Homemade Margherita Pizza

I love pizza, who doesn't... 

I don't eat pizza very often because - 1. There's no Lamppost Pizza by me anymore and 2. Pizza is full of calories and fat. What's a girl to do? Make my own pizza!

I made my first pizza last night and it turned out so yummy! It was really easy to make and I can't wait to experiment with different kinds of toppings and make my own dough next time around. Since this was my first time as a pizza maker, I thought I wouldn't go too crazy ...so I stuck with a Margherita pizza.

Margherita Pizza Ingredients:

Homemade or store bought pizza dough (I bought pre-made dough at Trader Joes)

Tomato Basil Marinara sauce

Mozzarella cheese (sliced thin)

Shredded low fat Parmesan/Mozzarella cheese blend

Basil leaves (next time I'll use fresh basil)

Roma Tomatoes (cut into thin slices)

Pepper

Olive oil spray

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.  Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray (or utilize a pizza stone if you have one).  Make sure your baking sheet is in the oven while it preheats, so it's nice and hot when you place your pizza on it. 

Start working your dough and stretch it into a long rectangle, pressing with your fingers to finish forming.  Use flour to keep your dough from getting sticky. Your dough should be very thin. Once you have it in the shape you like (I made a thin square shape) add olive oil and pepper to your dough. (I used a no calorie olive oil spray from Trader Joes)

Add the marina sauce and cover the entire pizza with a thin layer, leaving a 1/2 inch border. Next add your sliced tomatoes, your thinly sliced mozzarella and sprinkle your pizza with the shredded cheese mix. Lastly, add your basil leaves (I covered my entire pizza with a lot of basil, because I'm a big fan of the stuff).

Once your pizza is the way you like it. Place it on the hot, well oiled (don't want your dough to stick) baking sheet and place it in the oven for 15 min. After 15 min, take it out and add extra olive oil to the dough (again, I used my olive oil spray). Then put it in for another 10-15 min, until dough is slightly browned and cheese is bubbly.

Cut into slices (I got 9 slices out of mine) and enjoy!