Homemade Veggie Pizza
Homemade pizza night, the Kim way — a crisp olive-oil crust loaded with roasted vegetables, fresh basil, and melty plant-based mozzarella.
Kim's note
Roast the vegetables before they go on the pizza — raw zucchini and mushrooms weep water on the crust and turn it soggy, but a quick roast concentrates their flavor and keeps the bottom crisp. And preheat the empty baking sheet while the oven heats; a screaming-hot surface is how you get a pizzeria crust at home.
Ingredients
- — Dough —
- 2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast (1 packet)
- 1 cup warm water (about 105°F)
- 1 teaspoon organic cane sugar
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose or whole-wheat flour, plus more for dusting
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for the bowl
- 1 teaspoon salt
- — Topping —
- 3/4 cup marinara sauce (organic store-bought or homemade)
- 1 red bell pepper, sliced into thin strips
- 1 small zucchini, sliced into thin half-moons
- 6 oz cremini mushrooms, sliced
- 1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup shredded plant-based mozzarella (or regular mozzarella)
- 1/2 cup fresh basil leaves
- 1 pinch red pepper flakes (optional)
- Cornmeal, for the pan
How to make it
- 1
Make the dough: stir the yeast, warm water, and sugar together in a large bowl and let it sit 5 minutes, until foamy on top.
- 2
Add the flour, olive oil, and salt and stir until a shaggy dough forms. Knead on a lightly floured surface for 5 to 7 minutes, until smooth and springy. Place in an oiled bowl, cover, and let rise in a warm spot for 1 hour, until doubled.
- 3
While the dough rises, heat the oven to 425°F. Toss the bell pepper, zucchini, mushrooms, and red onion with the olive oil, oregano, and salt on a sheet pan. Roast 12 to 15 minutes, until the edges brown and the vegetables soften. Leave the oven on.
- 4
Place a large baking sheet (upside-down or pizza pan) in the oven to preheat — a hot surface gives you a crisp bottom crust.
- 5
Punch down the risen dough and stretch or roll it on a floured surface into a 12-inch circle. Transfer to a sheet of parchment dusted with cornmeal.
- 6
Spread the marinara over the dough, leaving a 1/2-inch border. Scatter the roasted vegetables evenly, then the mozzarella.
- 7
Slide the pizza (parchment and all) onto the hot baking sheet and bake 12 to 15 minutes, until the crust is golden and the cheese is melted and bubbling in spots.
- 8
Top with fresh basil and red pepper flakes, slice with a sharp knife or pizza wheel, and serve hot. Friday night, solved.
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