Pizza with Peppers (no-knead recipe)
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This scrumptious pizza with peppers is a real treat for any pizza lover! It’s crusty, full of flavor, and packed with juicy peppers, soft mozzarella and fresh basil leaves. This is truly a terrific vegetarian pizza that smells and tastes amazing.
Added bonus? It uses my favorite pizza dough super EASY to make in 1 bowl: all you have to do is mix the ingredients with a spoon, no mess and no kneading are required.
This pepper pizza recipe is so simple yet irresistible, that my husband and I devoured it as soon as I took all the pictures LOL. It’s also a great way to use the colorful bell peppers, especially when they’re in season and less expensive.
We love peppers because they pack so much flavor, they keep well in the fridge, they’re healthy and so versatile.
Cook them slowly in olive oil to bring out that delicious sweet flavor. Take your time here, it’s worth it.
Serve this amazing pizza with bell peppers with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and plenty of fresh basil leaves. And have a great pizza night!
video: how to make easy pizza dough
List of the ingredients
- Bell peppers
- Olive oil or extra virgin olive oil
- Mozzarella cheese
- Garlic or onion
- Basil (optional)
- All-purpose flour (or store-bought pizza dough if you wish)
- Instant yeast (or Active dry yeast, see notes)
- Salt & black pepper
How to make pizza with peppers
(Note: this is a quick description with step-by-step photos, the full recipe is at the bottom of the page)
- Mix flour, instant yeast, and salt in one bowl. Stir in water, olive oil, and mix with a spatula until dry and wet ingredients are incorporated. A few lumps are ok.
- Cover and put the bowl in a warm place.
- Meanwhile, slowly cook the peppers in some olive oil.
- Allow the dough to rise until doubled in size (at least 1 hour).
- Pour onto a piece of parchment paper.
- Stretch it with your fingers.
- Top with mozzarella, peppers and bake.
- Serve with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and fresh basil leaves. I also love a sprinkle of sea salt flakes, delicious on pizza and focaccia!
Recipe notes
Ingredients and substitutions
FLOUR: unbleached all-purpose flour is perfect, but bread flour works too. Alternatively, you can use store-bought pizza dough if you run short of time.
YEAST: you can use Active dry yeast instead of Instant yeast, but the Active yeast needs to be activated in water (follow the manufacturer’s instructions).
BELL PEPPERS: fresh bell peppers are delicious, but you can go for cheaper frozen mixed peppers if you’re on a budget, or you can use just green peppers if you find a good deal.
GARLIC: you can use 1 sliced onion instead of garlic, add it at the beginning along with the peppers. You can skip both garlic and onion if you find them hard to digest.
MOZZARELLA: fresh mozzarella is best, but you can swap mozzarella for crumbled feta or ricotta cheese.
VEGAN OPTION: skip the cheese, and use a brine made with olive oil and water instead as I do in this recipe. It’s delicious!
Tips to make pizza with peppers
- Don’t use a rolling pin, it pushes out gas and bubbles, use your fingers instead.
- Preheat the oven: the hotter the oven, the better the pizza will be!
- Place the rack in the lowest position close to the heating element.
- Use hot pizza stone or pizza steel if you can! They both give a burst of initial heat making it puffy and crusty at the same time. Also a pizza tray works fine and gives you a nice crust.
- I used my easy pizza dough for this pepper pizza. It’s a high-hydration dough, very easy to put together, but the high water content makes it too sticky if you want to transfer your pizza from a pizza peel to a hot stone. This is when parchment paper comes in handy!
Note: the recipe uses this high hydration dough which means that the amount of water is over 80% of the amount of flour. It’s a bit sticky, but easy to make in 1 bowl and deliciously crispy.
For more easy pizza and focaccia recipes:
Yes, I’m a huge fan of pizza and focaccia and here are some of fav recipes:
If you make this easy pizza with peppers, or you have a question, let me know by leaving a comment. I would love to hear from you! x
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Pizza with Peppers (no-knead recipe)
Ingredients
Pizza dough
- 1 ½ cup + 2 Tbsp (210 grams) all-purpose flour or bread flour
- ½ tsp instant yeast (or Active yeast, see notes)
- ½ tsp fine salt
- ¾ cup lukewarm water
- ¾ Tbsp olive oil
Topping
- 1 ½ Tbsp olive oil
- 4 medium-sized bell peppers, deseeded and cut into slices (green peppers or frozen mixed peppers are fine too)
- 1 large garlic clove, minced
- salt & pepper, to taste
- 5 oz (140 grams) fresh mozzarella, shredded
- Fresh basil leaves, to garnish
Instructions
PIZZA DOUGH
- In a large bowl mix flour, instant yeast, and salt until combined.
- Add water, olive oil, and stir with a spatula to incorporate the dry ingredients into the liquid. The dough is sticky, it doesn't look smooth, and a few lumps are totally fine.
- LET THE DOUGH PROOF: cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a damp tea towel, place in a warm place, and let it rest for 1 hour, or just until the dough doubles in sized.
- When the dough is ready and fluffy, preheat the oven to 440°F/230°C, and cut a large piece of parchment paper (if you use a pizza stone) or use the parchment paper to line a large baking pan.
- SHAPE THE DOUGH: scrape the edges of the bowl with a spatula and pour the dough onto the parchment paper, dust with some flour and starting from the center gently press it out with your fingers until you get approx a 9×13 inch pizza. Let it rest for 10 minutes if time allows..
- TOPPING: top with shredded mozzarella, peppers, and season with fine salt and cracked black pepper.
- BAKE: bake in the lower shelf of the oven for 15 minutes or until nice and crusty.
- Serve with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, and fresh basil leaves.
PEPPERS
- Heat the olive oil in a large non-stick pan, then add the sliced peppers, season with fine salt and cracked black pepper, cover with a lid and cook over medium heat for about 25 minutes. Stir frequently, and add a touch of water only if needed.
- When the peppers are done, add the garlic, give a good toss, and cook for another minute.
- Taste, adjust the seasoning according to your liking, and set aside.
Notes
Once pizza is cold, place it in a large freezer bag and refrigerate for up to 2 days in the fridge. Alternately, wrap your pizza in cling film or place it in a freezer bag, make sure you squeeze the air out and freeze it up to 2 months. Defrost at room temperature. Toast your leftover pizza in the oven, enjoy. Nutrition facts: please note that the nutrition values are based on an online nutrition calculator. It’s an estimate only and it should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice. The nutrition values are for one small serving (about 6 x 4 inches each), the final drizzle of olive oil is not included.
