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Sicilian style Easy Sheet Pan Tomato Herb Pizza. Fresh pizza dough topped with roasted cherry tomato sauce, three kinds of cheese, pepperoni, house style “pizza seasoning” and so much fresh garden basil. The key to this pizza is baking it on a sheet pan at a high temp until the crust becomes just a little crisp and the cheese is melty. As soon as the pizza comes out of the oven, top it with fresh basil, slice, eat, and ENJOY. Trust me, every last bite of this pizza is delicious and will leave you wanting more. It’s savory, a touch spicy, and the perfect mix of summer flavors that everyone will LOVE.
We all know how much I love a good pizza, I have many many here on the blog. So I don’t say this lightly when I say…I’m pretty sure this is the best pizza I’ve ever made. Most of my favorites include an herb/pesto base, and more times than not burrata as well. This pizza is nothing like any of my other favorites. This pizza is more of a classic, but with a twist. Kind of like something you might order from your favorite pizzeria or maybe even something like you might find in Sicily, Italy.
And. Oh. My. Gosh. It. Is. GOOD.
First things first, I’m putting it out there that I’m well aware this is not the tried and true traditional way to make this pizza. I did a ton of reading before writing this post to find out more about Sicilian Style pizza…how it originated, and what the classic way to make it is. But what I found was that it’s actually made in many different ways. The classic style pizzas that I came across were mostly thicker crust rectangle pizzas. They have a simple tomato base, lots of cheese, and pepperoni on top.
My version is similar, but then it’s kind of not. But SO GOOD. I can’t stress the SO GOOD enough. I love this pizza!
Start with the dough.
Start with the dough. I like to use my homemade pizza dough recipe from the HBH Super Simple cookbook. It’s the easiest to make and truly delicious. If you can think a few hours ahead of time, I’d recommend making your own dough. If not, store-bought pizza dough works great too (Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s both have great options)!
For those of you who prefer a thicker crust pizza, I recommend using closer to three-quarters or even one pound of pizza dough. We like our crust thinner, so I only use a half-pound of dough.
Once you have your dough figured out, it’s time to make pizza.
The two key steps.
Now, these next two steps are KEY and what I’ve found to be the most common throughout everything I read. You need to cook this pizza at a high heat temp and on a sheet pan. So start preheating your oven to five hundred degrees as soon as you decide you’re making pizza. Ideally one to two hours ahead of time to get it really HOT.
If you’re in a pinch, thirty minutes works too.
During this same time, place your ball of pizza dough on an oiled quarter sheet pan (or sheet pan of similar size). Now let it rest, the longer you can let the dough sit on the pan, the better. Thirty minutes will do the trick, but if you have the time, shoot for anywhere from two to five hours. This allows the dough time to get puffy and create wonderful air pockets.
Now make the sauce.
Instead of using store-bought sauce, I wanted to use all my fresh summer cherry tomatoes. So I just did a quick pan roasted burst cherry tomato sauce with garlic and thyme. I roasted the tomatoes in the oven at five hundred…since I already had it on. Works beautifully and creates a delicious caramelized tomato sauce.
Simply smash the tomatoes down with a fork and you’ll have a very rustic fresh tomato sauce.
And finally, the “house herb garlic pizza seasoning”.
This seasoning mix? It was actually the inspiration behind this entire pizza. I had the concept for the fresh herb and garlic seasoning mix before I decided I wanted to make a Sicilian style pizza. Fresh basil, fresh oregano, garlic, fennel, and so much crushed red pepper…how could I go wrong!
I knew the pizza needed to be somewhat simple and cheesy, enter the idea for Sicilian pizza. Once I had this in my head I was sold…pizza was being made.
And you guys? It really is the seasoning mix that MAKES this pizza. It’s fresh, herby, garlicky, and spicy. All of my favorite things.
Assemble and bake.
Push the dough out onto the baking sheet, add the sauce, the cheeses, the pepperoni (only if you enjoy them, which we do), and that herb seasoning mix. Bake in the upper position of the oven (also key), and in less than fifteen minutes you’ll have amazing pizza.
And your kitchen will smell incredible. It might be crazy hot, but I promise, this pizza is worth it!
Most importantly, you’ll have a delicious pizza to enjoy for dinner…maybe outside on the porch if your kitchen is sweltering hot from the oven. Sorry, but again, this pizza is worth it.
As soon as the pizza comes out of the oven. Slice it, top with basil, and eat. This one is meant to be eaten hot…preferably on a summer night with your favorite drink in hand. I’m picturing an ice-cold beer.
Easy Sheet Pan Tomato Herb Pizza…classic…with some additions. So very cheesy, herby, and just delicious. Roll your eyes back good!
Looking for other summer pizzas? Here are a few of my go-to’s.
Garlic and Herb Roasted Cherry Tomato Pizza with Caramelized Onions
Peach Burrata Pizza with Honey Balsamic
Lastly, if you make this Easy Sheet Pan Tomato Herb Pizza., be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Watch The How To Video:
Easy sheet pan Tomato Herb Pizza
Servings: 6
Calories Per Serving: 429 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Watch the How-To Reel
Ingredients
- 1/2 pound pizza dough, homemade or store-bought
- 3 cups cherry tomatoes (or one 14 ounce can crushed tomatoes)
- 4 cloves garlic, 2 whole smashed, 2 grated
- 2 teaspoons fig preserves or use honey
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil plus more for drizzling
- 2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves (or 2 teaspoons dried)
- 1 pinch crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 pinch kosher salt and black pepper
- 1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped, plus more for serving (or 1 tablespoon dried)
- 1/4 cup fresh oregano, chopped (or 1 tablespoon dried)
- 1-2 teaspoons fennel seeds use to your taste
- 1 cup shredded whole milk mozzarella
- 1 cup shredded fontina cheese
- 1/2 cup grated parmesan or asiago cheese
- 3 ounces pepperoni, sliced
Instructions
- 1. Position the oven rack in the upper 1/3 position. Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F. at least 30 minutes before baking, preferably 1-2 hours ahead. If you have a baking stone, start preheating it. 2. Place the ball of pizza dough on a lightly oiled quarter sheet pan. Lightly drizzle olive oil on top of the dough ball. Cover with plastic wrap and let rest for at least 30 minutes, preferably 2-5 hours, if time allows.3. To make the sauce. In a roasting pan, combine the tomatoes, olive oil, 2 cloves smashed garlic, fig preserves, thyme, and a pinch each of salt and pepper. Roast in the middle of the oven at 500 degrees F. for 10-15 minutes, until the tomatoes burst. Using a fork, smash the tomatoes down until a chunky sauce forms. Is using canned tomatoes, just simmer on the stove until thickened. Alternately, you can use your favorite marinara sauce too.4. To make the herb seasoning. In a bowl, combine the basil, oregano, 1-2 cloves grated garlic, fennel, and a pinch each of red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper. 5. To assemble. Remove the plastic wrap. Gently press the dough until it covers the entire sheet pan. Drizzle the dough lightly with olive oil. Spread on the sauce, you may not need it all. Top with cheese, then pepperoni. Sprinkle the herb seasoning over top. 6. Slide into the preheated oven and bake for 10 minutes, rotate the pizza, and bake another 3-5 minutes or until the crust is golden and the cheese has melted. Top the pizza with fresh basil and addition crushed red pepper flakes. ENJOY!
Notes
Quarter Sheet Pan: this is the exact USA Quarter Sheet Pan I use. You can use any sheet pan you have that’s of similar size, it does not need to be exact.
This post was originally published on July 9, 2020
Just made this tonight and my husband absolutely loved it. Bought the USA Pan and it is seriously a must for this recipe! Heavier metal and more durable than others. Thanks Tieghan so much, as always another recipe is a winner!
I am really glad this turned out so amazing for you, Natalie! Thank you for trying this! xTieghan
Unfortunately this didn’t work for me and I wasted a lot of ingredients in the process. Maybe if there’s a way to add what to do if the dough doesn’t as easily spread into a sheet pan? I spent most of an hour trying to keep the dough from retracting back to it’s original ball form, I even let it rest for 3 hours first!
Hi there! I am so sorry you had trouble. Something sounds really off. There is really no reason the dough should have sprung back. What kind of dough did you use? Store-bought? Homemade? Was it a yeasted dough? Any details you can provide me with would be really helpful. Usually when the dough springs back, it just needs to rest for 15-20 minutes, then you can work with it again.
Again, so sorry you had trouble!! Hoping I can help! Thank you!! xTieghan
Ive tried over 50ish recipes from HBH and I dare say this one is the best one. If not, easily top 5. The herb topper is so amazing.
Thank you so much Claire!! xTieghan
Super yummy! My husband loved it. I made a batch of dough and made two smaller pizzas – one of this recipe and one of the onion/mushroom/balsamic recipe that is also posted on your site. I made a mess of my kitchen but totally worth it. Thank you for all of the great recipes and daily inspiration on Instagram.
Thank you Kim! I am really glad this turned out so well for you! xTieghan
Hi, Teighen! I’m in love with all of your recipes- they are perfect for when you’re quarantining and just love cooking/baking.
I’d like to ask, how much flour to you find you usually need when rolling out the dough?
I also made this pizza the other night, and my family loved it.
Hey Yaminah,
Thanks so much for your kind message! When rolling out the dough you should really only need a sprinkling of flour. I hope this helps! xTieghan
So happy I found your recipe! I have been making a pasta sauce recipe like this for years, but never thought to apply it to pizza. So I added shallots and kalamata olives to the sauce like I normally do and added shredded gouda cheese to the mozzarella and fontina. The basil crisped up in the oven and was a revelation. SO YUMMY. We devoured it and can’t wait to make it again.
Wow yes!! I am really glad this recipe turned out so well for you, Boni! Thank you so much for trying it! xTieghan
My 18-year-old daughter said this was one of the best pizzas she has ever had. That pretty much says it all!
Wow yes!! I am so glad this turned out so well for you, Mary! xTieghan
Oh man, Tieghan – you’re torturing me with this recipe on a weekend where our temps are exceeding 100 degrees in the Bay Area, ha ha! Think I’ll hold off til things to cool down before i attempt turning on my oven that high, knowing that any of your wonderful recipes are clearly worth the wait! Thank you for how hard you work to bring us such scrumptious recipes!
Oh wow! That is some serious heat! I hope you are staying cool, Marcie! I would definitely recommend some popsicles haha! xTieghan
Holy moly. Husband and I made this last night with the homemade dough that you linked and it is definitely 5 out of 5, best pizza ever. We used all fresh herbs and added mushrooms and red onion on top. We also ended up using the whole pound of dough instead of half a pound and it seemed to work perfectly. The sauce definitely makes enough for 2 pizzas but that’s ok because we will be making this again this weekend haha! The flavor was out of this world and it was so easy to make!! Thank you for another smash hit, Tieghan.
Thank you for trying this one, Kimberly!! I am so glad it turned out so amazing for you!!! xTieghan
Hi Tieghan! I just made the dough from the HBH super simple cookbook, and had a quick question. My dough did not rise at all. I let it sit, covered at room temp for 2 hours. Any ideas on what could have gone wrong? Is it still useable? Thanks!!
Hey Haley,
So sorry you are having issues with the dough. I am wondering what kind of yeast you used, flour, and if you adjusted the recipe at all? All of these could have an affect on how your dough turns out. Please let me know how I can help! xTieghan
The photos look so good that I bought the sheet pan from Amazon. The pan instructions say not to exceed 450 but your recipe calls for a 500-degree oven. I don’t want to ruin my new pan. Is this discrepancy okay?
Hey Glenn,
I have no issues when using the pan at 500 degrees. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Made this pizza already and it was divine!
I have a question though: as i got loads of regular size roma tomatoes, do you think i could substitute them to the cherry tomatoes? And if so, should i roast them whole or diced? Thanks a lot!!
Hey Marie
I would recommend chopping the tomatoes and then roasting them. Please note you will have a slightly different flavor than using cherry tomatoes. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Your recipes always come out delicious, and this was no exception! I used a pizza stone, and the crust was perfect. I’ll never buy pizza dough again.
I am so happy you love this! Thank you Jen! xTieghan
Unfortunately I didn’t have a cast iron on to roast the tomatoes, I cooked them on the stovetop and they turned out great. This is a wonderful recipe, such great flavor! Another keeper.
Thank you Jessica! I am really happy to hear that! xTieghan
This was delicious and so easy to make! Going to be my go-to pizza recipe. Loved the thin crust!
Thank you so much Kate! xTieghan