My favorite new trick for making sauce for pizza is to skip cooking it. While some sauces are wonderful when their rich flavor has been developed over time, I find that keeping the garlic and basil in this sauce raw, just until they go into the oven, yields a fresh-tasting, incredibly flavorful pizza. The roasted tomatoes bring a welcome sweetness that compliments the spicy pepperoni nicely.

• ingredients
• flour for rolling and for pan Pantry
• 1 cup canned roasted, crushed tomatoes (preferably the “fire-roasted” variety) $1.75 for a 14-oz. can
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped Pantry
• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil Pantry
• 1/4 cup packed fresh basil leaves, finely chopped, plus more for garnish $1 for a bunch
• salt and pepper to taste Pantry
• 1/2 recipe pizza dough $1.50
• 1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese $3.50 for 8 oz.
• about 12 slices pepperoni $3.50 for 6 oz.

Total Cost of Ingredients $12.25

Directions

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Lightly flour a baking sheet or pizza pan and set aside.

In a small bowl, stir together the crushed tomatoes, garlic, olive oil, basil salt and pepper. Set aside.

On a lightly floured surface, roll the pizza dough out into desired shape (I made mine oblong). Top with the sauce, cheese, pepperoni and more basil.

Bake for 13-15 minutes, or until crust is golden-brown and cheese is very bubbly.

Cut into wedges and serve.

Serves 2-3.

Photo credit: John Mortimer