Margherita Pizza
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Savor the classic flavors (and colors) of Italy with a crispy thin-crust Margherita pizza that rivals your favorite pizzeria!
Margherita pizza, a classic thin-crust Italian pizza from Naples, owes its name to Queen Margherita of Savoy. Legend has it that during her visit to Naples in 1889, she was served a pizza that was made with the colors of the Italian flag: red (tomatoes), white (mozzarella cheese), and green (basil leaves). This marked the creation of the now universally loved Margherita pizza.
Though this pizza is traditionally baked in a wood-fired oven, you can easily recreate it at home without one. I use a rich homemade pizza dough (store-bought works too), a blazing hot oven, and a sheet pan to produce a crisp yet chewy pizza crust. The no-cook Neapolitan pizza sauce is made made from canned San Marzano crushed tomatoes and can be whipped up in just 5 minutes! Pro tip: when making Margherita pizza, it’s essential to use high-quality ingredients and not overload the pizza with too many toppings. Less is more here—too much sauce and cheese will make the crust soggy.
Table of Contents
“Made the sauce, dough, and pizza. It’s the best pizza I’ve had or made and I’ve tried many.”
What You’ll Need To Make Margherita Pizza
- Pizza dough: Homemade pizza dough is ideal, but store-bought may be substituted (these dough balls weigh about 1 pound each).
- San Marzano crushed tomatoes: A variety of plum tomatoes that originate from the town of San Marzano sul Sarno near Naples, Italy, these tomatoes have a sweeter, less acidic, and more concentrated flavor than typical roma tomatoes. Many supermarkets carry them but don’t worry if you can’t find them; regular crushed tomatoes will work.
- Fresh Mozzarella: Look for a fresh mozzarella ball that is not packed in water. (Or, if the cheese is packed in water, be sure to dry it well.)
- Parmigiano Reggiano: Use authentic Parmigiano Reggiano, which you can identify by looking at the rind, which is embossed with the name over and over. If the cheese is already grated, it should be labeled “Parmigiano Reggiano,” not “Parmesan.”
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-By-Step Instructions
Make the sauce by combining the crushed tomatoes, olive oil, garlic, salt, pepper, and sugar in a small bowl.
Mix to combine. Alternatively, if you prefer a smoother sauce, you can blend the ingredients in a food processor or blender. (Note: This recipe makes enough sauce for four pizzas. You can refrigerate extra sauce for up to one week, or freeze for up to three months.)
On a lightly floured surface, using your hands, stretch and press one ball of dough into an 12-inch round.
Transfer the dough to a cornmeal-dusted baking sheet, and gently stretch it out again so that it maintains its shape.
Spread 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons of the sauce over the dough, leaving a 1/2-inch border around the edges.
Slide the baking sheet into the oven and bake for 7 minutes, until the crust is partially cooked.
Remove from the oven, and scatter half of the mozzarella cubes over the sauce, followed by half of the Parmigiano-Reggiano.
Slide the pan back into the oven and cook until the crust is golden brown and the cheese is melted and bubbling, about 4 minutes more.
Remove the pizza from the oven and transfer to a cutting board. Sprinkle with the basil and slice. Repeat with the remaining pizza dough and ingredients. (If you’d like to bake the two pizzas at the same time, you can fire up two ovens. Or, if you don’t mind the crust a little thicker, you can form the two dough balls into 8×12-inch rectangles and place them side by side on the baking sheet.)
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Margherita Pizza
Savor the classic flavors (and colors) of Italy with a crispy thin-crust Margherita pizza that rivals your favorite pizzeria!
Ingredients
- 1 (14-ounce) can crushed tomatoes, preferably San Marzano
- 3 medium garlic cloves, minced
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon sugar
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- Flour, for stretching the dough
- 2 (1-lb) homemade pizza doughs
- 8 oz fresh mozzarella, not packed in water, cubed
- ½ cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
- ½ cup roughly chopped fresh basil, lightly packed
- 1 tablespoon cornmeal, for baking
Instructions
- Make the Sauce: In a medium bowl, stir together the tomatoes, garlic, salt, sugar, pepper, and oil. (Alternatively, for a completely smooth sauce, you can blend the ingredients in a small food processor or blender.)
- Preheat the oven to 500°F and set an oven rack in the bottom position. Dust a 13x18-inch baking sheet with half of the cornmeal.
- On a lightly floured surface, using your hands, stretch and press one ball of dough into an 12-inch round. Transfer the dough to the cornmeal-dusted baking sheet, and gently stretch it out again so that it maintains its shape.
- Spread about ¼ cup + 2 tablespoons of the sauce over the dough, leaving a ½-inch border around the edges. Slide the baking sheet into the oven and bake for 7 minutes, until the crust is partially cooked. Remove from the oven, and scatter half of the mozzarella cubes over the sauce, followed by half of the Parmigiano-Reggiano. Slide the pan back into the oven and cook until the crust is golden brown and the cheese is melted and bubbling, about 4 minutes more. Remove the pizza from the oven and transfer to a cutting board. Sprinkle with the basil and slice. Repeat with the remaining pizza dough and ingredients. (If you'd like to bake the two pizzas at the same time, you can fire up two ovens. Or, if you don't mind the crust a little thicker, you can form the two dough balls into 8x12-inch rectangles and place them side by side on the baking sheet.)
- Note: This recipe makes enough sauce for 4 (12-inch) pizzas. Refrigerate extra sauce for up to 1 week, or freeze for up to 3 months.
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (4 servings)
- Serving size: 3 slices
- Calories: 734
- Fat: 32 g
- Saturated fat: 13 g
- Carbohydrates: 80 g
- Sugar: 3 g
- Fiber: 4 g
- Protein: 31 g
- Sodium: 710 mg
- Cholesterol: 57 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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Comments
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I found this recipe about 6 months ago and make it a couple times a month. Easy to make and so much better than carry out.
What I really like about this recipe is that it is delicious for my picky eaters. Thank you for always giving easy descriptions to follow. I love your recipes and I always consult them.
Thanks Jenn👩🏻🍳 for this recipe which has been our family‘s pizza night favorite for forever! I buy Slice of Vermont dough, make your homemade pesto sauce (so good!) and purchase heirloom tomatoes, whole mozzarella & basil at the Farmer’s Market or at our local Co-op. So easy and fast to make…boom bang bing! Everyone should try it 🥰🍕
This pizza is delicious. Perfect for either an appetizer or a meal. Once Upon a Chef recipes are my favorite. Always well written and yummy.
very nice pizza, very fresh but I have to confess my favorite OUAC pizza is white 3 cheese w arugula from cook book.
Made this version of pizza and the sauce many times since I first saw this last year- absolutely delicious – can be modified – thickness wise to your liking – I like mine with thin crust and there is nothing like making pizza on your own at home!
Jenn:
thank you for sharing this wonderful recipe!
My boyfriend & I just finished devouring the last bit, and it ( your recipe), made for a perfect rainy, December afternoon treat.
BTW, the recipe reminds me of one I used to make when I was in high school. Making this today brought back a lot of good memories. Thank you so much!!!
Lisa
Hi Jenn,
I am obsessed with your recipes! Everything I have made so far has been so delish. I have a question about this dish. I would like to add onions, peppers, and turkey sausage…should I add it to the pizza or cook the toppings separate? Thanks Jenn 💗
So glad you like the recipes! I would definitely cook the turkey sausage first and depending upon how tender you like your onions and peppers, you could cook those too. (And I’d add all of the toppings along with the cheese.) Hope that helps!
I made this pizza dough last night. It went together so easy and it tasted wonderful. I had made some sauce from my leftover cherry tomatoes, so the rest was a piece of cake. I froze half of the dough for another pizza next week!! Thank you so much for sharing!!
Thank you Jen! This is the best pizza ever! I had a favorite pizza recipe that I made for thirty years but this one is awsome! And no need to cook the sauce!
I can’t thank you enough for your wonderful recipes. Just to let you know, whenever I type the word “Once” on Google, your site automatically pops up. ☺️
🙂
This recipe was awesome as are all your recipies Jen. The family absolutely love the pizzas I make with your recipe. Why get delivery when this is so easy to make and Superior. I am never disappointed in anything I make on your site. Love your cookbook too and I’m looking forward to your new one.
💗