Homemade Pizza Margherita
This Margherita pizza recipe is as simple as it is delicious. You might be skeptical about how flavorful the basic combination of tomato sauce, mozzarella, and basil can be. But trust us-it's a classic for a reason. Let's make some pizza!
How does this Margherita pizza recipe compare to traditional pizza Margherita?
Classic pizza Margherita uses peeled tomatoes that are hand-crushed to make the sauce. Then it's topped with thinly sliced mozzarella cheese before baking. Lastly, it's finished with fresh basil. Our version uses a more robust, Italian-American-style sauce with tomatoes, onions, garlic, and herbs. We also love making this recipe with our whole wheat freezer pizza dough. The hearty whole-grain crust makes this a stick-to-your-ribs kind of Margherita pizza.
Teach me how to make this Margherita pizza recipe!
You won't believe how easy it is to whip up this pizza. You may never call for delivery again!
Step 1: Make the sauce
Heat oil in a large skillet and saute onions and garlic until tender and fragrant. Then add your chopped tomatoes and minced fresh herbs and bring the whole mixture to a boil. Turn the heat down to a simmer and let everything hang out on the stove until it's soft and saucy. Remove from the heat.
Protip: Every season is pizza season!
If you don't have a ton of fresh herbs and tomatoes kicking around, fear not! This sauce works well with canned whole tomatoes and a hefty dose of dried Italian herbs.
Step 2: Prep the dough
While the sauce simmers and rests, stretch the prepared dough onto a lightly greased pizza pan. You can use store-bought or homemade pizza dough for this recipe-both work great! Once it's stretched, par-bake the dough in a preheated oven for a few minutes until the crust begins to brown.
Step 3: Make the pizza
Top your par-baked pizza crust with sauce, thinly sliced mozzarella, and half the fresh basil. Then drizzle the pizza with a little olive oil and finish baking until the cheese is melted and starting to brown. When you pull it out of the oven, top with the rest of the basil and let it rest for a minute or two before slicing and eating!
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Protip: Make it extra crispy!
If you love an extra crispy crust, slide the pizza off the pan directly onto the oven rack in the last two or three minutes of baking.
Tips for storing and reheating your pizza!
If you find yourself with some leftover slices after dinner is finished, pop them into an airtight container and stash them in the fridge. They keep well for three to five days and reheat like a dream! When you're ready for another round of pizza goodness, heat the remaining slices in a 350°F oven for five to seven minutes or until they're as hot as you prefer.
Looking for more pizza recipes? Check out some of our favorites:
- Chicken Spinach Alfredo Pizza
- Grilled Flatbread Pizza
- Almond Flour Pizza Dough
- English Muffin Pizzas
📖 Recipe
Hearty Margherita Pizza
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ large onion diced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
- 2 tablespoons minced fresh oregano
- 2 tablespoons minced fresh basil
- 4 large roma tomatoes chopped
- 1 batch prepared pizza dough
- 4 ounces fresh mozzarella thinly sliced
- ⅓ cup packed basil leaves sliced into ribbons, divided
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- Salt and pepper
Instructions
- To prepare the sauce, heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add in the onion and garlic and cook until tender and fragrant, about 5 minutes.
- Add in all remaining sauce ingredients, bring a boil, reduce heat and simmer until the tomatoes have lost their shape and it begins to resemble a chunky sauce, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat.
- To prepare pizza, preheat oven to 475°F. Spread the crust into a lightly-greased pizza pan and parbake for 10 minutes, or until the crust just begins to brown.
- Remove from oven, spread on tomato sauce, layer on the cheese slices and half the basil ribbons, then drizzle with the olive.
- Continue baking in oven for an addition 10 minutes, or until the cheese is browned and melty. During the last 2-3 minutes of baking, slide the pizza off the pan and directly onto the oven rack for a crispier crust, if desired. Remove from oven and sprinkle with remaining basil ribbons and season with salt and pepper.
Notes
- We love making this margherita pizza with our hearty whole wheat freezer pizza dough, but feel free to use your favorite pizza dough-store-bought or homemade is fine!
I used to be afraid of all the meats but now I love myself a hearty pizza. Or just cheese. Good cheese.
I have never made a sauce at home like this and as I'm looking at the recipe I'm left wondering WHY?! So simple and sounds so good. Can't wait to give it a try. TFS!
Can't wait to try this! I'm always looking for new yummy pizza recipes!
You should try freezing your fresh herbs. Chop them up, shove them into ice cube trays, add a little water and freeze. Pop them out and store them in a ziploc in the freezer and then just drop them in a pot of soup or defrost and pat dry on a paper towel to add to pizza or other dishes. Not quite as good as fresh, but better than dried!
Forgot this part - I make huge batches of pesto whenever I can and do the same process of freezing them in ice cube trays. Then you can pull out what you need when the mood strikes in January for some fresh, summer-y pesto pasta salad! Yum!
This looks so good! I love a good homemade pizza. Delivery just is not good enough.