Veggie Pizza

I figured that a vegetarian pizza would be hard to sell in our family where pizza is synonymous with pepperoni. But no!

Everyone savored the delicious flavors – salty Kalamata olives, succulent artichokes, succulent mozzarella, tangy red onions and sweet yellow peppers sprinkled over a thin layer of tomato sauce.

Make it for a meatless Monday dinner or whip it up for Friday movie night. Pizza has to be one of the tastiest ways to eat veggies!

All about pizza dough

Delicious and easy-to-make homemade dough is the way to go, but store-bought dough works too. Buy two 1-pound balls of pizza dough or make one of the following homemade pizza dough recipes:

• homemade pizza dough
• Don’t knead whole wheat pizza dough
• Simple pizza dough without kneading

Let homemade dough rise overnight or at room temperature for up to 18 hours. It develops a lot of flavor and creates the valuable large air bubbles in the dough. If you are storing the dough in the fridge for longer storage, take it out of the fridge about an hour beforehand to bring it to room temperature.

For the best pizza ever, read the tips below. You’re on your way to becoming a pizza master!

toppings: Don’t overload pizza with toppings! When making pizza, less is more so the crust gets crispy without getting soggy. The crust will weigh down if you add too much topping or sauce.

oven temperature: Bake the pizza in a very hot oven. I borrowed Jim Lahey’s method of first getting my oven as hot as possible and then turning on the grill to cook the pizza.

Fun fact! Jim Lahey, owner of Sullivan St. Bakery and author of several bread cookbooks, is one of the early proponents of the no-knead bread method, and the no-knead pizza dough I recommend for this recipe is adapted from his method.

oven rack: Place the oven rack 8 to 9 inches below the grill element. This is enough clearance to prevent the top of the dough from burning. Be sure to check often as the oven’s heat distribution varies. Yours will be different than mine.

baking time: The cooking times are different for a pizza stone and a tray. Pizza takes longer to cook on a baking sheet than on a hot pizza stone.

Assemble the pizza: Top and bake one pizza after the other. While the first pizza is baking, start working on the second pizza.

Variations: do it yourself

Now that you have a base, what’s next? Honestly, the sky’s the limit. If you can imagine it, you can make it. I’m not saying you can just throw anything at it (keep the sweet potatoes and marshmallows), but follow the maxim what grows together goes together and pair these veggies with some fresh herbs.

In summer you can use thin strips of zucchini or fresh tomatoes with basil. Fall roasted pumpkin and root vegetables with sage or rosemary sounds delicious. Top the asparagus with parsley or tarragon in spring.

SO MANY veggie toppings

Here is a list of ideas for vegetarian pizza toppings. Most vegetables can be topped raw, but some must be cooked first to bring out their sweetness and keep them from drying out. It’s not a complete list, however a lot to let your imagination run wild.

vegetables

• Asparagus: Cut thin strips or rings of raw asparagus and toss in olive oil
• Aubergine: Thinly slice and bake or fry with olive oil.
• Raw dark leafy greens like kale, arugula, and spinach dressed with oil and vinegar. Top the cooked pizza or place it on top of the pizza halfway through baking.
• Mushrooms: They can be sliced ​​and raw or sautéed in olive oil.
• Potatoes: Boil until tender and cut into thin slices. Brush them with olive oil.
• Butternut, Honeynut, or Delicata Squash: Thinly slice and roast in the oven first.
• Cherry tomatoes: Simply cut in half.
• Sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil: cut into small pieces.
• Zucchini: Cut thin ribbons or thin circles and salt both sides for about 20 minutes. Drain and blot the moisture with a paper towel.

Cheese

• Parmesan
• goat cheese
• ricotta
• Provolone
• Fontina
• Gouda cheese
• Cheddar
• Gruyere

Spicy and punchy elements

• Olives (any kind), pepperoncini peppers, capers, pickled or raw jalapenos, red pepper flakes
• Soft herbs: To garnish the cooked pizza, such as basil, tarragon, Italian parsley and coriander.
• Strong herbs: Sprinkle on top either before or after baking the pizza, like rosemary, thyme, sage, and fresh or dried oregano.

How to reheat leftover pizza

My favorite thing to do is reheat pizza in a 400ºF oven. Bake for five to 10 minutes or until hot. You could microwave it but I think the crust gets too soggy. Here are some helpful tips for reheating pizza.

More vegetarian delights

• Vegetarian lasagna with spinach and mushrooms
• Vegetarian Pad Thai with tofu
• Spicy vegetarian chili
• Southwestern Vegetarian Casserole
• Vegetarian shepherd’s pie with carrots and mushrooms