This margherita pizza recipe is a celebration of straightforward, contemporary elements! Juicy tomatoes, basil, and mozzarella cheese high a crisp, chewy crust.
I consider margherita pizza because the heartier cousin of Caprese salad, with a crisp, chewy crust supporting the scrumptious trio of tomatoes, basil, and contemporary mozzarella. You’ll discover this basic pizza on the menu of any Neapolitan pizza joint, however you too can make a very nice do-it-yourself model. This margherita pizza recipe is right here to show it!
What’s Margherita Pizza?
Margherita pizza hails from Naples, Italy. It options three iconic toppings:
- San Marzano tomatoes
- Recent mozzarella cheese
- Basil leaves
In keeping with Marcella Hazan’s cookbook Necessities of Traditional Italian Cooking, the pizza was first made for Italy’s Queen Margherita when she visited Naples within the late nineteenth century. The pink, white, and inexperienced toppings have been patriotic, as they embellished the pizza with the colours of the Italian flag.
Margherita Pizza Substances
My greatest tip for making margherita pizza is to use the most effective elements you will discover.
As a result of this basic dish is so easy, the standard of every part counts.
Right here’s what you’ll want:
- Pizza dough, after all! We make our personal with this pizza dough recipe. It’s simple to make with elements like flour, water, and yeast, and it yields a chewy, scrumptious pizza crust. In fact, store-bought contemporary pizza dough works right here too.
- Canned complete tomatoes – You don’t want contemporary tomatoes to make a terrific margherita pizza. As a substitute, you’ll pulse good-quality canned tomatoes right into a no-cook do-it-yourself pizza sauce with olive oil, garlic, and salt. San Marzano tomatoes, a candy number of Italian plum tomatoes, are conventional right here. Use them in the event you can!
- Recent mozzarella cheese – The right wealthy counterpart to the tomatoes and basil. Lower it into skinny slices or tear it earlier than topping the pizza.
- Recent basil – Its contemporary taste takes this pizza excessive! You’ll sprinkle it over the pizza after baking in order that it doesn’t wilt within the oven.
- Purple pepper flakes – They add a kick of warmth.
- And further-virgin olive oil – For wealthy, fruity taste.
Discover the whole recipe with measurements under.
How one can Make Margherita Pizza
Step one on this margherita pizza recipe is making ready the tomato sauce.
Place the canned tomatoes and their juices, olive oil, garlic, and salt in a meals processor. Mix till clean.
Subsequent, stretch the dough. Don’t fear in the event you don’t have any fancy pizza-making gear like a pizza peel or pizza stone. A baking sheet works completely for this recipe!
Mud it with cornmeal and stretch the dough into a big oval.
Then, add the toppings. Unfold a heaping 1/2 cup of the tomato sauce over the pizza dough, leaving a 1-inch border across the edges.
This recipe makes additional pizza sauce! Retailer leftover sauce in an hermetic container within the fridge for as much as per week, or freeze it for as much as 3 months.
- Tip: I wish to freeze small parts of the sauce in order that I can simply thaw sufficient for one pizza at a time.
Prime with the mozzarella…
…and bake! Switch the pizza to a 500°F oven and bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or till the cheese is melted and the crust is golden brown.
Take away the pizza from the oven and high it with the contemporary basil leaves, pink pepper flakes, and a drizzle of olive oil.
Slice and serve. That’s it!
Serving Solutions
My favourite option to serve a margherita pizza is with a salad on the aspect. It goes properly with any of those recipes:
Take pleasure in!
Extra Selfmade Pizza Recipes
In the event you love this recipe, attempt one in all these do-it-yourself pizzas subsequent:
Craving extra Italian classics? Do this eggplant caponata, eggplant Parmesan, or spaghetti aglio e olio recipe.
Margherita Pizza
Serves 3 to 4
This do-it-yourself margherita pizza is very easy and scrumptious! My greatest tip for this recipe is to make use of good-quality elements like contemporary basil and sauce made with San Marzano tomatoes. As a result of the recipe is so easy, you may actually style the distinction.
Forestall your display from going darkish
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Preheat the oven to 500°F.
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In a meals processor, place the tomatoes and their juices, olive oil, garlic, and salt. Course of till clean.
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Mud a baking sheet with cornmeal. Place the pizza dough on the baking sheet and stretch it into a big oval.
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Unfold a heaping ½ cup of the tomato sauce* evenly over the pizza dough, leaving a 1-inch border across the edges.
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Prime with the mozzarella and switch to the new oven. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or till the crust is browned.
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Take away from the oven and high with contemporary basil and pinches of pink pepper flakes. Drizzle with olive oil and serve.
*Retailer leftover pizza sauce in an hermetic container within the fridge for as much as per week, or freeze it for as much as 3 months.
