Pizza con Cipolla

Pizza con cipolla is a tomato pizza topped with slow-caramelised yellow onion and no cheese. It sits between pizza marinara (garlic and tomato only, €0.47/serving) and pizza margherita (tomato and mozzarella, €1.15/serving) on the cost scale. No mozzarella means the cost stays low while the topping delivers sweetness and texture from the caramelised onion. Four servings at approximately €0.55 per serving.

Ingredients (4 servings)

• 500g Type 00 flour (farina 00)
• 7g fresh yeast (lievito di birra)
• 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 400g canned peeled tomatoes (pomodori pelati)
• 300g yellow onion (2 medium onions), thinly sliced
• 8g salt
• 300ml warm water

Instructions

1. Make the dough Dissolve the yeast in 300ml warm water. In a large bowl, combine the flour and salt. Add the yeast water and 1 tbsp of olive oil. Mix until a shaggy dough forms, then knead for 8 minutes until smooth and elastic. Cover with a damp cloth and let rise for 1 hour at room temperature.

2. Caramelise the onion While the dough rises, heat a thin film of oil in a wide pan over medium-low heat. Add the sliced onion with a pinch of salt. Cook 20–25 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes, until soft, golden, and sweet. Do not rush — high heat steams the onion rather than caramelising it.

3. Make the tomato base Crush the peeled tomatoes by hand or with a fork. Season lightly with salt. Keep uncooked — the oven will concentrate the sauce.

4. Shape and top Preheat oven to 250°C (or as high as your oven will go) with a baking tray inside. Divide the dough into 2 rounds and stretch each to approximately 30cm on a lightly floured surface. Spread the tomato base, leaving a 1.5cm border. Distribute the caramelised onion evenly over the tomato.

5. Bake Slide each pizza onto the hot tray. Bake 10–12 minutes until the crust is golden and the edges have colour. Drizzle with the remaining olive oil before serving.

Notes

The quality of this pizza depends entirely on the caramelisation. Onion cooked quickly is pungent; onion cooked slowly over 20 minutes turns sweet and concentrated — a completely different flavour. Allow the full cooking time.

For a cheese-free pizza with more complexity, see pizza marinara (garlic and herbs). For a richer onion option without tomato, see focaccia cipolla or focaccia cipolla e rosmarino.

Cost Context

At Italian supermarket prices (Q1 2025): farina-00 (€1.00/kg), lievito-di-birra (€7.00/kg), olio-extravergine-oliva (€9.50/L), pomodori-pelati (€1.90/kg), cipolla (€1.50/kg).

Ingredient	Quantity	Cost
Farina 00	500g	€0.50
Lievito di birra	7g	€0.05
Olio EVO	45ml	€0.43
Pomodori pelati	400g	€0.76
Cipolla	300g	€0.45
Total		€2.19

Four servings at €0.55 per serving. HIGH confidence — all 5 ingredients priced from the Q1 2025 dataset.

The tomato base (€0.76) and oil (€0.43) account for 54% of total cost. Onion at €1.50/kg is the least expensive topping in the Italian pizza range after rosemary.

Compare to pizza marinara at €0.47/serving (no onion, lower cost) and pizza margherita at €1.15/serving (mozzarella required). Use the Recipe Cost Calculator for a full itemised breakdown.