Three cheese pizza recipe inspired by: Cuyahoga Valley National Park, Ohio
Several U.S. national parks have at least some farming history, but there are few where nature and agriculture are so intertwined as in Cuyahoga Valley National Park, Ohio.
The Cuyahoga Valley has been home to farming communities since the early-1800s. Farms produced everything from fruits and vegetables to meat, poultry and dairy.
Now, Cuyahoga Valley National Park is the only national park that was once home to several cheese factories—which inspired me to make this awesome three cheese pizza.
According to the National Park Service, “during the mid-19th century, the number of dairy farmers increased in the Cuyahoga Valley and local cheese factories began purchasing their unprocessed milk.”
Before cheese factories began popping up in the Cuyahoga Valley, cheese was made at home by women. “The introduction of cheese factories allowed farmers to avoid the long process of cheese-making, while continuing to reap profits from their dairy cattle.”
The huge amounts of cheese produced in Ohio’s Western Reserve region, including modern-day Cuyahoga Valley National Park, earned it the nickname of “Cheesedom”, according to historian Henry Howe.
You can learn a lot more about the history of cheese making and other agricultural products and practices in the Cuyahoga Valley here.
Now that I’ve explained the strong historical link between Cuyahoga Valley National Park and cheese, and considering the presence of a vibrant Italian community in nearby Cleveland, this three cheese pizza recipe hopefully makes a bit more sense to you than it might have at first.
It may be a stretch to think of three cheese pizza as a national park-inspired recipe, but there’s some reason and logic behind it.
Either way, it’s a phenomenal homemade pizza recipe and you’re going to want to try a slice!
Contents
Cuyahoga Valley Three Cheese Pizza
This three cheese pizza recipe inspired by Cuyahoga Valley National Park makes two pizzas. If you want to make only one, you can save half of the dough and pizza sauce in the fridge or freezer, and simply halve the amount of cheese in the recipe below.
- Prep time: 1 hour 30 minutes
- Bake time: 15 minutes
- Total time: 1 hour 45 minutes
- Servings: 12 (six slices per pizza, one slice per serving)
- Calories per serving (one slice): 246
Who doesn’t like a big cheesy slice of pie? This recipe gives you twelve of those!
This is one of the most classic of pizzas, a simple combination of crunchy dough, herby tomato sauce and a trio of cheeses.
There may not be any fancy toppings, but this pizza doesn’t even need those. The cheese does all the work and provides all the flavors you need. Any bite is an absolute delight.
Although you can use store-bought pizza dough, I recommend spending some time in the kitchen and making your own. Using homemade pizza dough makes a huge difference in the end—and it’s not as difficult to make as you may think.
This three cheese pizza recipe also has instructions for easy homemade pizza sauce, which takes literally only five minutes.
Sprinkle a trifecta of provolone, mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses on top for a mouthwatering result. Seriously!
This Cuyahoga Valley National Park-inspired recipe for three cheese pizza contains affiliate links. You can read more about our Terms of Use / Disclosure here.
Necessary Kitchen Tools
- Large mixing bowl (for pizza dough)
- Medium mixing bowl (for pizza sauce)
- Silicone spatula
- Box grater
- Rolling pin
- Pizza stones
- Pizza peel
- Teaspoon and tablespoon
- Measuring cups
- Pizza cutter
Cuyahoga Valley Three Cheese Pizza Recipe
Inspired by the historic cheese factories of Cuyahoga Valley National Park, this three cheese pizza recipe features a crunchy homemade crust, herby pizza sauce and a trio of delicious cheeses.
Ingredients
Homemade Pizza Dough
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 dry yeast packet (2 1/4 teaspoons)
- 1/2 tablespoon sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon oregano
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 cup warm water
Homemade Pizza Sauce
- 6 oz tomato paste (1 can)
- 1/2 cup crushed tomatoes
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- Salt and pepper
Cheeses and Toppings
- 6 slices provolone
- 2 cups low-moisture mozzarella, coarsely grated
- 1 cup Parmesan, finely grated
- Basil
Instructions
Pizza Dough
- In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, yeast, sugar, salt, oregano and garlic powder.
- Add olive oil and warm water (hot water from the tap) to the flour mixture.
- Mix well with a silicone spatula until a somewhat sticky dough forms.
- On a lightly floured surface, knead the dough for about 3-4 minutes. Add flour if necessary to make it less sticky.
- Place the dough ball back into the mixing bowl, cover with a kitchen towel and let rise for 1 hour.
Pizza Sauce
- While the dough is rising, make your pizza sauce.
- In a medium mixing bowl, combine tomato paste, crushed tomatoes, oregano, Italian seasoning and garlic powder. Stir well with a spoon.
- Taste, season with salt and pepper, and add more of the other seasonings if you like.
- Place in the fridge until you're ready to make the pizzas.
Assemble and Bake
- Place your pizza stones in the oven and preheat to 500°F.
- Divide the pizza dough into two balls (one ball makes one pizza).
- On a lightly floured surface, roll out a dough ball into a flat circle with a rolling pin. Dust with extra flour if dough is still sticky.
- Dust your pizza peel with some flour to prevent the dough from sticking.
- Place rolled out pizza dough onto a pizza peel. Gently shake the peel to see if the dough can move around. If not, carefully lift up and dust with more flour underneath.
- Brush the dough all over with olive oil and poke holes into the middle with a fork.
- Spread homemade pizza sauce on the pizza dough. (There should be enough sauce for two pizzas.)
- Top with provolone slices, grated mozzarella and Parmesan. (The specified amounts of cheese are sufficient for two pizzas.)
- Slide the pizza from the pizza peel onto a preheated pizza stone.
- Bake for 10-15 minutes until the cheese is melted and the crust is browned and crispy. Watch closely.
- Repeat steps 3 through 10 for your second three cheese pizza.
- Sprinkle some freshly sliced basil on top of the pizza(s). Slice with a pizza cutter and serve immediately.
- Enjoy!
Notes
Note 1: This three cheese pizza recipe inspired by Cuyahoga Valley National Park makes two pizzas. If you want to make only one, you can save half of the dough and pizza sauce in the fridge or freezer, and simply halve the amount of cheese in the recipe above.
Note 2: I recommend grating the cheeses yourself on a box grater. Pre-grated or pre-shredded cheese you can buy in stores has added preservatives to keep the cheese fresh. Grate it yourself for better flavor and fewer added ingredients.
Nutrition Information
Yield
12Serving Size
1 sliceAmount Per Serving Calories 246Total Fat 12gSaturated Fat 6gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 4gCholesterol 32mgSodium 532mgCarbohydrates 22gFiber 2gSugar 3gProtein 13g
A general nutrition calculator was used to determine the nutritional information of this recipe, which is meant solely as an indication of the dish's nutritional values. Depending on specific ingredients, quantities used and/or serving size, the ultimate dish you end up making may have different nutritional aspects. Please consider the information provided here only as guidance and not as an absolute fact.
If You Decide to Make This Fantastic Cuyahoga Valley National Park-Inspired Three Cheese Pizza Recipe at Home, Feel Free to Tell Everyone About It Below! Happy Cooking!
More Vegetarian Recipes Inspired by National Parks
- Three Sisters Soup Recipe (Cuyahoga Valley National Park)
- Oven-Baked Squash Balls Recipe (Cuyahoga Valley National Park)
- Caramelized Onion and Mushroom Mac & Cheese Recipe (Shenandoah National Park)
- Tex-Mex Veggie Quesadillas Recipe (Big Bend National Park)
- Mushroom Quiche Recipe (Mount Rainier National Park)