Some question the legitimacy of this tale, and others believe Margherita pizza could have been invented even earlier.
I recently sampled five different store-bought renditions of the classic.
Here’s how each ranked in descending order from my least favorite to the best overall.
Photos: The brands. Design: Eat This, Not That!
Caulipower
Veggie-forward company Caulipower asserts that it produces America’s #1 cauliflower crust.
The brand was born from one mom’s mission to make a gluten-free pizza for her sons.
It now boasts six different flavors including thisMargherita Stone-fired Cauliflower Crust Pizza.
Megan Hageman/Eat This Not That
The veggie-based crust is topped with tomato sauce, skim mozzarella cheese and parmesan, basil, and tomatoes.
It cost me $7.49 at my local store.
The look:A bit barren.
Megan Hageman/Eat This Not That
Cheese and tomato dices were applied sparingly to the small pizza as well as the red sauce.
In some areas, the brown-edged crust pops through the toppings.
The taste:The stone-fired crust is razor-thin as promised.
Megan Hageman/Eat This Not That
The larger problem I had was with the adornments.
The frozen pizza rang up at $6.49.
The look:Flat and well garnished.
Megan Hageman/Eat This Not That
Melted white cheese covers nearly every bit of the imperfect circle and chopped tomatoes were also generously applied.
The only component that gave me pause was the crust which appeared to be rather dry.
Perhaps it was the prominent mozzarella cheese.
Megan Hageman/Eat This Not That
Or, maybe it was the mediocre red sauce that tasted like Ragu or a lower-cost store brand.
Flavors of basil and other herbs and spices were lacking.
The look:I think DiGiorno’s definition of thin differs from mine.
I would still call this a pretty thickset pie.
The taste:It’s not delivery, it’s…just okay.
It’s mostly just chewy cheese and crust that is hard and crunchy in spots.
But overall, there’s nothing inherently special about the pie.
I Tried 8 Trader Joe’s Frozen Pizzas & the Best Was Tasty (and Adorable!)
It’s sold in both the brand’s restaurants and in grocery stores.
It was listed at a price of $9.49.
The look:A bit parched.
The cheese was well-distributed with a handful of small tomatoes and basil specks resting on top.
But, it has a fairly moistureless appearance to it as a whole.
The taste:Looks were deceiving in this case.
The $8.99 pie starts with a hand-stretched wheat crust.
The accompanying basil is coarsely chopped and covers most slices.
It’s also supplemented by a light yet gooey helping of mozzarella cheese and strong tangs of basil.
To round it out, the crust is a success in terms of both texture and taste.
Amy’s does the revered Margherita name proud with this classic rendition.
Why TrustEat This, Not That!
