Parigina Pizza is a classic Neapolitan style pizza filled with prosciutto cotto, provolone cheese and covered with puff pastry for a flaky, golden topping. A classic snack food found in bars and rosticcerie throughout Italy. This simple recipe is even easier to make with my no knead pizza dough recipe as the base!
Have you ever heard of parigina pizza? It's one of those tasty morsels that you'll find in bars and rosticcerie across Italy, particularly in the area of Naples. When Italians are looking for a quick bite or snack any time of day, the rosticcerie offer several mouth watering options such as arancini; rollò con wurstel ; small calzone; and pizzette to name a few.
There's no doubt about it, Italians know how to snack. I'll choose one of these over a bag of chips any day!
Then there is parigina pizza. This unique filled pizza consists of a basic pizza dough base topped with a thin layer of tomato sauce, prosciutto cotto (ham), provolone cheese all covered with a sheet of puff pastry. This all bakes until golden and flaky and simply delicious.
This Neapolitan pizza is already quite simple to make but I've made it even easier by using my no knead pizza dough as the base for this recipe.
Origins of Parigina Pizza:
The origins of this pizza all point to Naples. There appears to be some debate as to whether it was first introduced by the French due to the name parigina referring to Paris. However, most of the research I did explains that the name parigina really means pa' regina in the Neapolitan dialect which means 'for the queen'.
So whether this pizza refers to royalty because it is simply divine or whether there is truly some connection to the French capitol, parigina pizza is a must try.
How to make a basic tomato sauce for pizza:
I am often asked how I make my tomato sauce for pizza. For years I made pizza sauce that was cooked as my mom always did. However, in recent years I turned to making a super easy, no cooking required pizza sauce in minutes! Here's what I do:
- Pour ¾ cup tomato passata or crushed tomatoes in a bowl. This is enough to cover the parigina pizza.
- Add a crushed clove of garlic.
- Stir in a spoonful of olive oil (about 1 tbsp.)
- Add a pinch of red pepper flakes for a spicy kick.
- Other options include dry oregano and if you have on hand, a few leaves of fresh basil.
- Salt, to taste.
Stir everything together and you have a basic, flavorful pizza sauce. I remove the garlic clove before spreading the sauce over the pizza. Couldn't be any easier!
The following are step by step instructions with images to guide you through the recipe. The complete detailed printable recipe card is at the end of this post.
Step by Step Instructions
Prepare the no knead pizza dough and let rise from 6-24 hours.
Follow instructions until step #6.
Cover a 11"X16" baking sheet with parchment paper and place the rack on the lowest level in the oven. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
After you have shaped the dough into a ball and it has rested for 1 hour, on a well floured surface flatten the dough using your fingertips to spread it out in a rectangular shape roughly the same size as your baking sheet. Transfer the dough to the prepared baking sheet. Spread sauce evenly over the surface of the dough.
Top with prosciutto cotto slices. Cover the prosciutto cotto evenly with sliced provolone.
Roll out a sheet of defrosted puff pastry on a floured surface and place over the filling making sure to cover the entire surface of the pizza. Use a fork to prick holes evenly over the puff pastry. Brush with a mixture of an egg yolk and milk.
Bake on the lowest rack of the oven between 30-35 minutes. After about 15 minutes if the top begins to brown, cover loosely with foil for the remaining baking time. The pizza is ready when lightly golden and crisp underneath. 
Remove from the oven and let cool a few minutes before slicing. Serve how, warm or even at room temperature.
Tips and suggestions:
- Prosciutto cotto and provolone cheese are the classic filling ingredients for this pizza but I can imagine varying the ingredients with other cured meats or cheeses. So why not try experimenting!
- After the first 15 minutes of baking keep a close eye on the puff pastry as it can go from golden colored to burnt in a matter of minutes!
- Keep leftovers refrigerated for up to 3 days. Reheat in the oven before serving.
If you give this recipe a try, please let me know how much you enjoyed it by rating it in the recipe card below. Feel free to Pin it for later. Buon appetito!
Check out more delicious recipes with no knead pizza dough!
- Olive and Cheese Buns (No Knead Recipe)
- Chicory, Egg and Cheese Stuffed Pizza
- Mortadella, Pistachio and Mozzarella Stuffed Rolls
- No Knead Fig and Walnut Bread
- Scacciata with Cauliflower and Black Olives
- Fried Pizza Dough (pizza fritta)
- Sfincione Bagherese
- Homemade Pizza Rolls with Ham and Cheese
- Scacciata with Sausage and Potato Filling
- Eggplant Calzone alla Norma
- No Knead Fig and Rosemary Focaccia
- Focaccia Messinese
- No Knead Skillet Focaccia Bread
Ingredients
For the no knead dough
- 1 recipe Easiest No Knead Pizza Dough Recipe
Basic pizza sauce
- ¾ cups canned crushed tomatoes
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 clove garlic crushed
- 1 teaspoon dry oregano
- fresh basil leaves
- salt to taste
- pinch red pepper flakes optional
Other toppings
- 200 grams prosciutto cotto sliced ham
- 200 grams provolone cheese slices
- 198 gram puff pastry sheet defrosted according to package instructions
- 1 egg yolk
- 2 tbsp. milk
Instructions
For the no knead dough
- Follow my instructions to make the no knead pizza dough recipe until step #6, that is after the rising period of 6-24 hours.
For the basic tomato sauce
- Place all ingredients for the tomato sauce in a bowl and stir to combine.
To assemble
- Cover a 11" x 16" baking sheet with parchment paper and place the rack on the lowest level in the oven. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
- After you have shaped the dough into a ball and it has rested for 1 hour, on a well floured surface flatten the dough using your fingertips to spread it out in a rectangular shape roughly the same size as your baking sheet. Transfer the dough to the prepared baking sheet.
- Spread sauce evenly over the surface of the dough. Top with prosciutto cotto slices. Cover the prosciutto cotto evenly with sliced provolone.
- Roll out the puff pastry on a floured surface and place over the filling making sure to cover the entire surface of the pizza. Use a fork to prick holes evenly over the puff pastry. Brush with a mixture of an egg yolk and milk.
To bake
- Bake on the lowest rack of the oven between 30-35 minutes. After about 15 minutes if the top begins to brown, cover loosely with foil for the remaining baking time. The pizza is ready when lightly golden and crisp underneath.
- Remove from the oven and let cool a few minutes before slicing. Serve how, warm or even at room temperature.
Notes
- Prosciutto cotto and provolone cheese are the classic filling ingredients for this pizza but I can imagine varying the ingredients with other cured meats or cheeses. So why not try experimenting!
- After the first 15 minutes of baking keep a close eye on the puff pastry as it can go from golden colored to burnt in a matter of minutes!
- Keep leftovers refrigerated for up to 3 days. Reheat in the oven before serving.
- Please note that the nutritional information provided is approximate and may vary according to exact portion size and ingredients used.
Nadia Fazio
We truly enjoyed this unique pizza, the whole pan disappeared in minutes. If you've never tried it, I totally recommend it. And so easy to make with purchased puff pastry!
Frank
Gee, somehow I managed to miss out on this. Foolish me. It looks absolutely fabulous! Friday evening is usually pizza night in our house. May give it a try...
Nadia
This was one of those tasty snacks we noticed in the rosticcerie during our travels in Italy. It's so easy to make and we're now hooked! Enjoy!
Frank
By the way, I did try it. It was fabulous! We ate the whole pan in one sitting..
Nadia
So glad to hear you enjoyed it. It's so easy to make and it does always disappear fast at my house as well. Thanks for your feedback!