This recipe is so easy, it is one of the most common pizzas I make. Not only is Romano cheese cheaper and more economical, it is packed with tons of flavor!
I won’t get into how to make the dough or crust, I’ll assume you already have it made or bought from the store.
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.
You can print my recipe below, and if you’d like to join my newsletter you can get more easy Italian recipes as I post them!
Why Romano Cheese?
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 kid. The reason was because of the same reasons I mentioned above.
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 a ton more flavor than Parmesan cheese. I also use it when making focaccia from pizza dough.
It will not produce the long strands of cheese either.
What about Parmesan cheese? I don’t remember the last time I used Parmesan cheese. Romano cheese has soooo much more flavor, and a small amount goes a long way, so you actually use less.
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.
Basically just add the sauce, olive oil and cheese to the pizza and cook at a high temp for a short time. That’s it!
Enjoy the recipe, there isn’t much more to say as this truly is an extremely easy recipe!
Simple Pizza with Romano Cheese
Ingredients
- pizza dough
- pizza sauce
- grated Romano cheese
- extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 500 degrees F.
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If using homemade pizza dough, roll out in a pizza shape about 1/4″ thick.
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Oil a pizza pan a place dough inside.
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Top with sauce by evenly spreading the sauce around.
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Sprinkle with a generous layer of the grated Romano cheese and any other toppings.
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Drizzle with Olive oil.
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Bake for 12- 20 minutes or until the crust is golden brown and cheese has melted.
Recipe Notes
TIP #1: For a crispier crust, you can cook the pizza right on the rack (rub bottom with a little bit of olive oil), pizza stone, or even on a grill.
TIP #2: I have found cooking time always varies, especially with the number of toppings used, and the thickness of the dough.
TIP #3: if using a lot of toppings, bake the pizza crust for about 5 minutes prior to placing any toppings on. I do this quite often, especially if I’m using tomatoes as a topping.
