Veggie Pizza: A Step-by-Step Guide: I would need to think about it for a while before I could answer the question, “What’s the best vegetarian pizza in Chicago?” Please tell me what kind of veggie pizza this is. Because I don’t think there is a single best pizza.
I like a Neapolitan-style pie with a light crust and few toppings every once in a while. Also, sometimes I’m in the mood for something new, like the vegan spinach and ranch pizza at Middlebrow in Logan Square. There are nights when a classic pizza delivery is the only thing that will do.
Veggie Pizza: A Step-by-Step Guide
In that case, this pizza recipe for vegetables is useful. When I really want that pizza delivery but we already had takeout the night before or the delivery time sounds way too long, etc., etc., I make it. Surely you’ve been there: you want to order in but it doesn’t make sense that night for some reason.
In those cases, this recipe for vegetarian pizza comes in very handy. It’s easy and quick to make at home, and it tastes like pizza delivery . It has bell peppers, red onion, fresh basil, salty artichokes, and three kinds of cheese. It’s something we always do on weeknights. I hope you enjoy it too!
What You Need for a Veggie Pizza Recipe
Pizza dough: You can buy store-bought dough in the meat section of the grocery store, or you can make your own! When you make your own pizza dough, it freezes well. Don’t forget to freeze half of the extra pizza dough for your next pizza night!
Cornmeal: To make the dough stretchy.
Pizza sauce: The food processor is how I make a simple sauce that doesn’t need to be cooked. I use San Mariano tomatoes, garlic, oregano, olive oil, and salt. If you want to save time, store-bought works too!
Asiago, pecorino, and mozzarella cheese: Yes, there are three kinds of cheese: Asiago, pecorino, and mozzarella. I love the way the melts mozzarella, sour Asiago, and salty pecorino taste together. To keep things simple, look for a shredded cheese blend called “pizza” at the store.
Roasted red peppers: are a classic way to top a veggie pizza! Roasted peppers from a jar or from scratch will both work here.
Artichoke hearts: give this vegetarian pizza a sour and salty taste.
Red onion: Cut it into thin slices so that the oven can soften and sweeten them.
Jalapeno pepper: Using jalapeno pepper is not common, but it tastes great. I love how hot it is! Add red pepper flakes to the pizza after it’s baked to make it even spicier.
Extra virgin olive oil: Add a drizzle of this.
And fresh basil leaves: And some fresh basil leaves. Put them on top of the pizza after it’s done cooking.
Spread the sauce on the dough, then add the cheese and vegetables. If you bake at 500°F for 10 to 13 minutes, the crust will be golden brown and the cheese and toppings will also be brown.
Add fresh basil and red pepper flakes after taking it out of the oven. Cut it up and serve!
Tips for Making Vegetarian Pizza
- Let the dough warm up. When you’re ready to stretch store-bought or home-made dough that you made ahead of time and put in the fridge, make sure to let it come to room temperature first.
- It will get softer, more flexible, and easier to shape into a big oval as it warms up. Before I stretch my dough, I try to let it sit on the counter for at least an hour.
- The artichokes and peppers should be dried off. There’s no need for all that brine to soak the pizza!
- Use a box grater with big holes to shred the cheese. I usually use the small holes on a box grater or a micro-plane zestier to grate pecorino cheese very finely.
- But for this pizza, I use the big holes on a box grater to grate all the cheeses, even the pecorino. I like how the big chunks of cheese blend together to make a smooth layer under the vegetables. Put that zestier away! For this vegetable pizza, all you need are the big holes on your grater.
- Do you want something extra? Pizza and salad are always a good idea. I like to eat this pizza with my Italian chopped salad, Caesar salad, or arugula salad.
Ingredients
- 1 pound pizza dough.
- Cornmeal, for the baking sheet.
- 1 cup shredded low-moisture part-skim mozzarella cheese.
- ½ cup shredded Asiago cheese.
- ½ cup shredded pecorino cheese, use the large holes of a box grater.
- ⅔ cup pizza sauce.
- ½ small red onion, thinly sliced.
- 2 jarred roasted red peppers, drained, patted dry, and thinly sliced.
- 1 (14-ounce) can artichoke hearts, drained, patted dry, and quartered or coarsely chopped.
- 1 jalapeno pepper, thinly sliced, optional.
- Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling.
- Red pepper flakes, optional.
- Fresh basil leaves.