Tomato Pie

No mozzarella. Crushed tomatoes, salt, oregano, olive oil, and pecorino on a hot crust. Five ingredients, zero hiding places.

Time: 8 min | Yield: 1 pizzas | Difficulty: Easy | Serves: 3 | Published: 2026-07-24

A tomato pie is what happens when you strip pizza down to its soul: dough, tomatoes, herbs, olive oil, and a dusting of cheese. No mozzarella blanket. Nowhere to hide.

Which means the tomatoes ARE the pizza. Use the best can you can get, mine is Bianco DiNapoli, spooned on generously, seasoned simply with salt and oregano, and finished with good olive oil before and after the bake. The pecorino and Reggiano go on as seasoning, not coverage.

This is the pie that converts people who think pizza needs a pound of cheese. It also happens to be the fastest real pizza on the site, if you've got dough ready, you're eating in fifteen minutes.

Ingredients

Directions

  1. Stretch dough to 14-16 inches. If needed, references any of the dough recipes listed on my site.
    You'll know it's right: Don't stretch the dough too thin, the watery tomatoes can lead to a soggy pizza.
  2. Grab your favorite can of crushed tomatoes. My go-to are Bianco Di Napoli. Spoon a healthy amount of tomatoes on your dough. I prefer a thick enough layer to where you can't see through to the dough. Crushed tomatoes
    You'll know it's right: A 'healthy amount' means visibly saucier than a normal pie, this is a tomato-forward pizza. Hand-crushed whole peeled tomatoes work great too.
  3. Sprinkle a layer of salt and oregano depending on personal preference. Then drizzle evenly over the top and around the crust. Salt, Oregano, EVOO
  4. Launch your pizza in a preheated oven at 550 degrees (or as hot as it can go) for 7-8 minutes. Optional Broil.
    You'll know it's right: Pull when the crust is deeply browned and the tomato layer has gone from wet to jammy with darkened edges. The broil concentrates everything.
  5. Cool on a cooling rack for 1-2 minutes then grate Parmigiano Reggiano all over the top. Add another drizzle of oil on top and around the crust for flavor. pecorino romano, EVOO
    You'll know it's right: Rack rest first, then Reggiano while hot, then the final oil drizzle. That last drizzle on warm tomatoes is where the flavor peaks.
  6. ENJOY!

Troubleshooting

The pie was bland

Cheap tomatoes, or under-seasoned. With five ingredients the tomato quality is everything. Bianco DiNapoli or a top-tier San Marzano, and don't be shy with the salt, there's no cheese layer doing seasoning work for you.

Center went soggy

Too much tomato liquid. Crushed tomatoes should be thick, drain excess liquid from the can before spooning. Jammy, not watery, is the target.

Crust burned before the tomatoes concentrated

Sauce layer too thin for the oven heat. This pie wants a generous tomato layer, it protects the dough while it concentrates. A skimpy layer bakes off in 4 minutes and leaves the crust exposed.

Tasted like something was missing

Skipped the post-bake finish. The Reggiano and the second oil drizzle after the bake are half the flavor. Raw good olive oil on hot tomatoes is the signature of this pie.

Nutrition (2 slices (1/4 of a 14-inch pie)): 250 calories, 8g protein, 40g carbs, 7g fat.