When it’s time to clean the fridge or you’ve got lots of ingredients to use up before they turn, you may want to try out a pizza capricciosa, or capricious pizza (i.e. add whatever toppings you want!). While the toppings for this Italian dish vary from region to region, a few have become staples: Crushed canned plum tomatoes (like San Marzano), ham, black olives, artichoke wedges, cremini mushrooms and mozzarella. 

Here, Attilio Bachetti, who runs his family’s Naples-based pizzeria da Attilio (in 2021, they were named the best pizzeria in the world by the Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana and in 2023 became part of the Michelin guide), shares his version of a pizza capricciosa. The main difference in his recipe is in the quality of the ingredients: Excellent Italian prosciutto cotto (cooked ham), fresh cremini mushrooms, black olives from Gaeta (a town in the south of Rome) and fior di latte mozzarella from Vico Equense, a coastal town and comune in Naples. Another key difference? Attilio has chosen not to add artichokes for a result that’s lighter and more delicate, but just as satisfying in flavour and texture.

Want more Attilio goodness? Check out his recipes for Pizza Quattro Formaggi and Pizza Diavola.