Margherita Pizza
A quick and easy Margherita pizza recipe with a simple twist, savory marinara. The added sauce keeps the pizza moist and adds a touch of color to the pie!
Pizza is one of Kim’s favorite dishes. Our site has tons of pizza influenced lunch and dinner options.
Our Instant Pot supreme pizza pasta and our hearty supreme pizza grilled cheese are just 2 examples of how much we adore pizza.
For today’s post, we’re sharing a non-traditional easy Margherita pizza recipe. Why non-traditional you ask?
Simple, because it tastes good! Also, the added sauce can keep the dough from drying out. I’m not a fan of the amount of oil used on most pizza Margheritas.
So, we decided to add a savory sauce instead. Now that you know why, you can give it a try and see if prefer this method as well.
Does Margherita pizza have sauce?
Traditionally, it does not have a tomato based sauce like marinara or pizza sauce. In most cases, it’s topped with high-quality olive oil, fresh tomato slices, fresh mozzarella cheese, and fresh basil. Then baked to perfection in a high-temperature pizza oven.
Why do they call it pizza Margherita?
Supposedly, it is called this because it was named after Queen Margherita of Italy over 100 years ago.
How to make a pizza Margherita:
First, start by preheating your oven to 400°F. After that, lay your raw pizza dough out onto a pizza pan or stone.
Next, evenly spread the marinara sauce across the dough. Be sure to leave about an inch of space uncovered around the edge of the dough.
Then, sprinkle the fresh mozzarella on top of the sauce, leaving a little room for the cheese to melt.
Afterward, sprinkle half the fresh basil over the pie. Transfer the pie into your oven to bake until the dough is done and cheese has melted.
It should take between 18-20 minutes. However, cooking times may vary based on the dough you used.
Please refer to the tips for additional information. Last, once the pie is done, remove it from your oven, slice and enjoy!
Recipe Tips:
- For our pizza we used the recipe for homemade pizza dough found on our site and halved the amount of ingredients to make 1 crust instead of 2.
- The times and temperatures for baking the pie are based on a raw pizza dough. If you use a different crust or dough, please adjust the times and temperatures accordingly. Especially, if you use a pre-cooked dough. In that case, the pizza Margherita will only need to cook until the cheese melts.
- For a more traditional take on this dish, remove the marinara sauce and use sliced tomatoes and 2 tablespoons of olive oil in place of the pizza sauce.
Ingredients
- 12 inch pizza crust, homemade or store-bought
- 1/3 cup marinara sauce
- 4 ounces mozzarella cheese, fresh
- 6 ounces basil, fresh (divided)
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, (optional drizzle)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F, and place the dough onto a large pizza pan.12 inch pizza crust
- Place the sauce on the dough and smooth it around, leaving about 1-inch of crust without sauce around the edge.1/3 cup marinara sauce
- Take small pieces of mozzarella and dot it over the sauce. Ensure to space it out evenly, so the cheese will have room to spread as it melts.4 ounces mozzarella cheese
- Cut the basil into small strips, and sprinkle half of it over the mozzarella.6 ounces basil
- Bake for 18 to 20 minutes or until the dough is golden brown and the cheese is bubbly. Remove from the oven and top with fresh basil and a light drizzle of olive oil if desired.1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- Cut into 8 slices and serve hot. Store any leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Suggested Equipment
- Pizza Cutter