Margherita Pizza Recipe

Print Recipe

5 from 14 votes

Margherita Pizza Recipe

Margherita pizza stars fresh basil, mozzarella cheese, and the best ripe tomatoes. It's simple, delicious, and light.

Prep Time10

Cook Time13

Total Time23

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Italian

Servings:

Author: Kristyn Merkley

Ingredients

16 ounces pizza dough, store bought or homemade dough
½ cup pizza sauce, store bought or homemade sauce
6-8 slices fresh mozzarella
2-3 tomatoes
½ teaspoon pizza seasoning
fresh basil
olive oil

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 500°F. We like to use a pizza stone and throw this in while the oven is preheating for at least 15 minutes.
Make the sauce if going homemade. Also, make the homemade pizza dough if going homemade. If you are using store-bought for both, you can skip this step.
Roll out the pizza dough on a lightly floured surface to about 14-15 inches in diameter. **If you want more of a crust, be sure to fold in the outside edges of the pizza dough before adding sauce and toppings.
If using a pizza stone, quickly and carefully transfer the dough to your stone, add the sauce (leaving a little around the edges for a crust), cheese slices, tomatoes, and pizza seasonings, and put in the oven.
If not using a stone, you can add the rolled-out dough to a lightly greased baking sheet. Then, add sauce, cheese, toppings and bake.
Bake for about 5 minutes, then rotate the pizza and bake an additional 7-8 minutes or until crust is golden and cheese is melted. Garnish with fresh basil and a light drizzle of olive oil.

Video

Notes

Recipe Tips.

For extra insurance against sogginess, blind bake the shaped crust 6 minutes before topping, then finish baking.
Dry your mozzarella and tomato slices on paper towels so excess moisture does not soak into the crust.
Stretching the dough by hand, instead of a rolling pin, preserves airy bubbles for a lighter crust.
Brush the rim with olive oil and a pinch of salt before baking for a golden, flavorful edge.

Freezer pizza. Par-bake the stretched crust 5–6 minutes at high heat until just set, cool completely, then top with a thin layer of sauce and low moisture mozzarella. Skip fresh tomatoes and basil for now. Place on a sheet and freeze until firm, wrap tightly in plastic, then foil. Freeze up to 2–3 months.

To bake, preheat a stone or steel at 500–525°F. Bake 8–12 minutes until the crust is crisp and the cheese is bubbly. Add thin, blotted tomato slices and torn basil after baking, or return to the oven for 1–2 minutes just to warm.

Store leftover pizza in foil in the fridge for 2-3 days. You can also freeze it for 1-2 months. Simply wrap each piece with plastic wrap and again with foil for 1-2 months. Reheat in the microwave or oven.

For more substitutions and tips, check out the full recipe post

Nutrition