Dinner Idea: Pizza Margherita

After the hustle and bustle of the holiday season, I'm very much looking forward to a night at home in front of the fire! 

Some days, I will let my older son skip his nap and put the two boys down by 7.  On these nights, we like to wait to have dinner while enjoying a nice fire. 

So, on the menu for tonight is Grilled Pizza Margherita! 

I love this recipe because I usually have all of the ingredients on hand and can easily make it when I haven't had time to plan and prep a dinner.  Here is what you will need:

Garlic (two cloves chopped)
Basil Leaves (to taste)
Fresh Roma Tomatoes (2)
Tomato Sauce (canned or frozen)
Pizza Crust (2)
Fresh Mozzarella
Olive Oil

I usually always have fresh garlic and basil on hand, while most of the time I have Roma tomatoes; when I don't have fresh tomatoes, I substitute the Roma Tomatoes and Tomato Sauce for a can of San Marizano Whole Roma Tomatoes, canned with juice and basil.  I slice the tomatoes and use the juice as my sauce.  All of these ingredients are available at Costco or Walmart.  I buy the 4 pack of Mama Mary's Thin Crust from Costco which comes with four packets of tomato sauce and freeze them along with the fresh mozzarella.

First, I saute garlic in olive oil until fragrant and warm the tomato sauce with salt, basil, and oregano to taste:

While the tomato sauce is warming, I thinly slice the tomatoes, mozzarella, and basil and brush the pizza crust with oil, sea or kosher salt, and garlic:

I grill the oiled side of the pizza crust on medium high until the crust starts to char a little.  I then add all of the toppings, except the basil, to the grilled side of the crust:

Reduce the grill to low, cover, and allow the cheese to melt.  At the very end, add the basil:

If you are not crazy like me and don't want to bare the cold, this can easily be done in your oven.  We always make two pizzas at a time because the leftover pizza warms up nicely on the stove, and is usually even better the next day.

I like to serve with red wine and a side salad of mixed greens:

I love eating this meal, as it takes me back to our time in Italy.  We had the best Pizza Margherita every day for lunch.....it was delicious and I always dream of heading back to Italy for the food alone.  One day!

Here are a few links to recipes that I've used in the past, including a different variatino with figs, goat cheese, and carmalized onions (so good)!

Tomato and Basil Pizza
Simple Tomato Sauce
Fig, Carmalized Onion, and Goat Cheese Pizza

Or, you can follow me on Pinterest and see all of my recipes here.

Do you have any easy and great tasting recipes you like to enjoy on a cold evening or in front of the fire?  Please share a link here below, as I love new ideas!

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