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Homemade Margherita Pizza

Margherita pizza recipes
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4.6 from 7 reviews

This margherita pizza recipe tastes like an artisan pie from Italy! It’s the perfect meld of zingy tomato sauce, gooey cheese and chewy crust.

Ingredients

Scale

For the pizza dough

For the pizza sauce

  • 1 small garlic clove (1/2 medium)
  • 15 ounces crushed fire roasted tomatoes or San Marzano tomatoes
  • 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt (scant)

For the toppings

  • 1/4 to 1/3 cup pizza sauce
  • 3/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese or 2 to 3 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese
  • Parmesan cheese, for topping (optional)
  • Fresh basil leaves, for garnish

Instructions

  1. Make the pizza dough: Follow the Best Pizza Dough recipe to prepare the dough. (This takes about 15 minutes to make and 45 minutes to rest.)
  2. Place a pizza stone in the oven and preheat to 500°F. OR preheat your pizza oven (here’s the pizza oven we use).
  3. Make the pizza sauce: Cut the garlic into a few rough pieces. Place the garlic, tomatoes, olive oil, oregano and kosher salt in a blender. Blend until fully combined. (You’ll use about 1/3 cup for the pizza; reserve the remaining sauce and refrigerate for up to 1 week.)
  4. Prepare the cheese: If using fresh mozzarella cheese, slice it into 1/4 inch thick pieces (see the photos of the pre-baked pizza above). If it’s incredibly watery fresh mozzarella (all brands vary), you may want to let it sit on a paper towel to remove moisture for about 15 minutes then dab the mozzarella with the paper towel to remove any additional moisture.
  5. Bake the pizza: When the oven is ready, dust a pizza peel with cornmeal or semolina flour. (If you don’t have a pizza peel, you can use a rimless baking sheet or the back of a rimmed baking sheet. But a pizza peel is well worth the investment!) Stretch the dough into a circle; see How to Stretch Pizza Dough for instructions. Then gently place the dough onto the pizza peel. 
  6. Spread a thin layer of the pizza sauce over the dough, using about 1/4 to 1/3 cup. Add the mozzarella cheese. Top with a thin layer of fresh grated Parmesan cheese (if using) and a few pinches of kosher salt.
  7. Use the pizza peel to carefully transfer the pizza onto the preheated pizza stone. Bake the pizza until the cheese and crust are nicely browned, about 5 to 7 minutes in the oven (or 1 minute in a pizza oven).
  8. Allow the pizza to cool for a minute or two before adding the basil on top (whole leaves, lightly torn, or thinly sliced). Slice into pieces and serve immediately.

Notes

*Make the pizza dough 1 hour in advance (for day of preparation), or you can make it in advance and refrigerate up to 3 days. Refrigerating the dough actually adds to the flavor. Allow refrigerated dough to come to room temperature before using by letting it stand for about 30 to 45 minutes. You can also freeze the dough: go to How to Freeze Pizza Dough.

**Make the pizza sauce up to 1 week in advance and refrigerate.

Find it online: https://www.acouplecooks.com/margherita-pizza-recipe/