Did you know today, February 9th, is National Pizza Pie Day? I’ve been looking at several National Food Holiday calendars lately and was surprised by how many holidays there are! I mean, there seems to be a food holiday for every single day of the year. Just this last week we had:
- February 3: National Carrot Cake Day
- February 4: Homemade Soup Day
- February 4: National Stuffed Mushroom Day
- February 5: National Chocolate Fondue Day
- February 5: World Nutella Day (I honored this holiday by making Nutella Peanut Butter Truffles!)
- February 6: National Chopsticks Day
- February 7: National Fettuccine Alfredo Day
- February 8: Molasses Bar Day
And, today is not only National Pizza Pie Day, it’s also National Bagel and Lox Day! Crazy!
Anyway, in honor of the day, I thought I’d share this easy Margherita Pizza recipe with you, which you can also find in my college cookbook, Kitchenability 101. It’s easy, it’s simple and it’s delicious. Yum!
Margherita Pizza Recipe
(Makes two pizzas)
For the pizza crust:
- 2 packages pre-cooked pizza crusts
- 2 tbsp olive oil
For the sauce:
- 3 8-oz cans unseasoned tomato sauce
- 2 6-oz cans tomato paste
- Pinch of salt and pepper
- ½ cup fresh chopped basil or ¼ cup dried
- ½ cup fresh chopped cilantro or ¼ cupdried
- 3 tbsp sugar
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tsp oregano
- 2 tbsp Italian seasoning
- 1 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 clove garlic, chopped
For the toppings:
- 8 slices fresh buffalo mozzarella cheese (4 slices per pizza)
- 8 fresh basil leaves or tsp dried (4 leaves per pizza)
- Grated Parmesan cheese (to taste)
To make the pizza crust:
1. Follow instructions on the package for cooking the two pizza crusts.
2. Rub the olive oil on each crust.
To make the sauce:
1. Mix all the sauce ingredients together in a large sauce pot.
2. Place pot on low to medium heat and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
To make the pizza:
1. Preheat oven according to package instructions.
2. Place the pizza crusts on a baking sheet. Spread one cup of sauce on each pizza. (You can use the extra sauce on pasta or another pizza, or store in the freezer for up to two months.)
3. Top the pizza with the mozzarella slices and basil leaves, covering the cheese with the basil.
4. Place in oven for 15 to 20 minutes, until the cheese bubbles and the crust has a golden-brown color.
5. Sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese to taste.
Lead Photo: Photography by Patrick Onofre
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Tags: easy pizza sauce recipe, homemade pizza recipe, homemade pizza sauce recipe, margarita pizza recipe, margherita pizza recipe, pizza night recipes, pizza recipe, pizza sauce recipe, tomato sauce pizza sauce recipe
