Authentic Neapolitan Pizza Marinara Recipe

Tight close-up of Neapolitan pizza marinara highlighting the soft dough, blistered edges and chunky tomato sauce.

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Authentic Neapolitan Pizza Marinara Recipe

This recipe for pizza marinara is the closest you can get to an authentic Neapolitan pizza outside of Italy! I’ll show you how to get an airy, blistered crust and vibrant tomato flavor using a home oven and just 5 simple ingredients. After years of cooking professionally and testing this recipe in my own kitchen, I have plenty of tips to help you achieve Neapolitan pizza perfection in under 15 minutes!

Prep Time: 5

Cook Time: 10

Total Time: 15

Servings: 1 12 inch pizza

Calories: 558kcal

Author: Nicole Gaffney

Ingredients

2 balls Neapolitan style pizza dough about 8-9 ounces or 240 grams, room temperature
1 cup whole peeled tomatoes best quality possible
½ teaspoon kosher salt more or less to taste
2 garlic cloves sliced paper thin
1 ½ teaspoons dried oregano more or less to taste
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil plus more for serving
all purpose flour or semolina for dusting

Instructions

Place a pizza stone or steel in the oven and preheat to the highest setting, ideally 500-550°F, for at least 45 minutes. Once the oven is hot, turn on the broiler.
In a small bowl, gently crush the tomatoes by hand until mostly broken down but still a little chunky. Alternatively, you can puree with an immersion blender or food mill. Season with salt, taste, and adjust as needed.
1 cup whole peeled tomatoes, ½ teaspoon kosher salt
Dust a work surface and one dough ball lightly with flour. Gently press from the center outward, leaving about a 1-inch outer rim.
2 balls Neapolitan style pizza dough
Carefully stretch it into a 12-inch circle, keeping the center thin and the edge slightly thicker. Be careful not to let it tear.
Transfer the dough to a pizza peel lightly dusted with flour or semolina.
all purpose flour or semolina
Spoon half of the tomatoes onto the center and spread it out in a thin, even layer, stopping just before the rim.
Scatter half of the sliced garlic evenly over the sauce, then sprinkle with ¾ teaspoon of oregano and drizzle with 2 tablespoons of olive oil.
2 garlic cloves, 1 ½ teaspoons dried oregano, 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Shake the peel a little bit to make sure the pizza isn’t sticking, then immediately slide it onto the baking stone and close the oven door immediately.
Bake until the crust is puffed and lightly charred in spots, about 7-10 minutes, rotating once only if necessary for even cooking.
Remove from the oven, let rest for about 30 seconds, then slice and serve immediately.
Repeat with the remaining ingredients.

Notes

Let the dough come to room temperature for at least an hour before stretching. This will make it easier to work with and prevent tearing. If it still resists stretching, rest it for 10 minutes and try again.
If you don’t have a pizza stone or baking steel, place a baking tray and a heavy cast iron pan on the lower part of your oven (the larger and heavier, the better).
A pizza peel is helpful, but if you don’t have one, build your pizza on top of a cutting board or baking sheet, and be super careful when transferring it to the oven.
Your oven needs to be screaming hot to achieve a true Neapolitan-style pizza crust, so make sure to preheat it and add a pizza stone, steel or even a large cast iron skillet. If you have a home pizza oven, even better!
Cook the pizza on the preheated baking tray if you don’t have a pizza stone or steel. Do not take the cast iron pan out.
Too much tomato sauce will weigh down the dough and make it soggy. A thin layer is all you need. If your pizza comes out soggy in the middle, cut back to ⅓ cup.
The garlic should be sliced extremely thin. Use a mandolin or very sharp knife for best results.
If the crust is browning too quickly, turn the broiler off halfway through.
Finish the pizza with a sprinkle of flaky salt before serving. It will lift all the flavors up!

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