this easy tomato basil margherita pizza comes together quickly and is loaded with flavor all while using just a handful of ingredients!

We have had a really hard time getting our hands on our favorite frozen pizzas lately so we’ve been making a lot more from scratch!

And we’ve made A LOT of varieties (including using some of the some of the dough for calzones, which, if you follow my Instagram stories you probably saw!).

Seriously, once you have a good pizza dough there’s really no limits to the number of combos you can make.

My current favorite is one featured in the NYT Cooking app – it’s super easy, uses only 4 ingredients and comes together quickly.

Then all you need from there to make this is another 5 ingredients to top it with and you’re good to pop it in the oven and let it back up until lightly browned and the cheese is melted.

Nothing better than that if you ask me! Makes for a perfect pizza Friday (if you’re even able to keep track of the days, which I’ll be honest, I have had a hard time doing!).

tomato basil margherita pizza

Author: Cait
Prep Time: 4+ hours if making your own dough
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: -26519225.3 minute
Yield: 1 pizza 1x
Category: dinner

Description

this easy tomato basil margherita pizza comes together quickly and is loaded with flavor all while using just a handful of ingredients!

Scale

Ingredients

For the pizza dough (recipe from NYT cooking):

2 teaspoons rapid rise yeast
4.5 cups all-purpose flour, plus additional for dusting
2 teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons olive oil

For the pizza:

1–2 tablespoons tomato sauce
3–4 large slices fresh mozzarella fresh mozzarella
Small handful fresh basil, roughly chopped
3–4 slices beefsteak tomatoes
Olive oil
Optional: drizzle of balsamic glaze

Instructions

For the pizza dough:

Put 1 3/4 lukewarm water in a mixing bowl. Allow to sit for 2 minutes, or until yeast dissolves.
Add flour, salt and olive oil, mixing well until flour is incorporated and dough forms (~5 minutes).
Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until it looks smooth (~3 minutes).
Cut dough into 4 equal pieces and seal individually in a ziploc bag. For best results, refrigerate for several hours (or even better, over night). You can use immediately but the texture is much better when it has a chance to chill.
If chilling, allow dough to sit at room temperature on a parchment or silpat-lined baking sheet (cover with a clean kitchen towel). Then roll out, top and bake (each ball makes about a 10 inch pizza).

For the pizza:

Preheat oven to 500 degrees F.
Roll or stretch the dough out and place on a parchment or silpat lined baking sheet.
Layer sauce, fresh tomatoes, mozzarella and basil on top, then drizzle with olive oil.
Bake for 10-15 minutes or until cheese is melted and crust is browned on the bottom and lightly browned around the edges.
Top with additional basil and a drizzle of balsamic glaze as desired.

Keywords: dinner, pizza, tomato basil, pizza margherita