Creamy Garlic Margarita Pizza

I have something embarrassing to confess. Up until high school, I use to eat pizza like a complete weirdo. Whenever my mom would make her fantastic homemade pizza on Friday nights, I would scrape off all the cheese and toppings. Then I would eat the pizza crust alone with a fork, and follow by eating the cheesy toppings separately. I don't even know why I did it and when I stopped doing it, but I'm glad I did because pizza is so much better when all of it's components are combined together in pizza goodness!

Although, I do still eat pizza with a fork. Please don't judge me.

One of my favorite pizza's of all time is a classic margarita pizza. Nothing beats the simplicity of mozzarella, basil and tomatoes on a golden crispy pizza crust.

What makes this pizza extra special and out of this world is my creamy garlic sauce. My first job right out of high school was working at a pizza place and this sauce has stuck with me ever since. I love everything about this pizza, especially with the summer arriving bringing its fresh herbs and produce. 

Change up this weekends pizza night with a creamy, gourmet pizza that your family will absolutely love. You might even want to make two pizza's because it is that good! I bet you can't stop at two slices!

My Mom's Classic Pizza Crust

{Makes 1 Large Pizza}

-2 cups All Purpose Flour

-2 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil

-1/2 tsp Kosher Salt

-1 tbsp White Granulated Sugar

-1 packet Yeast

-3/4 cup Warm Water

-Olive Oil 

-Cornmeal

Preheat the oven to 175 degrees (F) and then turn off the oven. This will create the perfect "warm environment" for the dough to rise. Combine all the ingredients (flour to warm water) in a mixer over medium-low speed until smooth and elastic. Place approximately 1 tsp of olive oil in the bottom of a glass bowl and coat the dough and bowl with the olive oil so that it doesn't stick to the sides as it rises in the oven. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place it in the oven to rise for 1-2 hours. Once risen, sprinkle some cornmeal onto your countertop and roll the dough out to fit your pizza pan. 

Creamy Garlic Sauce

{Makes 1 cup Sauce}

-1 cup Ranch Dressing

-3 cloves Garlic (1-1/2 tsp minced)

-1 tbsp Italian Seasoning

Add all the ingredients to a small bowl and stir to combine. Spread on your pizza!

Creamy Garlic Margarita Pizza

{Makes 1 Large Pizza = 8 Slices}

-1 recipe of Mom's Classic Pizza Crust

-1 recipe of Creamy Garlic Sauce

-8 ounces grated Mozzarella Cheese

-6 fresh Basil Leaves-chiffonade

-1 Roma Tomato-thinly sliced

-Olive Oil (cooking spray)

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees (F). Arrange the prepared pizza crust on the baking pan and evenly spread the creamy garlic sauce leaving a border for crust. Sprinkle the grated cheese evenly over top the sauce, followed by arranging the thinly sliced tomatoes and chiffonade basil leaves.

Using a misto filled with olive oil, spray the crust with the olive oil. This will make the crust golden brown. Place the pizza in the oven and bake for 12-15 minutes until golden brown. Once the pizza is done baking, switch the oven over to "broil" mode and let the cheese get bubbly and slightly burnt/browned from the broiler for 1-2 minutes. Remove the pizza from the oven and slice up into 8 equal slices.

Enjoy!