italian style pizza

The most classic homemade pizza, this margherita pizza recipe features a tangy pizza sauce, gooey mozzarella, and a perfect chewy pizza crust.

Homemade Margherita Pizza (Secrets for perfect dough &amp; sauce!)

Best Pizza Dough (or Food Processor Dough or Thin Crust Dough)

Semolina flour or cornmeal, for dusting the pizza peel

garlic (1/2 medium)

tomatoes tomatoes

extra virgin olive oil

oregano

kosher salt

pizza sauce

cheese mozzarella cheese

Parmesan cheese

basil leaves

Make the pizza dough

Follow the Best Pizza Dough recipe to prepare the dough. (This takes about 15 minutes to make and 45 minutes to rest.)

Place a pizza stone in the oven and preheat to 500°F. OR preheat your pizza oven (here’s the pizza oven we use).

Make the pizza sauce

Cut the garlic into a few rough pieces. Place the garlic, tomatoes, olive oil, oregano and kosher salt in a blender. Blend until fully combined. (You&#8217;ll use about 1/3 cup for the pizza; reserve the remaining sauce and refrigerate for up to 1 week.)

Prepare the cheese: 

If using fresh mozzarella cheese, slice it into 1/4 inch thick pieces (see the photos of the pre-baked pizza above). If it&#8217;s incredibly watery fresh mozzarella (all brands vary), you may want to let it sit on a paper towel to remove moisture for about 15 minutes then dab the mozzarella with the paper towel to remove any additional moisture.

Bake the pizza

When the oven is ready, dust a pizza peel with cornmeal or semolina flour. (If you don&#8217;t have a pizza peel, you can use a rimless baking sheet or the back of a rimmed baking sheet. But a pizza peel is well worth the investment!) Stretch the dough into a circle; see How to Stretch Pizza Dough for instructions. Then gently place the dough onto the pizza peel. 

Spread a thin layer of the pizza sauce over the dough, using about 1/4 to 1/3 cup. Add the mozzarella cheese. Top with a thin layer of fresh grated Parmesan cheese and a few pinches of kosher salt.

Use the pizza peel to carefully transfer the pizza onto the preheated pizza stone. Bake the pizza until the cheese and crust are nicely browned, about 5 to 7 minutes in the oven (or 1 minute in a pizza oven).

Allow the pizza to cool for a minute or two before adding the basil on top (whole leaves, lightly torn, or thinly sliced). Slice into pieces and serve immediately.

Hi Alex,

Thanks for the recipe - where in the oven do you place your pizza stone, top, middle or bottom?

Thank you
Christina :)

https://mediavine-res.cloudinary.com/video/upload/t_original/v1569270538/y7qwn4i9ilgdiqr5z0cu.mp4

Our best margherita pizza recipe is based on our visits to Italy and years of research! It features tangy pizza sauce & a perfect chewy pizza crust.

Best Margherita Pizza

This mushroom pizza is a white pizza that's covered with mozzarella cheese, goat cheese, and fresh herbs. It's perfection!

Mushroom Pizza with Fresh Herbs

ball Best Pizza Dough (or Food Processor Dough or Thin Crust Dough)

mushrooms

olive oil,

lemon juice

goat cheese, crumbled

mozzarella cheese

chives

 Follow the Best Pizza Dough recipe to prepare the dough. (This takes about 15 minutes to make and 45 minutes to rest.)

Place a pizza stone in the oven and preheat to 500°F. OR preheat your pizza oven (here’s the pizza oven we use).

Prepare the toppings

Clean the mushrooms and slice them. In a saute pan or skillet, heat the 1 tablespoon olive oil to medium high heat. Add the mushrooms, chopped herbs, and 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. When mushrooms are tender, reduce the heat to low, add lemon juice. Remove from the heat.

 When the oven is ready, dust a pizza peel with cornmeal or semolina flour. (If you don’t have a pizza peel, you can use a rimless baking sheet or the back of a rimmed baking sheet. But a pizza peel is well worth the investment!) Stretch the dough into a circle; see How to Stretch Pizza Dough for instructions. Then gently place the dough onto the pizza peel.

Brush a thin layer of olive oil onto the crust. Then top with the mozzarella cheese in an even layer, then the cooked mushrooms, and crumbles of goat cheese. Garnish with the chopped chives and additional thyme sprigs. Sprinkle with 1 pinch kosher salt.

Use the pizza peel to carefully transfer the pizza onto the preheated pizza stone. Bake the pizza until the cheese and crust are nicely browned, about 5 to 7 minutes in the oven (or 1 minute in a pizza oven). Slice into pieces and serve immediately.

Here's a recipe for real Italian pizza, and everything you need to know make it at home! Includes a pizza dough tutorial and a step-by-step video.

Italian Pizza Recipe (Make it Like a Pro!)

Best Homemade Pizza Sauce

mozzarella cheese mozzarella

Best Basil Pesto or Basil Cashew Pesto

Follow the Best Pizza Dough recipe to prepare the dough. (This takes about 15 minutes to make and 45 minutes to rest.)

Place a pizza stone in the oven and preheat to 500°F. OR preheat your pizza oven (here’s the pizza oven we use).

If using fresh mozzarella cheese, slice it into 1/4 inch thick pieces (see the photo). If it’s incredibly watery fresh mozzarella (all brands vary), you may want to let it sit on a paper towel to remove moisture for about 15 minutes then dab the mozzarella with the paper towel to remove any additional moisture.

 When the oven is ready, dust a pizza peel with cornmeal or semolina flour. (If you don’t have a pizza peel, you can use a rimless baking sheet or the back of a rimmed baking sheet. But a pizza peel is well worth the investment!) Stretch the dough into a circle; see How to Stretch Pizza Dough for instructions. Then gently place the dough onto the pizza peel. 

Spread the pizza sauce over the dough using the back of a spoon to create a thin layer. Add the mozzarella cheese. Top with a few pinches of kosher salt.

Dollop with the basil pesto. Slice into pieces and serve immediately.

Top 3 italian style pizza recipes from across the web

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Top Tags

Homemade Margherita Pizza (Secrets ...

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Top 3 italian style pizza recipes from across the web

The most viewed italian style pizza recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 20,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engineic_arrow_forward_48px

Top Tags

Homemade Margherita Pizza (Secrets ...

Mushroom Pizza with Fresh Herbs

Italian Pizza Recipe (Make it Like ...

The most viewed italian style pizza recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 20,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine