Ingredients
- Half of a raw ball of Pizza Dough
- 3 Tablespoons Coarse Grind Cornmeal
- 26 ounce can or carton Crushed/Cubed/Whole Tomatoes
- 2 Garlic Cloves
- 1 cup (plus more for garnish) Fresh Basil Leaves
- 0.5 teaspoon Sea Salt
- 0.25 teaspoon Ground Black Pepper
- Fresh (I like Bocconcini) Mozzarella Cheese
- 1 Tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Directions
Homemade margherita pizza with red sauce and cheese is a classic!
My husband and I are a little (ok a lot) obsessed with pizza and we love homemade pizza even more!
We love to experiment with cheeses and toppings but one can never go wrong with a simple yet very flavorful pizza margherita.
Let’s talk about the history of the margherita pizza.
This simple yet flavorful pizza uses the red tomatoes, white mozzarella, and green basil to represent the colors of the Italian flag.
All the way back in 1889, a Neapolitan pizzamaker created the “Pizza Margherita” to honor the Queen consort of Italy, Margherita of Savoy.
Hence the name margherita! I love a food that is named after a woman!
You can make your own homemade pizza dough or buy store bought.
There are two tricks to the best pizza margherita.
Using homemade 3-ingredient pizza sauce that only take 1 minute to make and melty cheese!
Whenever a recipe has minimal ingredients, it’s even more important to use high-quality products.
I have tried various canned and carton tomatoes and those that come from Italy and California are the best.
When it comes to cheese, a mozzarella, particularly bocconcini, melts beautifully and is my preferred cheese for this margherita pizza.
After the pizza comes out of the oven, I like to drizzle a bit of extra virgin olive oil over the top and garnish with fresh basil leaves.
I prefer using a fruity extra virgin olive oil, something that comes in a dark, glass bottle.
This pizza makes 8 slices and serves 2 people.
Steps
1 Done | Prep Pizza DoughWhether you are using homemade or store-bought pizza dough, allow the dough to rest on your kitchen counter for a minimum of 1 hour so it comes up to room temperature. This will allow the dough to relax and easier to handle. |
2 Done | Shape & Stretch The DoughFirst, preheat your oven to the highest temperature it will go. For me that is 525°F. Place the dough on a clean and floured surface. Lightly flour your fingers and flatten it into a disk. Next, lightly press along the edges to create the crust. Press with your fingers to flatten and lightly stretch and rotate until it is your desired shape, circle or rectangular. |
3 Done | Transfer Dough To Baking SheetUse the biggest baking sheet you own and sprinkle with coarse ground cornmeal. The cornmeal will ensure that your dough will not stick to the baking sheet as well as allow heat to get under the pizza dough for an evenly baked crust! |
4 Done | Get The Toppings ReadyTo make the homemade pizza sauce, add the canned or carton tomatoes to a food processor or blender along with the garlic cloves and basil leaves. You can also add a bit of sea salt and black pepper, if desired. Blend for about 1 minute. You will only need 1/2-1 cup of pizza sauce. Store the rest in an air-tight jar in your refrigerator for up to 3 weeks! If can be used for pasta, chili or more! If you are using fresh mozzarella, slice it into coins or rib into bite size chunks. |
5 Done | Add The Sauce & CheeseAdd about 1/2 cup of pizza sauce to the dough and spread it out evenly making sure to leave a border that will be the crust. Next, add the cheese. Add as little or as much as you like! |
6 Done | BakeBake the pizza in your preheated 525°F (or higher) oven on the bottom rack for 5 minutes then move it to the middle rack for 8-10 minutes. Giving the pizza time on the lower rack will give you a nice and crispy bottom crust. Once the pizza comes out of the oven, allow it to rest and cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes. |
7 Done | Finish The PizzaTransfer the pizza to a cutting board and drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and garnish with fresh basil leaves. You can also add a bit of crushed red pepper flakes for a kick! |
8 Done | Enjoy!If you happen to have any leftovers (I honestly doubt it though), you can keep them in your refrigerator for up to 3 days. To reheat, place the pizza slices onto a dry baking sheet and bake at 350°F for 5-7 minutes. |
