish cooking your French bread pizza. Let it cool for 5 minutes after it comes out of the oven, then sprinkle some red pepper flakes and dried oregano on top and drizzle on some extra olive oil, and your pizza is ready to eat!
OK, so our French bread pizza got maybe a little too toasty in the broiler, so you have to keep a careful eye on it at the end. But we loved these little pizzas because they were a simple and fun take on a classic. There’s no mixing and shaping of dough that needs to be done, since you’ve got the bread already made and serving as the base here. Using a pesto made from parsley, not the traditional basil, makes for an interesting sauce to pair with the fresh mozzarella, plus your French bread becomes nice and garlic-y to add in some great flavor. This was a nice treat for dinner during the week and we encourage you to try these out – and even, if you feel like it, give them your own spin with any combination of sauce and cheese.