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Vegetarian, Italy

Margherita pizza with salad

Margherita pizza with salad is an Italian dish for 4 people, ready in 35 minutes, rated easy, for about €1.80 per person. The key to success is a very hot oven and well drained mozzarella, so the crust stays crisp under the toppings.

Tonight it's homemade margherita pizza, tomato, mozzarella and basil, the winning trio, with a green salad.

Margherita pizza with salad
Total time
35 min
Difficulty
Easy
Cost per person
€1.80
Calories per person
710 kcalcalculated by Kiloach, your weight coach
Season
Winter, Spring, Summer, Fall
The kids
They generally like it

Margherita is the pizza everyone agrees on, a thin crisp crust, tomato sauce lifted with oregano, melting mozzarella and fresh basil added right out of the oven. No complicated toppings, just three ingredients that speak for themselves when they're good quality and well cooked.

This is the Friday night pizza you share as a family, the one kids ask for again and again and adults never tire of. With a green salad to round out the meal, it works just as well for a quick weeknight dinner as for a more relaxed weekend meal, and it never requires any special equipment.

The ingredients

4 people

Dairy

  • Fresh pizza dough 2
  • Mozzarella 3

Pantry

  • Tomato sauceoften in the pantry 300 g
  • Olive oiloften in the pantry 4 tbsp
  • Vinegaroften in the pantry 1 tbsp
  • Oreganooften in the pantry 1 tsp
  • Saltoften in the pantry 1 pinch

Fruits and vegetables

  • Basil 10 sprigs
  • Green salad 1

Allergens Gluten, Lactose

The step by step recipe

  1. Preheat the oven to 250°C with the baking sheet inside.

    A scorching hot sheet sears the dough like a wood fired oven.

  2. Stretch each dough ball thin on parchment paper and spread the salted tomato sauce over it, with a little oregano. 5 min

    Leave a bare inch at the edge, it will puff up into a nice crust.

  3. Tear the well drained mozzarella and scatter it over the pizzas. 2 min

    Press it in a towel first, it won't make the dough soggy.

  4. Slide the pizzas with the parchment onto the hot sheet and bake until the edges turn golden. 10 min

    Add the basil only once out of the oven, otherwise it blackens.

  5. Toss the salad with oil, vinegar and salt, and serve alongside the pizzas. 2 min

    A drizzle of raw olive oil on the hot pizza is the Neapolitan touch.

Our tips to get it right

  • Drain the mozzarella really well before tearing it, that's what keeps the center of the crust from turning soggy.
  • Stretch the dough as thin as possible in the center, leaving it slightly thicker at the edges, so the crust puffs up nicely as it bakes.
  • If you're baking two pizzas back to back, give the oven a minute or two to climb back up to temperature between batches.

The variations

  • Swap the mozzarella for burrata added after baking for a creamier center.
  • Add grilled mushrooms or peppers on top for a heartier version that's still vegetarian.
  • For kids in a hurry, cut the dough into small individual bases, they bake faster and everyone builds their own pizza.

What to serve it with

  • Chilled sparkling water
  • Extra shaved parmesan
  • A drizzle of olive oil on the salad

Storage

Cooked pizza keeps for a day in the fridge in a closed container, reheat it for a few minutes in a hot oven to bring back the crispness. It doesn't freeze well once topped, but raw dough or the tomato sauce freeze just fine on their own.

Questions about this dish

Can you prep the pizza ahead of time?

You can stretch the dough and make the tomato sauce ahead, but add the mozzarella and bake right before serving. The pizza loses its crispness if it sits topped for too long.

Can store bought dough be swapped for homemade?

Yes, homemade pizza dough works great, just let it rest the right amount of time before stretching it. The baking time stays the same.

Why add the basil only at the end?

Fresh basil blackens and loses its flavor if it bakes too long in the oven. Added right after baking, it stays green and fragrant.

How do you get a really crisp crust without a pizza oven?

Preheat your oven to its highest setting with the baking sheet inside for 20 minutes before baking. The scorching sheet mimics the effect of a wood fired oven under the dough.

How long does it take to make a margherita pizza with a side salad?

Count 35 min in total, prep and cooking included. The recipe is rated “easy”.

How many calories are in a margherita pizza with a side salad?

About 710 kcal per serving, for a recipe meant for 4 people. Calories are calculated by Kiloach, your weight coach, the app that partners with Mon Chou.

How much does a margherita pizza with a side salad cost?

About €1.80 per serving, or €7.20 for 4 people, based on average supermarket prices.

What allergens does this recipe contain?

This recipe contains gluten, lactose. Always check the labels of the products you buy.

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