This recipe for a simple Romano pizza is so easy, it is one of the most common pizzas I make. As the name suggests, it uses Romano cheese instead of mozzarella.
You can have this pizza as is, or modify it by adding a bunch of different toppings. The concept is simple – a pizza crust, pizza sauce, Romano cheese and some olive oil.
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Growing up, I never heard of using Romano cheese on pizza. However, my mother-in-law would use this for my husband when he was a child. I now prefer my pizza this way and not with tons of mozzarella.
Why Romano Cheese?
If you’re wondering why Romano cheese in this recipe it’s because there is a misconception that mozzarella is the only cheese for Italian pizza. That’s Americanized thinking.
I use Romano because it tastes great and has more flavor than Parmesan cheese. I use Romano in many recipes, even when making focaccia from pizza dough.
It will not produce the long strands of cheese either.
What about Parmesan cheese? I prefer Romano cheese personally. I think it has so much more flavor, and a small amount goes a long way, so you actually use less.
But if you want to use Parmesan cheese then go for it!
How Much Cheese to Use for a Pizza?
You don’t load it on like mozzarella, you really don’t need much at all. Romano is salty so it is more intense than mozzarella.
There isn’t anything preventing you from using both cheeses, but personally for a simple pizza as simple as simple can get, Romano alone is fine.
Ingredients
- Pizza dough (or store bought pizza crust)
- Grated Romano cheese
- Pizza sauce
PRO TIP: If using a store-bought pizza crust, follow the cooking instructions on the package.
How to Make a Romano Pizza
Here are the steps. Specific quantities are in the recipe card below.
- Oil the bottom of a pizza pan.
- Place your pizza dough in the pan and spread it out to the edges.
- Spread on the pizza sauce.
- Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil.
- Top with the Romano cheese. Keep in mind the cheese will not melt and get all cheesy like mozzarella.
- Cook in a preheated oven at 350F for 25 minutes.
PRO TIP: How long you cook the pizza depends on many factors, such as thickness, if it’s precooked, or how many toppings you want to use. 350F for 25 min. seems to be a good average for me, but I always adjust as needed.
That’s it!
Topping Ideas
Here are some topping ideas.
- Thinly sliced green peppers
- Sliced olives
- Sliced garlic (very thin)
- Sliced canned mushrooms
- Sliced/chopped roasted red peppers (from a jar)
- Slices of fresh tomatoes
Enjoy the recipe, there isn’t much more to say as this truly is an extremely easy recipe!
About the Pizza Dough
I’ve used my own pizza dough and store-bought pizza crusts for this recipe. If you want to make your own pizza dough, you can use my homemade Italian pizza dough recipe.
Enjoy this delicious pizza with ricotta and spinach. It’s super easy to make.
Every try a ciabatta bread pizza? Grab a loaf of ciabatta bread or rolls and follow the recipe!
I hope you enjoy this recipe for my Romano cheese pizza. If you try it and like it, let me know in the comments – or share how you made this recipe differently to make it your own!
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Simple Pizza with Romano Cheese
Ingredients
- 1 pizza dough or premade pizza crust
- 1 cup pizza sauce or to taste
- 1/2 cup grated Romano cheese or to taste
- extra virgin olive oil used for drizzling on top and for greasing the pan
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F.
- If using homemade pizza dough, roll out in a pizza shape about 1/4″ thick.1 pizza dough
- Oil a pizza pan liberally and place dough inside.
- Top with the pizza sauce by evenly spreading the sauce around.1 cup pizza sauce
- Sprinkle with a generous layer of the grated Romano cheese and any other toppings. Use more or less according to tastes.1/2 cup grated Romano cheese
- Drizzle with Olive oil across the top of the pizza.extra virgin olive oil
- Bake for 25 minutes or until the crust is golden brown and toppings are ready.
years ago i lived in ohio and this was the only kind of pizza they made and to this day its the only kind i like .when they put all that other stuff on you cant even taste the sauce they put so little of it now that i have learned how to make my own pizza i always make one for me with sauce and grated cheese and thats it maybe a little oragano once in a while i am 83 your
mother is right its the best .thats why i like the scillian pizza or the gramma pizzas you can taste
the sauce
Thanks Judy for the wonderful comment and sharing your story. I agree, the best pizzas are the simple ones!
What type of pizza pan do I need
Hi Tom,
I typically use a stainless steel pizza pan. Here’s my affiliate link to some on Amazon: https://amzn.to/3NOQwGn. but I’ve also made pizzas on baking pans, and even in glass 13×7 baking pans too (for larger thicker pizzas!). Hope that helps!
Liz