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Easy Cheese and Tomato Pizza (Margherita Pizza)

This quick and easy Cheese and Tomato Pizza takes less than 30 minutes to make. Perfect for when you need a delicious homemade margherita pizza in a hurry. (Plus discover my not-so-secret ‘cheat’ to get a super thin crust!)

Prep Time
15 mins
Cook Time
15 mins
Total Time
25 mins
Servings: 4 people
Calories: 749 kcal
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Fusion , Italian , British

Ingredients

  • 500 g Strong white bread flour
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 7 g Fast action yeast
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 350 ml lukewarm water (you may not need all of this, see below)
  • 350 g passata (I use Cirio Passata Rustica)
  • 300 g grated mozzarella (or fresh mozzarella or grated cheddar – see Note 1)
  • 2 teaspoons oregano
  • Black pepper to taste

Instructions

    Cup of Yum
  1. Preheat your oven to 230C / 210C fan / gas mark 8 / 450F. Grease 4 large (12inch / 30cm) pizza trays with a little olive oil. (Or 8 smaller ones – See Note 2.)
  2. In a large bowl, mix together the flour, yeast and salt, then add the olive oil and stir. Slowly add the water until the mixture comes together to form a dough – the dough should just come together and should not be too wet/sticky. (You may not need all the water. Start with 300ml and see how it goes, add it in little bits after that.)
  3. Knead the pizza dough for 5 minutes on a floured surface.
  4. Divide the dough up into 4 equal sized pieces (or 8 if you are making small ones) – I use my scales to make this easier and more accurate.
  5. Roll out each piece out to roughly the size of the pizza tray. Put the rolled out dough in the pizza tray and stretch out gently to the full size of the pizza tray (this is because it will shrink slightly when you pick it up).
  6. Top each pizza with 4 tablespoons passata. Spread the passata all over the base using the back of a spoon, leaving a thin border all around the pizza. (Don’t use too much passata or it will make your pizzas soggy.)
  7. Top with the grated cheese, oregano and black pepper.
  8. Cook your pizzas in your pre-heated oven for 10-15 minutes. You may find you need to move the pizzas around in your oven so they cook evenly.
  9. The pizzas are ready when the cheese is bubbling and the base is a light golden brown and crispy, not soggy. (If you discover as you are cutting the pizza that the base is still a bit soggy, just pop it back in the pizza tray and back in the oven for a couple more minutes.)

Notes

  • What cheese you use is up to you. You can use grated mozzarella, grated cheddar or torn fresh mozzarella. My personal preference is either grated mozzarella or a 50/50 mix of grated mozzarella and grated mature cheddar. While I love fresh mozzarella on a pizza with lots of other toppings, I find fresh mozzarella is too bland for a plain cheese and tomato pizza.
  • This recipe can also be used to make 8 smaller 7inch / 18cm pizzas. If you don’t have a pizza tray, use a baking tray or cake tin of a similar size instead.
  • The trick to getting a super thin crust is to only knead for 5 minutes and not prove the dough, so be careful not to leave the pizza dough to rest to long at any point or you will find the dough rises and you’ll have thick crust pizzas!
  • Suitable for freezing.
  • Nutrition information is approximate and meant as a guideline only.

Nutrition Information

Calories 749kcal (37%) Carbohydrates 102g (34%) Protein 34g (68%) Fat 23g (35%) Saturated Fat 11g (55%) Polyunsaturated Fat 2g Monounsaturated Fat 8g Cholesterol 59mg (20%) Sodium 1.08mg (0%) Potassium 596mg (17%) Fiber 6g (24%) Sugar 5g (10%) Vitamin A 973IU (19%) Vitamin C 9mg (10%) Calcium 430mg (43%) Iron 3mg (17%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 4people

Amount Per Serving

Calories 749

% Daily Value*

Calories 749kcal 37%
Carbohydrates 102g 34%
Protein 34g 68%
Fat 23g 35%
Saturated Fat 11g 55%
Polyunsaturated Fat 2g 12%
Monounsaturated Fat 8g 40%
Cholesterol 59mg 20%
Sodium 1.08mg 0%
Potassium 596mg 13%
Fiber 6g 24%
Sugar 5g 10%
Vitamin A 973IU 19%
Vitamin C 9mg 10%
Calcium 430mg 43%
Iron 3mg 17%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.