Pizza with homemade sauce

Homemade pizza can be so much healthier than delivery or take-out, but just as satisfying. It is also, of course, a much more frugal option than ordering in or even a decent frozen pizza. Infinitely customizable, you can make it according to your family’s needs and tastes, and know exactly what you are eating.

Once again, our main cost is cheese

I like these very low moisture blocks of mozzarella for pizza because they grate easily and melt well. When they go on sale for a dollar, I pick up a couple so I am ready to make pizza. Here, I used half of it, but you could use ¾ if you like your pizza a little cheesier. I am using Parmigiano Reggiano (bought for $10.99/lb on sale at Caputo’s) and Pecorino Romano (bought for $4.99/lb on sale at Caputo’s). I am only using an ounce of each though, so it works out to just a dollar. It is totally worth it to me to have these cheeses in the house, but you can substitute to bring the cost down more. I made the dough myself (yeast, salt, flour, olive oil) with a new to me recipe. It turned out well, so I’ll share next time I make it. If you don’t want to make dough, check your grocery store’s deli or frozen bread section. Dominick’s sells pizza dough balls for $1.49 (and they sometimes go on sale for about a dollar) and they turn out really well. There are also a few national brands, like Rhodes, that make frozen dough. I think the three-packs are in the $5 range and there are sometimes coupons. For the sauce, all you need is a can of tomatoes, garlic, basil, olive oil, salt, and pepper. For toppings, you can use whatever you have and like. I browned some sausage and chopped up a green pepper because that’s what I had on hand. I got my basil from the garden, but if you don’t have any and find the fresh stuff to be expensive, you can definitely get by with dry crushed basil.

The simpler you keep it, the better your results will be

Pizza sauce does not need to be fussy. The less complicated you make it, the closer it will resemble a pizzeria pie.

Empty a 14.5 oz can of whole peeled tomatoes into a bowl. Note that I used a 28 oz can and doubled the rest of the sauce recipe. You can drain some of the juice out of the can, depending on how saucy you want your pizza. Chop a small handful of basil leaves and mince a clove of garlic and add those to the tomatoes. Add a quarter teaspoon each of sea salt and freshly ground black pepper and a tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil. Crush the tomatoes with your hands until it is pulpy and well mixed.

Let the sauce stand for an hour or so to let the flavors blend.

Preheat the oven to 500°. Roll your dough out onto a piece of parchment paper.

Spread the sauce out onto the dough, avoiding the edges and gradually reducing the sauce concentration toward the center of the pie so that the center has just a very light layer. This will help the slices retain their shape and not get soggy.

Sprinkle the parmesan and romano cheeses evenly over the sauce.

Add a layer of mozzarella.

And any other toppings, but not to heavily. You don’t want to weigh the crust down too much. I slide a cookie sheet under the paper to transfer the pizza to the oven rack and to retrieve it. If you have a pizza peel, that is a better option and you’ll be less likely to burn yourself.

Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until the crust starts to brown. Let stand a few minutes before slicing.