Authentic Margarita Pizza
This easy and authentic Margherita pizza recipe features a crisp, chewy Neapolitan-style crust topped with hand-crushed San Marzano tomato sauce, fresh mozzarella, and fragrant basil. Made with just six simple ingredients, this classic Italian pizza delivers bold flavor and beautiful texture—no wood-fired oven required.
Equipment
- 12 inch pizza pan
Ingredients
- 2 pizza dough balls approximately 2 pounds
- 1 28oz can whole San Marzano tomatoes
- 2 tbsp salt
- 1 10 oz ball mozzarella sliced
- handful fresh basil leaves
- 1 tbsp olive oil
Instructions
- Preheat: Preheat oven to 475℉
- Make Pizza Sauce: pour the whole can of San Marzano tomatoes, including the juices, into a small bowl. Using clean hands, gently crush the tomatoes until broken down into a loose sauce. Stir in the salt once the tomatoes are fully crushed. Note: It’s best to use your hands here—blenders or forks can break the seeds, which can make the sauce taste bitter.
- Shape Pizza Dough: on a lightly floured surface, start by gently flattening the dough ball into a round disc. Using your hands, press and stretch the dough outward from the center, rotating as you go. If possible avoid using a rolling pin—it flattens air bubbles and makes the crust dense. If the dough keeps springing back, let it rest for 5 to 10 minutes, then try again. For a Neapolitan-style base, aim for a thin, almost see-through center with a puffier edge.
- Add Toppings: spoon about ½ cup of sauce into the center of the stretched dough. Using the back of the spoon, gently swirl it outward in a spiral, stopping about ½ inch from the edge. Add more sauce if you like it saucy. Layer half the mozzarella slices over the top, spacing them out so they melt into little pockets of cheese as it bakes.
- Bake: bake for 13 to 15 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown and the cheese is bubbling and lightly browned. Let the pizza cool for a couple of minutes, then finish with a drizzle of olive oil on the crust and top with a a handful of fresh basil leaves just before serving.