Pizza Diavola Verde With Spicy Green Sauce

Imperial June 3, 2026June 3, 2026

Quick Recipe Version (TL;DR)

Yield: 1 large 13-inch pizza, 4 servings
Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 22 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes

Quick Ingredients

Dough: 1 pound pizza dough, 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour, 1 tablespoon fine semolina or cornmeal
Green sauce: 8 ounces tomatillos, 1 large jalapeño, 2 garlic cloves, 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin, 1 tablespoon lime juice, 1/4 cup cilantro, 1/2 teaspoon honey
Cheese: 6 ounces low-moisture whole-milk mozzarella, shredded, plus 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan or Pecorino Romano
Spicy toppings: 3 ounces thinly sliced spicy salami and 1/3 cup drained pickled green chilies or pickled jalapeño rings
Finish: 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, 1 tablespoon chopped cilantro, and 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, optional

Do This

1. Heat oven to 500°F with a pizza stone, baking steel, or inverted baking sheet inside for 45 minutes; let dough come to room temperature.
2. Roast tomatillos, jalapeño, and garlic with olive oil, salt, and cumin for 10 to 12 minutes.
3. Blend roasted vegetables with lime juice, cilantro, and honey; simmer 3 to 5 minutes if loose, until thick and spreadable.
4. Stretch dough into a 13-inch round on flour and semolina or cornmeal.
5. Spread on 1/2 cup green sauce, then add mozzarella, salami, pickled green chilies, and Parmesan.
6. Bake at 500°F for 8 to 11 minutes, until the crust is browned and the cheese is melted with a few toasted spots.
7. Rest 2 minutes, finish with olive oil and cilantro, then slice and serve hot.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

Bold but balanced: Tangy tomatillos, spicy jalapeño, creamy mozzarella, and savory salami make every bite lively without being one-note hot.
Home-oven friendly: A very hot oven, a preheated stone or sheet pan, and a thick green sauce help you get a crisp, flavorful crust at home.
Easy heat control: Remove jalapeño seeds for medium heat, add extra pickled chilies for a fiery version, or keep the salami as the main spice.
Big pizza-night energy: It feels special and restaurant-inspired, but it uses grocery-store ingredients and one pound of pizza dough.

Grocery List

Produce: 8 ounces tomatillos, 1 large jalapeño, 2 garlic cloves, 1 lime, fresh cilantro
Dairy: Low-moisture whole-milk mozzarella, Parmesan or Pecorino Romano
Meat: Thinly sliced spicy salami, hot soppressata, or spicy pepperoni-style salami
Bakery: 1 pound fresh pizza dough, homemade or store-bought
Pantry: Olive oil, kosher salt, ground cumin, honey, all-purpose flour, fine semolina or cornmeal, pickled green chilies or pickled jalapeño rings, crushed red pepper flakes if desired

Full Ingredients

For the Pizza Dough Base

1 pound pizza dough, homemade or store-bought, at room temperature for 45 minutes
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour, for stretching the dough
1 tablespoon fine semolina or fine cornmeal, for the peel or baking surface
1 teaspoon olive oil, for lightly coating your hands if needed

For the Tomatillo-Jalapeño Verde Sauce

8 ounces tomatillos, husked, rinsed well, and quartered, about 5 medium tomatillos
1 large jalapeño, stemmed and halved lengthwise; remove seeds for medium heat or keep seeds for hotter sauce
2 garlic cloves, peeled
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1/4 cup packed fresh cilantro leaves and tender stems
1/2 teaspoon honey

For the Toppings

6 ounces low-moisture whole-milk mozzarella, shredded, about 1 1/2 cups
3 ounces thinly sliced spicy salami, hot soppressata, or spicy Calabrese-style salami
1/3 cup pickled green chilies or pickled jalapeño rings, drained and patted dry
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan or Pecorino Romano
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, optional, for extra heat

For Finishing

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling over the hot pizza
1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
1 lime wedge, optional, for a very light squeeze before serving

Pizza Diavola Verde With Spicy Green Sauce – Closeup

Step-by-Step Instructions

Step 1: Warm the dough and preheat the oven

Place a pizza stone, baking steel, or an inverted heavy baking sheet on the middle rack of your oven. Heat the oven to 500°F for at least 45 minutes. A long preheat is important because the hot surface helps the bottom crust cook quickly and become crisp instead of pale or soft.

At the same time, take the pizza dough out of the refrigerator and let it sit at room temperature for 45 minutes. Keep it covered so it does not dry out. Room-temperature dough stretches more easily and is less likely to spring back.

Step 2: Roast the tomatillos, jalapeño, and garlic

While the oven is heating, place the quartered tomatillos, halved jalapeño, and garlic cloves on a small rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon olive oil, then sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt and 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin. Toss everything to coat.

Roast on the top rack at 500°F for 10 to 12 minutes, until the tomatillos have softened, released some juices, and picked up a few browned spots. The jalapeño should look slightly blistered around the edges. Carefully remove the pan from the oven and let the vegetables cool for 3 minutes.

Step 3: Blend the verde sauce

Transfer the roasted tomatillos, jalapeño, garlic, and any pan juices to a blender or food processor. Add the lime juice, cilantro, and honey. Blend until mostly smooth, about 20 to 30 seconds. The sauce should taste tangy, lightly smoky, and spicy, with just enough sweetness to round it out.

If the sauce seems watery, pour it into a small skillet and simmer over medium heat for 3 to 5 minutes, stirring often, until it thickens to a spreadable consistency. You want about 1/2 cup sauce for the pizza. A thicker sauce keeps the crust from getting soggy.

Step 4: Stretch the pizza dough

Lightly flour your work surface. Place the dough on the flour and gently press it into a flat round with your fingertips, leaving a slightly thicker rim around the edge. Pick up the dough and stretch it carefully, rotating as you go, until it is about 13 inches wide.

Sprinkle a pizza peel, the back of a sheet pan, or a piece of parchment paper with 1 tablespoon fine semolina or cornmeal. Transfer the stretched dough to the prepared surface. If the dough pulls back, let it rest for 5 minutes, then gently stretch it again.

Step 5: Add the green sauce and toppings

Spread about 1/2 cup of the tomatillo-jalapeño sauce over the dough, leaving a 1/2-inch border around the edge. Use the back of a spoon to spread it in a thin, even layer. Avoid adding too much sauce; a light layer gives the pizza bright flavor while letting the crust bake properly.

Scatter the shredded mozzarella evenly over the sauce. Arrange the spicy salami slices on top, then add the drained, patted-dry pickled green chilies. Sprinkle with Parmesan or Pecorino Romano. If you want a hotter Pizza Diavola Verde, add the optional crushed red pepper flakes now.

Step 6: Bake until crisp, browned, and bubbling

Slide the pizza onto the preheated stone, steel, or inverted baking sheet. Bake at 500°F for 8 to 11 minutes, until the crust is puffed and browned, the cheese is melted, and the salami has curled slightly at the edges. If your oven has hot spots, rotate the pizza halfway through baking.

If baking on parchment, you can carefully pull the parchment out after 5 minutes once the crust has set, then continue baking directly on the hot surface for a crisper bottom.

Step 7: Finish, rest, and slice

Transfer the pizza to a wooden board or cutting surface. Let it rest for 2 minutes so the cheese settles and the sauce does not run when sliced. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, sprinkle with chopped cilantro, and add a very light squeeze of lime if you want extra brightness.

Slice into 8 pieces and serve hot. The best bites will have a little of everything: tangy green sauce, creamy mozzarella, crisp-edged spicy salami, and sharp pickled green chilies.

Pro Tips

Use low-moisture mozzarella: Fresh mozzarella can release too much water in a home oven. Low-moisture mozzarella melts beautifully and keeps the crust crisper.
Pat the pickled chilies dry: Pickled chilies bring great heat and acidity, but excess brine can make the pizza wet. Drain them well and blot with a towel before topping.
Keep the sauce thick: Tomatillos can be juicy. If your sauce looks pourable rather than spoonable, simmer it briefly until it tightens up.
Do not overload the center: A thin layer of sauce and an even scatter of toppings help the middle bake through instead of turning soft.
Preheat longer than you think: A 500°F oven needs time to fully heat the stone, steel, or sheet pan. The hot surface is what gives the pizza its best crust.

Variations

Extra-fiery Diavola Verde: Use 2 jalapeños in the sauce, keep the seeds in, and add 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes before baking.
Smoky green pizza: Replace the jalapeño with 1 roasted poblano plus 1 serrano chile for smoky flavor and a sharper chile bite.
Vegetarian verde pizza: Skip the salami and add 1/2 cup thinly sliced mushrooms plus 1/4 cup sliced green olives. Add a pinch more salt to balance the missing salami.

Storage & Make-Ahead

Pizza Diavola Verde is best right after baking, but leftovers keep well. Store cooled slices in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat on a preheated baking sheet in a 425°F oven for 6 to 8 minutes, or warm in a dry skillet over medium-low heat for 4 to 6 minutes until the crust crisps and the cheese softens. Avoid microwaving if possible, since it makes the crust chewy.

To make parts ahead, prepare the tomatillo-jalapeño sauce up to 3 days in advance and refrigerate it in a covered container. The sauce may thicken as it chills; stir in 1 teaspoon water at a time only if needed. You can also shred the mozzarella and slice or portion the toppings up to 1 day ahead. Bring the dough to room temperature for 45 minutes before shaping.

Nutrition (per serving)