Best for: The classic test of a grilled crust — tomato, mozzarella, and basil with nowhere to hide.
Margherita is where grilled pizza proves itself: a thin, bright tomato sauce, fresh mozzarella, and basil added at the very end so it stays green and fragrant. The flip method — grill the crust on one side, flip it, top the hot side, and finish with the lid down — gives you a crisp base and properly melted cheese without a pizza stone.
Grill: Direct high heat; 500°F, using the flip method (no stone). Equipment: Grill, metal peel or rimless baking sheet, tongs, small bowl.
Ingredients
Rest: 5 minutes. Total: 28 minutes.
Sauce
- 1 cup crushed tomatoes (from a 14-ounce can)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1/2 teaspoon fine table salt
Pizza
- 1 lb pizza dough (homemade grilled pizza dough or store-bought), at room temperature
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 8 ounces fresh mozzarella, torn and patted very dry
- 1/2 cup fresh basil leaves
- 1 tablespoon cornmeal or flour, for the peel
Directions
Stir the crushed tomatoes, olive oil, garlic, and salt together in a small bowl. Keep the sauce loose and uncooked — it cooks on the pizza.
Heat the grill to 500°F and oil the grates. Stretch the dough into a 12-inch round on a peel dusted with cornmeal, and brush the top with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil.
Slide the dough onto the grates, oiled side down, and grill with the lid closed for 2–3 minutes, until the bottom is firm with grill marks and the top bubbles.
Flip the crust onto the peel, grilled side up. Working quickly, spread a thin layer of sauce over the hot crust and scatter the mozzarella over it — less is more, or the crust steams.
Slide the pizza back onto the grates and grill with the lid closed for 3–4 minutes, until the mozzarella melts into pools and the bottom crisps.
Rest the pizza for 5 minutes. Scatter the basil over the top, drizzle with the remaining olive oil, slice, and serve.
Grilling tip: Fresh mozzarella is wet — tear it and pat it dry with paper towels an hour ahead if you can, or the margherita swims.
