Pizza Margherita
Blistered crust, San Marzano sauce, fresh mozzarella, and basil.
Ingredients
- 400 g Pizza dough
- 200 g San Marzano tomatoes (DOP)
- 150 g Fresh mozzarella
- 8 Basil
- 2 tbsp Extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 tsp Salt
Method
- Heat the oven as hot as it goes with a tray or stone inside, at least 250°C (480°F).
- Crush the San Marzano tomatoes with a pinch of salt and a little olive oil into a rough sauce.
- Stretch the dough into a thin round on a floured peel or sheet of parchment.
- Spread a thin layer of sauce over the base and tear the mozzarella across it.
- Bake until the crust is puffed and charred at the edges and the cheese bubbles, about 7 minutes.
- Scatter the basil and finish with a drizzle of olive oil.
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About Pizza Margherita
Pizza Margherita is the benchmark Neapolitan pizza, defined by its three toppings — San Marzano tomato, fresh mozzarella, and basil — whose red, white, and green are famously said to echo the Italian flag. It is deliberately minimal, which means every element has to be right: a thin, well-stretched dough, a raw crushed-tomato sauce spread sparingly, and torn mozzarella that melts into milky pools. The technique here is all about heat and speed, baking on a preheated tray or stone in the hottest oven possible so the crust puffs and chars in about seven minutes rather than drying out slowly. The basil and a final drizzle of olive oil go on after baking.
Done well it eats light despite its richness: a crust that is crisp at the edge and tender within, a sauce that stays fresh and slightly acidic, and mozzarella that is creamy without being greasy, all perfumed by the raw basil. The restraint is the point, letting good tomatoes and cheese speak for themselves. Margherita is the pizza to make when you want to taste the ingredients rather than a pile of toppings, and it pairs happily with nothing more than a green salad and a glass of red. Getting the oven as hot as it goes is the single most important step, and this recipe is built around that.
Pizza Margherita: frequently asked questions
Where does pizza margherita come from?
Pizza Margherita is a Neapolitan pizza topped with tomato, mozzarella, and fresh basil. Popular tradition holds it was created in 1889 by Naples pizzaiolo Raffaele Esposito to honor Queen Margherita of Savoy, with its red-white-green toppings evoking the Italian flag, though food historians consider that story likely embellished or unverified. What's certain is that this tomato-mozzarella-basil combination became a defining Neapolitan style and is protected today under the Pizza Napoletana STG designation.
How many calories are in Pizza Margherita?
A serving has about 609 calories — 25.9g protein, 71.1g carbs, 24.4g fat, 4.9g fiber. Figures are estimated from the ingredient amounts and will shift with your portions and brands.
Is it high in protein?
Each serving has about 25.9g of protein, roughly 17% of its calories.
Is Pizza Margherita gluten-free?
As written, no — it contains Pizza dough. You'd need a certified gluten-free swap for that ingredient to make it gluten-free.
Is Pizza Margherita dairy-free?
Not as written — it uses Fresh mozzarella. Swapping it for a plant-based alternative makes it dairy-free.
How long does Pizza Margherita take to make?
About 30 minutes start to finish, but only around 13 of those are hands-on — the rest is largely unattended cooking time you can step away from. In the Homecooked app the timers and parallel steps are sequenced for you so the hands-on part feels even shorter.
How many servings does Pizza Margherita make?
This recipe makes 3 servings. In the app you can scale it up or down and the ingredient amounts adjust automatically.