Classic Margherita Pizza represents the colors of Italy with it’s ripe red tomatoes, white mozzarella cheese, and fresh green basil. This beautiful combination of colors and flavors from simple ingredients is why it’s a favorite and classic pizza!
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While my husband and boys might like there pizza piled high with all the meat and cheeses, I prefer this simple yet delicious margherita pizza!
Ingredients
These are fairly simple ingredients that come together for a delicious and colorful pizza!
Pizza Dough – I use my no knead pizza dough recipe to make my dough!
Marinara Sauce – I also use my homemade 10 minute marinara sauce to top my pizza with but jarred sauce will work perfectly well too!
Fresh Mozzarella Cheese – Do not use shredded or blocks of mozzarella cheese on your margherita pizza! Use the fresh stuff from the specialty cheese section of the grocery store.
Basil Leaves – Fresh basil is essential and can not be substituted with dried.
Olive Oil – For the perfect finish, drizzling a touch of olive oil over the pizza enhances the flavors.
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How to Make Margherita Pizza
This is fairly simple to make!
Preheat your oven to 450°F.
Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and lightly dust them with flour.
Place your rolled out pizza crust on the prepared cookie sheets.
Top the pizzas with the marinara sauce evenly distributing it between the 4 crusts.
Top each pizza with a fourth of the thin mozzarella slices.
Bake the pizzas for about 8-12 minutes or until the mozzarella cheese is melted and the crust is golden brown.
Remove your pizzas from the oven and allow them to cool for a few minutes before drizzling with extra virgin olive oil and adding the fresh basil leaves.
Slice and serve your pizza with a side salad, bread sticks, or any of these Italian Side Dishes for a complete meal!
Tips & Tricks
You can also make this a family style sheet-pan pizza instead of individual pizzas. Just increase the baking time by 3-4 minutes.
Depending on your oven size, you may need to bake the pizzas in separate batches. However, if you are baking both baking sheets at the same time, be sure to rotate them about halfway through cooking to ensure even baking.
Margherita Pizza
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 Batch No Knead Pizza Dough
- 2 cups Marinara Sauce
- 16 oz fresh mozzarella thinly sliced
- 1 cup fresh basil leaves roughly torn
- Olive Oil for drizzling
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450°F.
- Place pizza dough on a parchment lined cookie sheet and evely spread 1/2 cup of marinara sauce on each crust.
- Top each pizza with 1/4th of the thinly sliced fresh mozzarella cheese.
- Bake until the pizza crust is golden brown and the mozzarella is melted and bubbly, about 8-12 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and set aside to cool for a few minutes before drizzling with olive oil and adding the fresh basil leaves to the top.
- Enjoy!
Notes
Conclusion
I love how these simple ingredients make for a delicious pizza without all the fuss. While some pile on the toppings, this easy and simple pizza is the perfect meal!
This makes a perfect spring pizza night. My husband and I loved it!