Homemade Margherita Pizza Recipe

Italian cuisine offers many delicious options, and one of the most highly-rated is ever-simple margherita pizza. It even boasts the colors of the Italian flag with streaks of red, white, and green. Recipe developer Miriam Hahn brings us this recipe for homemade margherita pizza and says, "I love the simplicity of this pizza. It's a snap to make, and the fresh ingredients taste flavorful and delicious. Growing up with an Italian background, this was the only type of pizza we had, and it will always be one of my favorite Italian meals. I like pairing it with a fresh herb-infused olive oil, which takes this pizza over the top with herby flavors." Hahn used a combination of fresh basil, oregano, and chives, and blends it with olive oil to be used as a topper for this homemade pizza. Read on to find out how to make this Italian margherita pizza recipe. 

To make this recipe, we, of course, need some pizza dough. Hahn says, "You can buy this pre-made in the bakery department of most grocery stores. If the store has a deli area, where they sell pizza slices, they usually sell the dough there." Or if you are feeling the urge, you can make your own homemade pizza dough. Along with the dough, you'll need a can of whole tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, cornmeal, olive oil, and fresh basil, fresh oregano, and fresh chives. 

Start by preheating your oven to 400 F. To prepare the dough, place it on a piece of parchment paper, then place another piece of parchment paper on top. "If you don't have parchment paper, you can put some flour down on your work surface, and onto the rolling pin," Hahn shares. Roll the dough out into a 12-inch circle, or to the size of your pizza pan. Alternatively, you can roll the dough into a 10-x8-inch rectangle, which works well if you don't have a round pizza pan. 

Spread the cornmeal on your chosen baking pan, and transfer the dough to the pan by removing the top piece of parchment, then flipping the dough onto the pan, and peeling off the remaining piece of parchment paper. If you don't have parchment, carefully transfer the dough from the work surface to the pan. 

Pour the canned tomatoes into a large bowl with the juice they are packed in, and crush the tomatoes with a wooden spoon. "You can even use your hands here, if you prefer, to break down the tomatoes," Hahn remarks. Spoon about 1 cup of the sauce onto the pizza dough.

Next, drain the water from the tub of mozzarella, and trim it into bite-sized pieces. If you bought fresh mozzarella that is already formed into small balls, you can skip this step. Place the cheese sporadically on top of the sauce, and bake for about 15 to 20 minutes, until the edges start to brown.

While the pizza is baking, make the infused oil. Blend half the basil, oregano, chives, and oil in a small blender until combined. "This can be tricky, if you only have a full-sized blender, because there won't be enough volume to blend everything. If that's the case, just mince the herbs finely, and mix them [by hand] into the oil," Hahn shares.

When the pizza comes out of the oven, top it with the remaining basil, and wait 10 minutes for it to cool before slicing. Drizzle with the infused oil, or serve it as an optional topping for others to add to their slices. We hope you enjoy this delicious and iconic Italian pizza.