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All good pizzas start with a basic tomato base and cheese on top. The margherita pizza is no different to this. A margherita gives you no where to hide when it comes to the pizza making skills.
This is a recipe for a simple margherita pizza recipe and is made using a yeast based dough recipe.
As with most of my pizza recipes, the basic simple pizza dough recipe is a good place to start.
A margherita pizza is an all round safe bet for a pizza party.
If you are looking for pizza dough options and detailed instructions how to make it, try my pizza dough calculator. This offers all weights and measures to get a great dough.
I like to experiment with lots of different topping so check out the rest of the pizza recipes which I have on my site.
Contents
Ingredients for Margherita pizza
The ingredients come from the colours of the Italian flag. Red is the tomato base, white is the mozzarella cheese and green is the basil. The pizza is named after Queen Margherita. Esposito, a pizza maker in Italy immediately named the pizza after Queen Margherita and asked her for a Royal Seal.
- Pizza dough
- Mozzarella cheese
- Oregano
- Tomato pizza sauce
- Basil
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
This post assumes you have a pizza dough shaped and ready to go. If you need to get a dough prepared, take a look at my simple pizza dough recipe.
- Spread your pizza dough and smooth the tomato pizza sauce all around. Sprinkle the cheese and some oregano & basil leaves.
- Cook in the pizza oven for 60 to 90 seconds until the cheese bubbles.
If cooking in a conventional kitchen oven, aim for as hot as possible for 7 to 8 minutes, keeping an eye on the cheese in the middle.
Hint: Oven times vary depending on the method of cooking.
| Method | Temperature | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Pizza Oven | 450-500c | 60 - 90 seconds |
| BBQ & Pizza stone | 350c | 6 minutes |
| Fan oven | 240c | 8 to 10 minutes |
Toppings
The tomato and cheese are a must with this style pizza. However you can add a little oregano on the tomato base before the cheese goes on.
Finish of with a few basil leaves and some more oregano and black pepper.
A little drizzle of olive oil will keep things nice an crispy too.
Equipment
The best Neapolitan margherita pizzas get cooked in a real pizza oven. There are plenty of options for getting a pizza oven for home. I tried and tested a few out before making a commitment to an oven.
It served me well and I really like my Woody Pizza oven. Check out my decision making process when I went into a pizza oven pre purchase investigation.
Storage
Pizza keeps well in the fridge (if it lasts long enough that you've not eaten it). I recommend wrapping in a bit of foil and the keeping in the middle of the fridge.
You can then eat directly from the fridge for some morning after cold pizza. Or you can heat up the pizza again. Use a microwave and put it on the plate (minus the foil) for about 30 - 60 seconds.
For the best reheated pizza I recommend an air fryer. When I reheat my pizza in the Ninja foodie air fryer I think it tastes better that when it is cooked originally. Give it 3 minutes at 200C in Air Fry mode and tell me what you think.
Top tip
Use a different flour from that you would make the pizza dough with to avoid sticking. So if you dough it made with 00 flour, use semolina flour on the work surface when shaping the pizza base.
FAQ
The pizza peel makes transferring a pizza from countertop to pizza oven really easy. However you don't need one to make pizzas. Use a piece of greaseproof paper the shape of your pizza base. Then you can slide the pizza on and off and still get a nicely cooked crispy base.
Related
Here are some other recipes that are similar to this pizza:
Pairing
These are my favourite dishes to serve with pizzas:
The Recipe
Basic Margherita Pizza
Equipment
Ingredients
- 100 g Grated cheese
- 2 tablespoon Pizza sauce Tomate passata works well
- ½ teaspoon Oregano chopped
- 1 drizzle Olive oil
- 1 ball Pizza dough
Instructions
- Stretch the pizza dough out onto a lightly floured work surface.1 ball Pizza dough
- Add the tomato sauce base and spread around to cover the entire pizza base apart from 1cm from the edge all around with the back of a spoon.2 tbsp Pizza sauce
- Sprinkle on half of the oregano leaves all over.½ tsp Oregano
- Add the cheese to cover the tomato base.100 g Grated cheese
- Sprinkle on the rest of the oregano leaves all over the cheese and drizzle with olive oil.Cook in the pizza oven for around 60-90 seconds until the cheese bubbles in the middle.1 drizzle Olive oil, ½ tsp Oregano
Nutrition
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