Carbonara Pizza

 

When my family saw this carbonara pizza in Real Simple, they asked me to make it. I followed the instructions the first night, then, based on my experience and feedback from my family, improved on them for the second night. Here is my version, though honestly it’s very similar to my bacon and egg pizza already.

4 oz. diced pancetta or chopped thick-cut bacon
1 lb. fresh pizza dough, at room temperature
all-purpose flour, for dusting
1 cup shredded lactose-free whole-milk mozzarella cheese
¼ cup Pecorino Romano cheese, grated, plus more for topping
¼ tsp. ground black pepper, plus more for topping
2 large eggs
1 Tbsp. chopped chives, for topping

Preheat oven to 450 °F with a rack in lower third position. Do NOT use a pizza stone.

Place pancetta in a large skillet. Cook over medium, stirring occasionally, until golden and starting to crisp, about 6 minutes. Remove from heat. Transfer pancetta to a paper-towel-lined plate to drain.

Gently stretch dough into a 12-inch round on a lightly floured work surface. Transfer to a lightly floured baking sheet. Sprinkle evenly with mozzarella and Pecorino Romano, leaving a ¾-inch border around edges. Top with cooked pancetta and sprinkle with pepper.

Bake until crust is puffed but still pale and cheese is melted, about 5 minutes. Meanwhile, place eggs in a small bowl or measuring cup (do not whisk).

Carefully pull rack with pizza out from oven and tip eggs onto center of pizza. Using a fork, carefully spread egg whites over a larger area to help eggs cook evenly. Return to oven and bake until whites are set and yolks are jammy, about 8 minutes.

Break yolks with a spoon and drizzle all over pizza, if desired (I prefer mine a bit more set, so no thank you). Top with chives, Pecorino Romano, and several grinds of pepper.