Genio Della Pizza Pushes The Frozen Pizza Market Forward With Artisanal Neapolitan Pies

How often do you really stop to consider frozen pizza? We've all got a favorite brand, or at least a favorite moment to chow-down, be it after a long night out, a long day at work, or when craving a short and convenient pleasure on a lazy day at home. But how often do you really think about your frozen pizza? The origin of the ingredients that go into making it, or whether or not it's being crafted with your taste and nutrition in mind — these are worthwhile points when you consider that the industry churns out almost $7 billion worth of frozen pizza a year. Frozen pizza is big business, but it has been a long time since the quality took as large of a leap as the sales have done.

Genio Della Pizza is one company that's looking to fill a new niche in the frozen pizza market. It's a brand that prioritizes the time and technique necessary to good pizza making above all: Its ice-cold 'zas are sold as ready-to-cook Neapolitan pies that boast artisanal origins. Because of this, Genio Della has been picking up coveted mentions and racking up number one spots in frozen pizza roundups across the world of food media. As such, I thought it was high time to give the company's lineup a taste test. 

This review is based on firsthand impressions of promotional materials and products provided by Genio Della Pizza.

Although it ends up on your plate, Genio Della Pizza starts with Anthony Mangieri. He's the founder and pizzaiolo of Una Pizza Napoletana. If you're not a 'za historian and thus unfamiliar with Mangieri or his shop, here's what you should know: Mangieri is one of several people you should thank for the rise of Neapolitan-style pizza in the United States. Since 1996, Una Pizza Napoletana has drawn crowds and accolades across locations in Point Pleasant, NJ, San Francisco, and New York City. The latest iteration of Una, opened in 2022, was recently named as 2024's best pizza in America by prominent international ranking 50 Top Pizza. 

Suffice it to say, Mangieri can sling pies. And Genio Della Pizza is the banner under which he's bringing his pizza nationwide. Quality is a value that's notoriously maintained at Una — the shop, for example, doesn't open if Mangieri isn't in. When it comes to the promise Genio Della Pizza, then, you don't need Mangieri in your kitchen in order to get a delicious slice. 

The Genio Della Pizza line-up includes five different pies: Margherita, broccoli rabe, Bianca white pizza, a plain marinara, and though it's not listed on the website, my box was also delivered with a pepperoni pie. Each of these are sourced with refined ingredients like friarielli, a broccoli rabe native to Naples, and Pecorino Romano DOP. Sauces for the red pies are based on tomato passata, and the crust is hand-stretched, wood-fired sourdough. 

Getting your hands on some Genio Della Pizza doesn't technically require much work as it is available for nationwide shipping via Goldbelly. However, purchasing from Goldbelly requires a lot of freezer space. Online orders of Genio Della come in a minimum count of four pizzas and a maximum of six. The price ranges from $99.95 to $124.95. Within the price and quantity tiers, you can order all the same type of pizza or a mixed box.

If you're not up for the internet-style bulk-buy, single frozen pizzas from Genio Della can be found in stores across the country, albeit with select availability. You're more likely to find the pizza in independent grocers, co-ops, and health food markets as the product doesn't currently appear to be distributed through mass retailers or supermarkets. The exception here is Whole Foods Markets, where Genio Della Pizza has availability in larger markets like Seattle or NYC. Frozen pizzas are available for delivery from Feed, FreshDirect, DashMart, and GoPuff in certain markets, as well. At the time of publication, prices for a single pizza are listed between $10 and $15.

Genio Della Pizza's race to be the highest quality pizza in the freezer aisle produces pies of minimal components and maximum attention. Everything is built on a sourdough base: wheat, water, salt, and yeast. 

The most processed ingredients on any of the nutrition labels are cornstarch for thickening the tomato sauce, as well as citric acid in the seasoning of olives and broccoli rabe. Simple. With no nitrates or nitrites, the uncured pepperoni is made from pork, beetroot, acerola, garlic, and herbs. Real buffalo mozzarella is sourced for the Margherita, pepperoni, and rabe pizzas; the Bianca features fresh ricotta and Pecorino Romano DOP. Like the rabe, the Margherita and Bianca have something green in fresh-frozen basil leaves. The marinara pizza has the least amount; a box of frozen dough, red sauce, and garlic, it's intended as a build-your-own adventure.

These pizzas are labeled a product of Italy, and being mindfully sourced comes with its upsides. Nutritionally, it's a relatively clean eating experience for a frozen food. Each pizzas weighs approximately 15 ounces, there's no more than 320 calories per serving (⅓-pie), and each fall under 20 grams of total fat per serving (the broccoli rabe pizza has 15 grams, Bianca is 14, pepperoni has 13, Margherita sits at 10, and marinara is five). In terms of protein, the Bianca reigns at a supreme 14 grams. Meanwhile, the pepperoni is 13 grams, Margherita and broccoli rabe both have 11, and the marinara comes in last with seven. 

To prepare all but one of these pizzas, I followed the instructions on the box, which read as follows: Preheat oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit; remove from box and plastic; place directly on the middle rack or defrost for 10 minutes; bake between six to nine minutes, then remove and enjoy. There is also a suggestion for adding extra virgin olive oil and some salt to taste. 

The one pizza that I modified was the broccoli rabe, which I cooked on a pizza steel. I defrosted each pie on the countertop except the Bianca, and let each cook for about eight minutes, checking in around the six-minute mark. I have a gas oven, and once the pizzas went in, I used these factors to assess doneness: the fragrancy of dough, a crust with some stability in the bottom of the center (but not hardened), and with well evenly melted cheese. While not labeled as a Napoletana pizzas specifically, every pie featured the traditional raised edged cornicione, and I looked to keep this lip free from burns. In the end, I was looking for a pizza that holds up well, tastes good, and makes me reconsider what's possible for the frozen pizza aisle.

The pepperoni pizza from Genio Della Pizza was a surprise, literally, because it's not listed anywhere on the website as an offering. The box also had a slightly modified set of instructions as well as variant labeling, so maybe it was a former or current test. Regardless, it ended up in my box, and I'm not one to complain about extra pizza. I let it defrost for half the suggested time, about five to six minutes. 

As it was cooking, I made the decision to leave the pie in the oven for some added time given that I didn't meet the entire recommended defrosting period. It had a total of nine-and-a-half minutes under heat and could have still used a few more. There was a thin, gummy layer where dough met cheese, the tackiness on my palate suggesting the dough still wasn't cooked. The buffalo mozzarella had a pilly texture from the top layer browning while the cheese underneath was steamed. The lack of pull, plus limp basil, made it feel like leftover pizza. Even at that, it is a good bite.

The crust came out relatively un-charred, smelling pleasantly nutty with an underside that spread a Napoli-style signature of soft, warm grain on my tongue. Upon ripping into the cornicione, I found pleasant airy pockets underneath. Rather than cupping up pools of oil, the pepperoni laid flat and developed slight, friable edges. The meat wasn't spicy, nor was it intensely salty, but it did satisfy the need for umami. 

Genio Della Pizza wants folks to know that this isn't any old white pizza, this is the Bianca. I have to agree with the company's emphasis. This was probably my favorite pizza of the bunch, if not for the marinara. Obviously, basil doesn't extend across the entire pizza, but having an herbaceous note float every once and again across a pie that looks like the dead of winter is smart move. As the cheesiest pie of the bunch, this could have felt heavy. It didn't.

It's hard to imagine that thawing for an additional five minutes makes that much of a difference, but the proof was in the pie; this one had a crust that was much more evenly cooked. By the time I yanked the 'za, its cheese was becoming golden around the edge. I would have ideally liked to cook to a bronzed center, but I had to pull it out somewhere between minutes eight and nine, as the highest level of crust darkened, and the bottom started to firm. It was ideal timing. The dough came out supple yet holding its shape.

The Bianca uses both Pecorino Romano and ricotta cheese. The ricotta dealt a milky, smoothing profile that replaced the need for a standout sauce. Unlike the buffalo mozzarella from my pepperoni pie, the ricotta cheese developed a crusty top layer buoyed over softer cheese, but this time the flavor was fresh, milky, and spread uniformly with the grassy taste of Pecorino Romano. 

As a frozen pizza, this Margherita is a refreshing option to be able to consider for a quick weeknight dinner. As a Margherita pizza specifically, the standard-barer of Neapolitan-style pizza, it missed the mark ever so slightly. 

The tomato sauce kept the pizza from drying out, but it also made a crust that delivered a bit of a soggy bite. Despite preparing this pizza as instructed — a bit of defrosting, with up to nine minutes in the oven — the center was weak. The dough stretched poorly, and when I pulled my pizza from the oven, I found it had developed a hole next to one of the basil leaves. The small nick in my pizza's crust did make for a few messy slices, but it didn't negatively impact the flavor, which was well proportioned and exciting. 

Unlike the pepperoni, the cheese from this version of Genio Della Pizza has a little bit of pull, which revealed a fresher character. Don't expect it to be stringing along with every bite, however. You could complain about a slightly uneven distribution of cheese, but the variability plays into the human touch of Genio Della, as well as the experience of having real, wood-fired pizza right from your own oven. It also gives you an opportunity to relish the red sauce. This is a can't-miss point; the flavor is like summer on your taste buds and shows that a bolder passata makes for better a sauce. 

Out of every pie in the line-up, the broccoli rabe pizza took the biggest chance. The olives are sourced from the Italian Riviera, and the rabe is a variety sourced from around Napoli. Rabe greens can be quite bitter and, because these were cut as a cross-section of leaf and stem, I worried that there might be an unpleasant texture. This version of Genio Della Pizza avoided the most common pitfalls. 

The rabe was tender and well-seasoned, salty, herbal, and a touch oily. It didn't become stringy or require intense maceration. It wasn't devoid of mouthfeel either; texture was made from a spread of small, whole olives, like popping salty, woodsy-tasting bubble wrap within my mouth. The briny flavors of the olives, matched with the rabe seasonings, mostly hid the light touch of tomato sauce.

The broccoli rabe pizza was the single pie I cooked on a surface other than the oven rack. I used a thin pizza steel and gave it eight minutes before I pulled it. This was probably about two minutes too long. The direct-contact approach cooked the pizza faster than I anticipated, and it got the closest to golden brown cheese and charred edges. Those edges were brittle to the bite and failed to pass the soft cornicione test. If you plan to use a pizza stone, steel, or otherwise to cook your Genio Della, make sure to cut back on the time if you want crust soft enough to nap in. 

The marinara pizza is the most fun of Genio Della's frozen pizza offerings. Who doesn't want the chance to play pizzaiolo? The base of slightly sour crust is topped by a measured amount of marinara and seasoned with garlic and sea salt. It's basic, but it works. It's up to you how you want to build it, which may or may not be what you're looking for when it comes to frozen 'za. I went for baby bella mushrooms, salted anchovy, and a small spread of Pecorino Romano cheese to tie everything together. The result was one of the best pizzas I've ever pulled from my ice box.

After practicing on four pizzas, the final bake was perfect. For my final pizza, I decided to forgo the steel and return to cooking on the center rack. Approximately eight minutes under heat created a slightly stretchy, bready dough that held when pinched into a slice. The cornicione at the edges crunched before giving way into deep reserves of well-baked dough. But I was most impressed by the sauce, which has a hit of oregano, sugar, garlic, and EVOO to taste like nostalgia. It is fresh and old-school all at once. A crush of garlic and salt provide an excellent bridge to the simplicity of the dough. 

It might take you three or four minutes to put this pizza together. However, the dough tastes like the hours that have gone into letting it rise.

The allure of frozen pies never dies, it just multiplies. Genio Della Pizza comes at a unique time for our collective pizza appetites: What better food to tell the story of changing tastes and alternative products than the development of high-end, artisan, frozen pizzas? In a day and age where you can have Pizzeria Bianco shipped to you from Phoenix, find a wood-fired oven in a random corner eatery, or open your freezer to tried-and-true classics from the frozen pizza aisle, the options have become endless. So, is it worth it to stock your fridge with Anthony Mangieri's frozen pizza? Most definitely. 

Genio Della Pizza's products cut through the noise of a lot of other frozen brands. Despite a relatively simple pantry of ingredients, there are fun, full flavors at work. I even, after having pizza for dinner three nights in a row, found myself excited to head back to my freezer to sample the next. These pizzas all share one common denominator, which is a dough that's made with time, skill, and attention. Although they can be slightly tricky to cook right the first couple times, the rustic taste of sourdough underneath high-quality cheese gives a simple meal a bit more gravity. We've entered a new frontier in the realm of frozen pizzas.