Grilled Margherita Pizza: Simple Perfection

Name: Traditional Grilled Margherita Pizza
Yield: 1
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients: See the post for dough & sauce recipe links; My go-to pizza dough recipe; My simple no-cook tomato sauce for margherita pizza; 1 package of buffalo mozzarella, or "pearls" (Belgioiso makes these); Freshly-grated parmesan cheese; Fresh basil for garnish

I’m quite picky when it comes to pizza. But give me an amazing Naples-style traditional margherita pizza and I am in 100% of the time.

And make that a grilled margherita pizza?? ALL THE YES.

This pizza is perfect in its simplicity…it’s less of a standalone recipe than it is the sum of a few delicious components. The flavor and high heat from the grill help kind of approximate the crazy heat and fire of the traditional woodfire oven.

It takes my favorite easy pizza dough (or use your own, or store-bought), a no-cook tomato sauce that takes literally two minutes to make, some fresh mozzarella, and some freshly-grated parmesan.

You can whip it up on any weeknight, something that always feels like a victory. The real problem for me is that…I’m one person. So I really can’t justify eating tons of pizza, but it’s not good as leftovers, so…

I guess what I’m saying is, my clothes are tight.

How to make margherita pizza on the grill

First, you make your dough (if you’re going that route). The one I use is super easy and super delicious. Or you can definitely pick up some from the store.

Then make the simple no-cook tomato sauce by blitzing some high-quality canned tomatoes (I love San Marzano) and a few other ingredients.

So I have like 5 different methods for awesome grilled pizza, but here is my current favorite. I have a detailed post on how to make amazing grilled pizza, including techniques, tips, and tools.

Lay a piece of parchment paper on a cutting board or platter. Roll or stretch your dough out quite thin, and into a circle…or quite frankly whatever the hell shape it wants to be. South America is a(n accidental) favorite of mine.

Go ahead and top your pizza. A *thin* layer of the tomato sauce, then some nicely-spaced torn fresh mozzarella or just the little pearls. You definitely want to use the nice stuff and not regular shredded mozzarella. Sprinkle some fresh-grated parmesan on there too.

Then use scissors to cut around the parchment very close to the dough. I had issues with all the excess parchment ending up as black burnt bits in my pizza—this method eliminates that problem.

You might also like: Amazing Grilled BBQ Chicken Pizza

Preheat your grill to medium, probably around 500 degrees. When it’s hot, gently slide the pizza and parchment paper onto the grates.

Close the lid and let cook for 2-3 minutes. Then (this will depend on your grill, so you may need to play around a bit) you can use tongs to slide the parchment paper out and discard it.

For me, I’ve found I need to then either turn the heat directly under the pizza down significantly, or off (and keep the other burners on for more indirect heat). On my old grill I could keep the burners as-is, so it will depend on how intense your grill is (my new Weber’s pretty intense).

You’ll want to keep a very close eye on the bottom, you don’t want to burn it. Once your cheese is melted and the dough seems cooked through and crisp, use tongs, a pizza peel, or a large spatula to slide it off the grill and onto a large platter or cutting board.

Let it sit for five or so minutes, then top with fresh basil. Cut and serve immediately.

If it wouldn’t mean like 30 extra pounds, I’d be making this grilled margherita pizza a few times a week. It is truly perfect, whether a meal for one or a giant family dinner.

Other traditional Italian fare you’ll love:

Here’s what you’ll need for your grilled margherita pizza

My go-to pizza dough recipe
My simple no-cook tomato sauce for margherita pizza
Good quality mozzarella (Belgioso has these pearls which I love)
Freshly-grated parmesan (yes, fresh makes a difference)
See full recipe below

Traditional Grilled Margherita Pizza

Yield: 1-3 pizzas

This grilled margherita pizza is perfect in its simplicity...less of a standalone recipe than the sum of a few delicious components. It takes my favorite pizza dough (or use your own, or storebought), a no-cook 2-minute tomato sauce, fresh mozzarella, and a grilling technique.

Ingredients

See the post for dough & sauce recipe links
My go-to pizza dough recipe
My simple no-cook tomato sauce for margherita pizza
1 package of buffalo mozzarella, or "pearls" (Belgioiso makes these)
Freshly-grated parmesan cheese
Fresh basil for garnish

Instructions

First, you make your dough (if you're going that route). The one I use is super easy and super delicious. Or you can definitely pick up some from the store.
Then make the simple no-cook tomato sauce by blitzing some high-quality canned tomatoes (I love San Marzano) and a few other ingredients.
So I have like 5 different methods for awesome grilled pizza, but here is my current favorite. Lay a piece of parchment paper on a cutting board or platter. Roll or stretch your dough out quite thin, and into a circle...or quite frankly whatever the hell shape it wants to be. South America is a(n accidental) favorite of mine.
Go ahead and top your pizza. A *thin* layer of the tomato sauce, then some nicely-spaced torn fresh mozzarella or just the little pearls. You definitely want to use the nice stuff and not regular shredded mozzarella. Sprinkle some fresh-grated parmesan on there too.
Then use scissors to cut around the parchment very close to the dough. I had issues with all the excess parchment ending up as black burnt bits in my pizza---this method eliminates that problem.
Preheat your grill to medium, probably around 500 degrees. When it's hot, gently slide the pizza and parchment paper onto the grates.
Close the lid and let cook for 2-3 minutes. Then (this will depend on your grill, so you may need to play around a bit) you can use tongs to slide the parchment paper out and discard it.
For me, I've found I need to then either turn the heat directly under the pizza down significantly, or off (and keep the other burners on for more indirect heat). On my old grill I could keep the burners as-is, so it will depend on how intense your grill is (my new Weber's pretty intense).
You'll want to keep a very close eye on the bottom, you don't want to burn it. Once your cheese is melted and the dough seems cooked through and crisp, use tongs, a pizza peel, or a large spatula to slide it off the grill and onto a large platter or cutting board.
Let it sit for five or so minutes, then top with fresh basil. Cut and serve immediately.

Notes

An assembly line-type approach can work here if you're making more than one pizza
The sauce recipe makes SO much, so try and think of other ways to use it
My pizza dough recipe makes about 3 medium pizzas (maybe 4 people?)