Between the pandemic and still-cold temperature forecasts, we are parking ourselves firmly in the house and have absolutely no plans nor desire to go out. Enter pizza night: the perfect activity to make for a fun evening at home, whether it’s family night or date night. And if you don’t already know how to make a Margherita pizza, now’s your chance to learn!
If you want to make this with your kids for a family night, I recommend making 2-3 pizzas. One pizza is just the right amount for a cozy dinner for two. You can always switch up the toppings, but I went with a classic Margherita here. If you want to add something extra to it, I recommend cooking up some ground Italian sausage–it’s not traditional but it’s so good with the tomato, mozzarella, and fresh basil.
However you do it, I hope you have a fun, delicious evening with loved ones. Keep scrolling for the full Margherita pizza recipe ahead!
Did you try this recipe? Show us your pizza skills on Instagram @Lulus using #lovelulus and check What’s New for cute date night picks!
This recipe comes from our food contributor, Stephanie Simmons, of Blue Bowl. Her goal with her kitchen-tested recipes is to get you excited about cooking, show you how good food can taste, and prove that you don’t need to spend hours in the kitchen to make a good meal.
- PREP TIME: 20 MINS
- SERVES: 8 slices
Ingredients
- 1 pound store-bought pizza dough
- Olive oil
- Pizza sauce
- Italian seasoning
- 4 ounces fresh mozzarella
- A few handfuls of fresh basil
- 1 medium tomato
- Salt + pepper
Directions
Step 1:
Preheat your oven to 450 degrees F. Spread the pizza dough out on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Poke a few holes with a fork to dock the crust so it doesn’t puff up too crazily in the oven.
Step 2:
Bake the plain crust for 6 minutes. Pull it out of the oven and turn the temperature up to 500 degrees F. Brush the edges of the crust with a bit of olive oil.
Step 3:
Add a few generous spoonfuls of pizza sauce to a small bowl and stir in a pinch of Italian seasoning for an extra flavor boost. Spread some pizza sauce over the crust in a thin layer–too much will make the crust soggy.
Step 4:
Slice the tomato thinly, and dab the excess moisture off with paper towels. Lay them over the sauce, and sprinkle the mozzarella around evenly.
Step 5:
Finely chop a handful of fresh basil and sprinkle it over the pizza. Add a sprinkle of salt and pepper last, if desired.
Step 6:
Bake for 7-9 minutes more. The crust and bottom should be deep golden brown (you can carefully lift the edge with a flipper to check the color on the bottom of the crust). Serve with more fresh basil. Store leftover pizza (haha, that’s not a thing!) in an airtight container in the fridge.
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