Tomato, Basil, and Boursin Pizza
Tomato, Basil, and Boursin Pizza is loaded with lovely little fresh tomatoes, fresh basil, and a simple two-ingredient Boursin cheese pizza sauce. This tomato basil pizza is loaded with a medley of juicy little tomatoes bursting with fresh flavor. The Boursin pizza sauce is rich, creamy, and a perfect complement with garlic and herbs. Together this elegant-but-easy flatbread is great for a quick dinner.
Why this recipe works
I love this recipe because 1) it is gorgeous with all these little pearls of cute sweet teensy tomatoes and tendrils of fresh chiffonade basil. And 2) this is a stupid super simple recipe to make.
Pizza is my favorite food, although crepes run a close second. I love to get crazy creative with pizza recipes and see what I can get away with – just check out my Monte Cristo pizza complete with raspberry sauce YUMMM.
Then I have recipes like this tomato basil pizza that isn’t over-the-top creative, but it is simple, pretty, easy to make, and DELICIOUS. This pizza comes together quickly and has divine flavor. That’s why this recipe works.
About the ingredients
I have gushed about my love of Boursin Gournay Cheese with Garlic and Fine Herbs in many a post. For details about Boursin, see my Bacon and Boursin Macaroni and Cheese. If Boursin is not available, you can make your own with my Mock Boursin recipe. I also have a recipe for Vegan Boursin you can make at home too. find Boursin in the specialty cheese section of the grocery store.
To make the Boursin more spreadable, I mix it with a bit of half-and-half. Boursin is more than happy to mix and dissolve right into half-and-half.
For the tomatoes, this is where you have total freedom. I went with mini heirlooms from Walmart, but I have also used large tomatoes – Roma, vine-ripened, yellow, or heirloom. If using large tomatoes, you can either chop or slice them – I’ve done both. If they are overly juicy, you can use some paper towels to sop some of that off prior to cooking. I always prefer to go with a mix of tomato varieties because it makes this pizza look so much more special.
Sea salt. Tomato and sea salt are magic together. I prefer large sea salt (as opposed to finely ground) to get those pungent bites of salt with my sweet tomato. If sea salt is not available, use kosher salt. I do not recommend iodized table salt (like, ever).
For the precooked pizza shell, I buy mine online (just Google “wood grilled pizza crusts”). You can make your own or use tortillas, pita, or whatever you want – the point of it being precooked is because we don’t want to overly cook these pizza toppings while waiting for the crust to cook.
For the cheese, use fresh Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, which is the real deal. Parmesan is already a hard cheese, so do not buy it already shredded/grated if it has anti-caking agents in it that will make it not melt well. Also use good quality, real olive oil for the final drizzle that gives an smooth yummmm at the end.
How to store tomatoes
Did you know that you should not store tomatoes in the refrigerator? The best way to store tomatoes is right on the counter or in a window sill (before ripe) or cool spot (once ripe) or, as I do, in my countertop veggie basket. Storing tomatoes in the refrigerator will make them last longer, yes, but it makes them mealy which is not tasty. See the FAQs below for more.
How to make this tomato basil pizza with Boursin pizza sauce
This is an easy peasy recipe, ready in just minutes and darn nice on the eyes too if I do say so. The steps to make my tomato basil pizza are thusly:
- Heat the pizza stone in the oven. (10 minutes)
- Mix Boursin and half-and-half to make the Boursin cheese pizza sauce. (1 minute)
- Gather the rest of the ingredients (5 minutes – to account for slicing the tomatoes, chopping the basil, and grating the cheese)
- Layer: pizza crust > Boursin pizza sauce > tomatoes > basil > cheese > salt and pepper. (2 minutes)
- Bake. (10 minutes)
- Drizzle a little olive oil and serve. (1 minute)
Note on the Boursin pizza sauce: you may not need it all, depending on the size of your crust. For my pizza, I end up using 1/2 to 3/4s of it. So don’t feel the need to pour it all on – you just want a nice thin layer.
FAQs
Ideally, store tomatoes in a single layer at room temperature. Do not store tomatoes in the refrigerator as this makes them mealy in texture. Keep them out of direct sunlight if they are already ripe. Also, if they are not quite ripe, store them stem side down as they finish ripening. This keeps moisture in and bacteria and molds out.
I have one and I swear by it for getting a nice crispy crust, but no you do not need a pizza stone. Alternatives to a pizza stone include an inverted rimmed bake sheet, a cast iron skillet, pizza pan, or a large flat baking sheet.
This recipe calls for a premade pizza crust, but if you are looking for a pizza dough recipe, check out my Sam Adams Beer Pizza Dough. Also see my Homemade Pizza Sauce with wine and garlic.
Tomato, Basil and Boursin Pizza
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 thin precooked pizza shell
- 1 (5.5 oz) pkg Boursin Garlic and Herb Gournay Cheese
- 1 Tbsp half and half
- 12 oz mixed cherry and grape tomatoes halved
- ¼ cup fresh basil leaves sliced chiffonade
- ¼ cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
- sea salt for sprinkling
- fresh cracked pepper
- good quality extra virgin olive oil for drizzling (optional)
Instructions
- Heat oven to 425°F with a pizza stone in the oven. Heat an additional 10 minutes to make sure the stone is well heated.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the Boursin and half-and-half.
- Remove the pizza stone from the oven and place on the stove-top. Lay on the pizza crust. Spread the Boursin sauce over the crust (*see Notes), then layer the tomatoes and basil. Sprinkle with parmesan, sea salt, and pepper.
- Put the pizza stone and pizza back in the oven and bake 10 minutes until crust is toasty. Remove from the oven.
- To serve, drizzle pizza with olive oil (if desired) and slice into 8 sections.
