^[1]Classic Pizza Margherita is a simple recipe using fresh tomatoes instead of a tomato sauce, and is topped with plenty of fresh basil. It’s a great pizza for cool late summer evenings when you don’t mind turning the oven; or try cooking it on your grill with the grill topper — 8 to 10 minutes should do it! This recipe goes down easy, so double it if you’re serving more than two or three people.

Makes 6 slices

• One 12- to 14-inch good-quality pizza crust (store-bought or homemade)
• 3 to 4 medium flavorful tomatoes, sliced about 1/4 inch thick
• 1 cup vegan mozzarella-style cheese (Daiya is perfect for this)
• 1/3 cup chopped pitted black olives, preferably oil-cured,
  such as kalamata
• Thinly sliced basil leaves, to your taste (be generous!)

Preheat the oven to 425º F.

Place the crust on a pizza stone or pan. Arrange the tomatoes on the crust in concentric circles, followed by the cheese and olives.

Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, or until the crust is golden. Scatter the basil over the surface, then cut into 6 wedges to serve.

Variation: While this is the simple, classic version and needs no further embellishment, if you do want to add one or two more items, I’d recommend sliced sun-dried tomatoes and/or chopped artichoke hearts (not marinated).

• Find more of VegKitchen’s Vegan Dinner Recipes ^[2] and Pizza Dinner Recipes. ^[3]
• Explore more of VegKitchen’s Easy Pizza Recipes. ^[4]
• Explore lots more summer tomato recipes. ^[5]