This scrumptious, vibrant veggie pizza is a must. The pizza crust is light, crispy and the juicy topping is made with creamy mozzarella, slightly roasted vegetables, fresh basil and arugula. It's colorful, packed with vegetables and totally delicious!Quantities yield 2 regular servings (or 1 large pizza)
Prep Time10 minutesmins
Cook Time35 minutesmins
Proofing time1 hourhr
Total Time1 hourhr45 minutesmins
Course: Pizza
Cuisine: Italian
Keyword: Veggie pizza
Servings: 2
Author: Katia
Ingredients
Easy pizza dough
1 ½ cup + 2 Tbsps (210 grams)all-purpose flour (leveled cups, see notes), plus more flour to sprinkle
½ tsp Instant yeast (or dry Active yeast, see notes)
½ tsp fine salt
¾ cup (180 grams)water, lukewarm
¾ TbspOlive oil or extra virgin olive oil
Veggie topping
5oz(150 grams)fresh mozzarella (or from ½ to ⅓ cup shredded firm mozzarella)
1red onion, sliced
1zucchini, cut it into ¼ inch slices
2bell peppers, cut it into ¼ inch slices
1cupcherry tomatoes, cut into quarters or into halves
1handfularugula, washed
10basil leaves
1tsp dried oregano (optional)
salt & pepper
Instructions
Pizza dough: follow the easy no-knead pizza recipe to prepare the dough. It takes 5 minutes of prep time and 1 hour of proofing time. When the dough has doubled in size and looks bubbly, start making the veggie topping.
Veggie topping: preheat the oven to 240°C/465°F and place the rack on the lowest position. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and spread the sliced vegetables without overlapping; season with salt, pepper, and spray or drizzle a little olive oil. A good pinch of oregano is optional, but tastes lovely.
Bake for about 20 minutes, until they get golden. I leave the baking sheet on the lowest shelf for 15 minutes, and I move it closer to the broil for the last 5 minutes. Using the broil is optional, keep an eye on them because they might burn easily if they're too close.
Shape the dough: while the veggies are in the oven, prepare 2 parchment paper sheets. Using a spatula, divide the dough by pouring half of it onto each sheet (you'll find all the tips and videohere). Sprinkle some flour over and, starting from the center, gently press it out with your fingers to get approx 2 13-inch round pizza (or you can make a whole large pizza without diving the dough).
Remove the veggies from the oven, but don't turn the the oven off and place a pizza stone or a large baking sheet on the lowest rack instead. You want to preheat a pizza stone or a baking sheet for at least 10-15 minutes to make a nice pizza crust.
Topping: Scatter the diced mozzarella, the roasted vegetables and the cherry tomatoes over the pizza. Season with salt, pepper, and sprinkle with oregano.
Bake: Slide the pizza onto the pizza stone or onto the hot baking sheet and bake for about 15minutes, or until golden and crusty. Each oven is different, keep an eye on it (e.g. in a forced fan oven it will take about 8-10 minutes). Repeat for the second pizza.
Serve warm, top with a handful of fresh arugula, some fresh basil leaves and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. Enjoy.
Notes
Yeast: Active dry yeast and instant yeast can be used interchangeably in this recipe. How to measure flour: I use both US cups and grams. The cups of flour are leveled: fill the measuring cup all the way to the top letting the flour flow over a little. Then, use the back of a knife to level the top off. However, a digital scale is an excellent kitchen tool and gives a more correct weight. Flour: all-purpose flour is perfect for pizza, but you can use bread flourinstead, it’s totally fine. What to use instead of a pizza stone? Each oven usually has a rimmed baking sheet that you can simply invert it and place on the lowest shelf of your oven before you preheat the oven. Then place your pizza and parchment paper on a pizza peel or on a large tray and, when the oven is hot and it’s time to bake, slide the pizza onto the hot reverted baking sheet. This way, taking the pizza in and out of the oven will be easier than if the baking sheet was right-side up, and at the same time the preheated baking sheet will make a crisp pizza crust. How long does veggie pizza last?Once pizza is cold, place it in a large freezer bag and refrigerate for up to 2 days in the fridge. Alternately, remove arugula and basil, 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, and toast and serve the leftover warm.