HAND HELDS / September 3, 2015

MARGHERITA PIZZA

Name: MARGHERITA PIZZA
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 15 min
Yield: 4
Ingredients: 4 pieces baked naan bread; 2 ripe tomatoes on the vine, sliced; 1 bag shredded mozzarella; olive oil; 2 teaspoons minced garlic; tomato pasta sauce; fresh basil

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One of my summer favorites is homemade pizza, this homemade Margherita Pizza is on a naan bread base with fresh tomatoes, basil, & shredded mozzarella.

It has to be my favorite way to enjoy pizza with less calories and more flavor. I absolutely LOVE using a non-traditional pizza crust and piling my toppings on it like it’s a normal pizza base.

When I’m in the mood for homemade pizzas I have been known to use a variety of different pizza crust options. A few of my favorites are naan bread, pita bread, and even flat bread. On rare occasions, I’ll buy the pre-made pizza bases from the grocery store and use those as well.

Let me tell you why my first choice is naan bread for this margherita pizza. It is portion control without having to stop yourself from getting another slice. One piece of naan bread and you’re done. Another thing that makes it my go-to is that the naan bread is always soft and feels fresh, even after I’ve frozen it for a few weeks. I will usually buy a package of naan bread and freeze it immediately to keep its freshness. That way I just defrost what I need when I need it and I’m ready to build my pizzas. And lastly I love the texture of naan bread or pita bread wayyyyy more than those little pizza bases, they crispy up in the oven underneath and everything on top stays melted and ready to bite into.

I have my line up of making homemade easy pizzas. I learned this trick from my mom and I simply wont make pizzas at home any other way.

1: start with your naan bread base (pita, flatbread, or baked pizza crust)
2: lightly pour a thin layer of olive oil and spread with a baster
3: spoon minced garlic onto the olive oil and spread
4: cover in tomato basil sauce (my go to is Tomato Basil Pasta Sauce from Trader Joe’s)
5: layer with fresh cut tomatoes
6: place bunches of fresh shredded mozzarella around the pizza base
7: bake for 10-12 minutes
8: remove and garnish with chopped basil

I love that this pizza is full of fresh tomatoes and tomato sauce. It feels like you’re in Italy while munching on it. Or at least that is what I think Italian pizza is like, full of fresh flavorful tomatoes and basil.

Always basil.

Fresh basil is my go-to for so many of my ALF meals. You can’t beat the flavor and hello they’re green. That means healthy.

The flavor in these pizzas is minimal to say the least. The garlic and tomatoes are very much the main focus. But once you cover it in fresh basil, it brings you into a whole new world with fresh herbs.

Love those tastes together.

Keep in mind that I used shredded mozzarella on these pizzas. I had it in the fridge already but fresh sliced mozzarella or even those little mozz balls would be perfection. Either way, its mozzarella.