Here’s the perfect copycat recipe for Bertucci’s Nolio Pizza.
Bertucci’s Nolio Pizza
Bertucci’s Brick Oven Pizza and Pasta is a restaurant chain that can be found in eleven states in the Northeast. My husband grew up in Connecticut, and he loved going to Bertucci’s for their awesome Pizza. Bertucci’s Nolio Pizza was his absolute favorite.
The Nolio Pizza is described by Bertucci’s as having Parma-style prosciutto, caramelized onions, lightly seasoned cream, Pecorino Romano, and mozzarella. I’ve left off the Parmesan on this recipe (but you can certainly top it with a little Parm, if you’d like), and the cream sauce is seasoned as slightly lemony. It sounds like it might be an odd combination, but it’s totally not. It’s an amazing pizza!
I’ve made my share of homemade pizzas. My Easy Pizza Dough is used often for Pepperoni Pizza (a family favorite). I even make my own Basic Pizza Sauce! I might be kind of pizza-obsessed. If you don’t like to make your own pizza dough (totally understandable), you can usually pick up a pretty good ball of fresh dough at Trader Joe’s. Good grocery stores usually carry balls of dough too.
My absolute favorite in the pizza world is to make and eat cream sauce pizzas. Have you ever had a cream sauce pizza? This Nolio Pizza is one of them. Yep, that means no red pizza sauce. The sauce is made entirely of rich cream and then paired with the best toppings. The cream sauce makes it a bit more decadent and (I think) more delicious than classic pizza.
The Best Pizza Pan:
Do you have a pizza pan? I’ve had so many pizza pans over the years. I’ve even tried to use a pizza stone. But the best pan for me in making pizza has been to just use a nonstick-type pizza pan. I know that’s not the usual, and good pizza bakers out there might critique me for using a nonstick pizza pan… but I think it’s the best (and easiest) way to go. And this Nolio Pizza works well when baked on a nonstick pan.
You should be able to find a pretty good nonstick pizza pans at Target or some other kind of store that has a good selection of inexpensive kitchen items. Since I like to shop on Amazon for the immediate gratification of getting things in the mail within a day or two and not having to get in my car and go search for things, I’ve found one on Amazon that I like to recommend. I like this Probake Nonstick 16-inch Pizza Pan (and it has a ton of good reviews from other people too).
And now for the cute story of how I first tried this Nolio Pizza:
I mentioned before that my husband is familiar with Bertucci’s, and he’s tried all of their pizzas. This Nolio Pizza has always been his favorite. Back in 2007, he decided he was going to make me a romantic dinner for us (all made by him). He dug up this pizza recipe from somewhere, and he had me sit at the kitchen counter and drink wine while I watched him make pizza for us. It was very cute. He wasn’t sure how to slice an onion, and he was a little sketchy on juicing the lemon. But he wouldn’t let me do a thing.
The photo below (taken back in 2007) is the result of his grand efforts. He did a good job with this pizza, and we’ve been enjoying it ever since. He hasn’t cooked much for me since this pizza night LOL, but I appreciate the memory!!
If you’re looking for recipes that might be good to make and eat with pizza, you might enjoy my Pesto- Tomato Stuffed Mushrooms or this Caesar Salad with Balsamic Dressing and Parmesan Croutons. Easy Gourmet Salad, Garlic- Parmesan Breadsticks, and The Best Red Wine Sangria are also good pairings with pizza!
Bertucci's Nolio Pizza
Ingredients
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1 teaspoon ground white pepper
- 1 medium lemon, juiced
- 1 medium onion, thinly sliced
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1 cup (8 ounces) chopped or shredded prosciutto
- 1 ball pizza dough (store-bought or homemade)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F.
- In a small saucepan, boil the heavy cream until thickened. Add the white pepper and lemon juice; remove from heat and set aside. In a medium skillet, sauté the onions in olive oil until they begin to brown.
- Roll out the pizza dough and place onto a non-stick pizza pan. Sprinkle on the cheese, then prosciutto. Add the cream mixture a little at a time to the pizza (Tablespoons full) forming little puddles spread around the pizza. Drain the onions and put them on last. They will continue to caramelize as the pizza bakes.
- Bake 8 to 12 minutes. Don't overbake. You don't want to "dry-out" the pizza. Slice and eat!
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This IS NOT athe way this pizza is made! Why do I know? Because I worked at this Co for 3 years on the back line. There is no lemon no white pepper and no mozzarella cheese or greens on this pizza. You.do not reduce the cream you pour it straight from the carton. We used to make the onions 20lbs at a time w olive oil and white sugar. The edge of the dough was pinched upward to make a little edge around the dough to hold in the cream. I worked at the management training location in Newton MA.
Well, it certainly isn’t the exact recipe… but you can see from the comments that it’s pretty darn close in taste. I’m happy that people have enjoyed it.
Thanks for sharing the recipe, my only question if i need to add chicken what i have to do? i ate Nolio Chicken Pizza there.
You can just add some cooked chicken onto the toppings before baking.
Just like Bertucci’s! Perfect.
hey! thanks for posting this. i actually used to work at betrucci’s (years and years ago), and while this recipe is almost spot on, we didn’t use mozzarella on the nolio. Just romano cheese, caramelized onions, prosciutto and lemon pepper cream sauce.
Thank you for this awesome recipe. We first tried the Nolio pizza at a Bertucci’s in Columbia, MD and we were hooked. We were upset to find out it was no longer on the menu but they said they could still make it for us. Now we don’t live near a Bertucci’s so this recipe really hits the spot for that Nolio craving. I use the pre made Stone Fire thin crust instead of making my own. Thanks again.
So happy you found my recipe!!
I wonder if your husband and I both frequented the same Bertucci’s! I first discovered the Nolio at the Westport, CT location on the Post Rd. I had gone there the first night at college with my roommate and her family.
It was heaven! I was hooked. I used to drive there from campus alone just to get one.
I’ve since moved out west and they have phased out the Nolio at the Bertucci’s I visit in Virginia when I’m out there, but your recipe is jus like mine!
I was coming online to se if anyone has posted it.
The only difference is Bertucci’s throws on a black olive in the center. I never ate it anyway so I too don’t use that in my recipe!
Cheers!
Oh gosh I love this pizza from Bertucci’s. I haven’t had it in so many years and had kind of forgotten about it. I live in CT and we have one right in our town here. I wonder if they still have it on the menu here. I will have to go there or try your recipe. It is such a fabulous pizza and yours looks so amazing. The lemony cream sauce is divine. Where in CT did your husband grow up. I am in and from central CT.
Fun! He grew up in Stamford.
Last I checked the Nolio is not on the menu but if you order it they will make it!