Burrata and Prosciutto French Bread Pizza

Talk about the best quick pizza! This burrata and prosciutto french bread pizza combines an incredible caramelized shallot tomato sauce with creamy burrata, thinly sliced prosciutto, and fresh basil for a lunch that will always satisfy!

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Recipe

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5 from 1 vote

Burrata and Prosciutto French Bread Pizza

Total Time45 minutes mins

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American, Italian

Keyword: pizza

Servings: 4

Author: Christine Ma

Ingredients

Caramelized shallot tomato sauce

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 pound shallots thinly sliced
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ¼ cup tomato paste
• 2 pints cherry tomatoes
• 4 cloves garlic thinly sliced
• ½ teaspoon red chili flakes
• ½ teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 cup water
• salt and pepper

French bread pizza

• 1 pound french bread
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• ⅓ cup grated parmesan
• 8 ounces burrata at room temperature
• 4 ounces thinly sliced prosciutto
• ¼ cup fresh basil
• extra virgin olive oil for finishing
• freshly cracked black pepper

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
• Heat 3 tablespoons olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add shallots and season with 1 teaspoon salt, stirring to combine. Saute for 15 minutes or until shallots begin to turn golden brown, stirring frequently.
• Add tomato paste, stirring until shallots are well coated. Add tomatoes, garlic, red chili flakes, and oregano, stirring to combine. Cook for 5 minutes or until tomatoes begin to soften.
• Add water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring frequently. Season sauce with salt and pepper.
• While sauce is cooking, cut french bread in half lengthwise and in half again to create 4 equal portions. Brush olive oil on both sides and place them on a baking sheet with the cut side facing down. Bake bread for 8 minutes on the lower rack or until the cut sides are lightly browned. Remove from heat and line baking sheet with parchment paper. Arrange bread back on the pan, but this time, with the cut sides facing up.
• Spread caramelized shallot tomato sauce on bread; you will have some extra sauce. Sprinkle grated parmesan on top and bake for 7-8 minutes or until cheese is melted.
• Remove from the oven and spread burrata on top. Season burrata with extra virgin olive oil and freshly cracked black pepper. Top with prosciutto and fresh basil. Serve immediately.

Notes

Use french bread that comes packaged in plastic wrap and not the french bread sold in paper bags. You can also use the "Take and Bake" loaf.

The caramelized shallot tomato sauce can be prepared up to 3 days in advance.

Step-by-step instructions

Step 1: Caramelize shallots

The magic of this burrata and prosciutto french bread pizza starts with the shallots, and patience is absolutely key here. When I say we're caramelizing them, I mean we're bringing out their natural sweetness through slow, gentle cooking.

However, we are also adding in extra elements to cut the cooking time down slightly.

Heat your olive oil in a large pot over medium heat, then add those thinly sliced shallots with a generous teaspoon of salt.

The salt not only seasons the shallots, but it also helps draw out moisture, which speeds up the caramelization process.

We're not going for full caramelization right away because these shallots will continue cooking once we add the other sauce ingredients.

You want them golden brown and softened after about 15 minutes of frequent stirring, but they don't need to be deeply caramelized yet. They should smell sweet and aromatic, with most of their sharpness mellowed out.

If the pan becomes too dry, add a tablespoon or two of water to help prevent the shallots from sticking.

Step 2: Finish sauce

Once your shallots are beautifully golden, it's time to build the rest of the sauce. Stir in the tomato paste and mix well. This will intensify the tomato flavor and add that rich, concentrated taste.

Next come the cherry tomatoes, garlic, red chili flakes, and oregano. I love using cherry tomatoes here because they're consistently sweet and break down beautifully while still maintaining some texture. Feel free to also use grape tomatoes.

Cook this mixture for about 5 minutes until the tomatoes start to soften and release their juices. Then add the water and bring everything to a boil before reducing to a gentle simmer.

This recipe makes a little extra sauce, which is great news because it's excellent with pasta.

Step 3: Prepare bread

While your sauce is simmering away, it's time to prepare the bread. Cut the French bread in half lengthwise, then in half again to create four equal portions.

To prevent the bread from getting soggy from the sauce, we're going to brush olive oil on both sides of the bread and toast it.

Place the bread directly on a baking sheet. We don't need parchment paper on the baking sheet; in fact, letting them sit directly on the baking sheet will help them brown better.

Pre-toast the bread with the cut side down first, placing the oiled bread pieces on a baking sheet, and baking them on the lower rack.

This creates a golden, slightly crispy barrier on what will become the top of your pizza. It's like creating a protective shield that keeps the bread sturdy enough to hold all those delicious toppings.

Once they're lightly browned, flip them over so the toasted sides face up - this is your pizza base.

Step 4: Assemble pizzas

Now that all of the components are ready, it's time to assemble the pizzas. Spread the caramelized shallot tomato sauce generously over each piece of bread. Sprinkle the grated parmesan on top and pop them back in the oven for 7-8 minutes until the cheese melts and starts to get slightly golden.

Remove the pizza from the oven and top it with burrata. I like to break open the burrata and spread it evenly over the top to ensure that every bite has cheese.

As the burrata sits on the hot pizza, the residual heat will warm it slightly while keeping that gorgeous creamy center intact. Drizzle the top with extra virgin olive oil and crack some fresh black pepper over the top.

Finally, drape prosciutto over everything and scatter fresh basil leaves on top. The prosciutto will warm slightly from the heat of the pizza, and the basil adds that perfect fresh, aromatic finish. Serve immediately while the bread is still crispy and the burrata is at its creamiest.

The result? This burrata and prosciutto french bread pizza is a sophisticated take on childhood comfort food that hits every single note - sweet, salty, creamy, crunchy, and satisfying. It's proof that sometimes the simplest concepts can be extraordinary.

For another fantastic dish featuring burrata, check out this crispy chicken with bursting tomatoes and burrata, and sun-dried tomato pesto pasta with burrata!

Make-ahead and storage tips

• Make-ahead: The caramelized shallot tomato sauce can be made up to 3 days in advance and stored in the refrigerator. You'll actually have extra sauce from this recipe, so it's perfect for meal prep.
• Store: This pizza is best eaten fresh, but you can store leftovers in an airtight container in the refridgerator for up to 2 days. It can be reheated in a 350°F oven for 5-7 minutes, but the bread may lose some crispness.

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