andrejthechef
USAPizzaDinnerVegetarian

Kevin's Cheese Pizza

A thick, generously cheesy takeaway-style pizza, the exact kind Kevin McCallister eats alone, straight from the box, in Home Alone.

prep
30 min
cook
15 min
total
45 min
serves
4
level
medium
Kevin's Cheese Pizza, from Home Alone (1990)

Kevin McCallister orders this pizza for himself in Home Alone (1990), right after he's accidentally left behind by his entire family, and eating a whole cheesy pie alone in front of the TV becomes one of the film's most quoted little symbols of kid-approved independence.

Go generous with the cheese here, more than a restaurant would ever put on. The joke of the scene is a whole pizza loaded up with nobody around to make Kevin share it.

Part of our 40 famous movie foods list.

method

  1. Preheat the oven, with a pizza stone or steel inside if you have one, to its highest setting, at least 240°C (465°F), for at least 30 minutes.

  2. Stretch or roll the pizza dough out to your desired size on a surface dusted with cornmeal or semolina.

  3. Spread the tomato sauce evenly over the dough, leaving a border for the crust.

  4. Scatter the mozzarella generously and evenly over the sauce, more generously than feels reasonable; this is meant to be an extra-cheesy, takeaway-style pizza.

  5. Sprinkle with oregano, and drizzle with a little olive oil.

  6. Slide the pizza onto the hot stone or a baking tray, and bake for 10 to 15 minutes, until the crust is golden and the cheese is fully melted and bubbling, with some golden spots.

  7. Let it rest for 2 to 3 minutes, then slice and serve, ideally straight from the box or tray, alone, in front of the television.

chef's tips

  • Go heavier on the cheese than you would for a restaurant pizza; the whole joke of Kevin's pizza scene is an entire pie to himself, loaded with cheese, with nobody around to tell him to share it.
  • Preheating the oven, and a stone or steel if you have one, for a genuinely long time before baking is what gets you a properly crisp crust at home rather than a soggy one.
  • In Home Alone (1990), Kevin orders this pizza for himself after accidentally being left behind by his family, and the scene has become one of the film's most quoted images of unsupervised, kid-approved independence.
  • A mix of low-moisture mozzarella for proper melt and a little fresh mozzarella for flavor gives the best of both, though either alone works fine too.