I know I already have a homemade pizza recipe, but I couldn’t help but share this little invention of mine from a few weeks ago. This 4 ingredient Margherita Pizza was a hit when I made it for my family this year on vacation and has now become one of my favorite easy dinner recipes.
First, let me clarify why this pizza is different enough to post about. Margherita Pizza is a different style of pizza because of the cheese that is used. A typical lie of pizza will have the usual pizza sauce, parmesan, shredded mozzarella, and other desired toppings. However, a Margherita Pizza will actually use slices of fresh mozzarella instead of shredded. Because of the high liquid content in the fresh mozzarella, the texture ends up being completely different. When you add in some fresh slices of basil on top, the taste is out of this world.
Right now, this recipe calls for pre-made pizza dough. I will admit that I’m still working out a pizza dough recipe that I like to use, but for now, I recommend buying dough pre-made. You can usually find pizza dough in a bag near the specialty cheeses in the grocery store. I usually get mine at Trader Joe’s or Foodtown. However, other stores sell pizza dough in the frozen food section such as Whole Foods and Stop & Shop. You simply thaw the dough on your counter for a few hours, or in the refrigerator overnight. Instructions for properly defrosting that dough will be on the packaging.
This is one of those recipes that’s great for a night on your own, or when entertaining a crowd. I plan on making it when a few of my girlfriends are over next week—something to snack on over a few bottles of wine.
If Margherita Pizza isn’t your thing, you could always use shredded mozzarella and add on any toppings of choice. I saw a friend try my recipe on Instagram, but simply added some pepperoni on top!
4-Ingredient Margherita Pizza
Equipment
- Pizza stone (or cast iron skillet)
Ingredients
- 1 premade pizza dough
- 1/2 jar pizza sauce usually around 7-8 oz.
- 4 oz. fresh mozzarella usually half a fresh mozzarella ball
- 5-10 basil leaves fresh
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 450 degrees
- Spread the dough into a circular pie crust and place either on a pizza stone or a 12-inch cast iron skillet. Do not form a crust with the dough, the pizza center will lose form and it will be hard to eat.
- Spread the pizza sauce onto the dough using a spoon, Leave room on the sides for a “crust” for easy handling.
- Add the fresh mozzarella slices on top of the sauce, but do not overlap the cheese. Leave the circles on their own.
- Spread out the fresh basil on top.
- Bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes, or until the cheese starts to turn golden brown.
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