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Pizza · Campania

Authentic Pizza Marinara – Classic Neapolitan Recipe

Pizza Marinara is the oldest pizza in Naples, born in the 18th century as the go-to meal for returning fishermen and sailors. With just four ingredients — tomato, garlic, oregano and extra virgin olive oil — it proves that simplicity is the ultimate sophistication. No mozzarella, no shortcuts: just pure, bold, authentic Neapolitan flavour.

20Prep (min)
8Cook (min)
28Total (min)
2Serves
MediumDifficulty
Authentic Pizza Marinara – Classic Neapolitan Recipe

Ingredients

  • 280 g (10 oz) Neapolitan pizza dough (one ball, room temperature)
  • 150 g (5 oz) San Marzano crushed tomatoes (or good-quality passata)
  • 3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
  • 1 tsp dried oregano (Sicilian or Neapolitan, high quality)
  • 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 pinch of fine sea salt
  • A few fresh basil leaves (optional, traditional in some versions)

Method

  1. Place a pizza stone or heavy baking tray on the top rack of your oven and preheat to the maximum temperature (250–280 °C / 480–540 °F) for at least 45 minutes — the hotter, the better.
  2. Season the crushed San Marzano tomatoes with a pinch of sea salt and 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil. Stir and set aside.
  3. On a lightly floured surface, stretch the dough ball by hand using your fingertips and knuckles, working from the centre outward. Aim for a 28–30 cm (11–12 inch) round with a raised, airy cornicione (crust edge). Never use a rolling pin.
  4. Transfer the stretched dough onto a sheet of baking parchment (for easy oven transfer) or a well-floured pizza peel.
  5. Spread the seasoned tomato sauce evenly over the dough, leaving a 2 cm border for the crust. Scatter the sliced garlic over the sauce.
  6. Sprinkle dried oregano generously over the top, then drizzle the remaining 3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil in a slow, circular motion.
  7. Slide the pizza (with parchment or using the peel) directly onto the hot stone or tray. Bake for 6–8 minutes, until the crust is puffed, leopard-spotted with char, and the edges are golden.
  8. Remove from the oven, add fresh basil leaves if using, and serve immediately — Pizza Marinara waits for no one.

Tips from the kitchen

💡 The quality of your olive oil is everything here: with no cheese to hide behind, use the best extra virgin you own — a robust, fruity Campanian or Sicilian oil is ideal.
💡 If you don't have a pizza stone, preheat a heavy cast-iron skillet upside-down in the oven; it gives comparable results to a stone at home temperatures.
💡 For deeper garlic flavour, briefly soak the garlic slices in the olive oil for 10 minutes before topping the pizza — a trick used by many Neapolitan pizzaioli.

Frequently asked questions

Why is there no cheese on Pizza Marinara?

Pizza Marinara predates the widespread use of mozzarella on pizza. It was designed as a cheap, long-lasting meal for sailors (marinai) because its ingredients — oil, tomato, garlic, oregano — kept well at sea. The absence of cheese is not an omission; it is the recipe.

Can I use fresh tomatoes instead of canned San Marzano?

Yes, but only in peak summer. Blanch, peel and deseed ripe plum tomatoes, then crush them by hand. Outside of summer, good-quality canned San Marzano DOP tomatoes are actually more authentic and flavourful than out-of-season fresh ones.

What is the difference between Pizza Marinara and Pizza Margherita?

Pizza Marinara (tomato, garlic, oregano, oil) is older and contains no cheese. Pizza Margherita (tomato, mozzarella, basil) was created in 1889 in honour of Queen Margherita of Savoy. Both are protected by the Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana (AVPN) as authentic Neapolitan pizzas.