Description
This is a simple recipe for roasted vegetable pizza on top of whole wheat pizza dough. Yields one 12-inch pizza or you can make two pizzas from my entire dough recipe and double the toppings listed below.
Ingredients
- 1/2 recipe homemade whole wheat pizza dough (or 1 lb store-bought whole wheat pizza dough)
- 1 garlic clove
- 2–3 cups (8–10 ounces weight) thinly sliced mixed fresh vegetables such as eggplant, bell pepper, zucchini, and onion (see note)
- 1 Tablespoons (15ml) olive oil, plus more for pan and brushing on dough
- sprinkle salt & freshly ground black pepper
- 1 Tablespoon (8g) cornmeal
- 1/3 cup (42g) pizza sauce (homemade or store-bought)
- 3/4 cup (90g) shredded mozzarella cheese*
- optional: 1 Tablespoon shredded parmesan cheese, dried basil or oregano (or an Italian seasoning mix), handful fresh basil
Instructions
- Dough: Prepare whole wheat pizza dough through step 2. Let the dough rise in step 3 as instructed in that recipe and towards the end of rise time, begin roasting the vegetables in the next step. If using store-bought frozen pizza dough, make sure it’s thawed.
- While the dough is rising, prepare your roasted vegetables. Preheat oven to 400°F (204°C). Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Place garlic clove and vegetables on the baking sheet in a single layer. Drizzle lightly with 1 Tablespoon (15ml) olive oil and sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper. Bake until softened and slightly roasted, about 15 minutes. (Keep in mind they will roast/cook again as the assembled pizza bakes.)
- Remove vegetables from the oven and increase oven to 475°F (246°C). (If using a pizza stone, place it in the oven to preheat as well.) Lightly grease baking sheet or pizza pan with nonstick spray or olive oil. Sprinkle lightly with cornmeal, which gives the crust extra crunch and flavor.
- Shape the dough: When the homemade dough is ready, punch it down to release any air bubbles. Divide the dough in half and freeze half of the dough for another time– see freezing instructions in the whole wheat pizza dough recipe. On a lightly floured work surface using lightly floured hands or rolling pin, gently flatten the dough (homemade or store-bought) into a disc. Place on prepared pan and, using lightly floured hands, stretch and flatten the disc into a 12-inch circle, about 1/2-inch thick. If the dough keeps shrinking back as you try to stretch it, stop what you’re doing, cover it lightly for 5-10 minutes, then try again. Once shaped into a 12-inch circle, lift the edge of the dough up to create a lip around the edges. I simply pinch the edges up to create the rim. If using a pizza stone, place the dough directly on a baker’s peel dusted with cornmeal. Cover dough lightly with plastic wrap or a clean kitchen towel and allow to rest for 5 minutes.
- Top & bake the pizza: Using your fingers, push dents into the surface of the dough to prevent bubbling. To prevent the filling from making your pizza crust soggy, brush the top lightly with olive oil. Chop the clove of slightly roasted garlic and sprinkle/spoon it evenly over dough. Spread pizza sauce evenly on top. Sprinkle evenly with mozzarella cheese, then arrange roasted vegetables on top.
- Bake for 15-16 minutes or until crust is a deeper brown and cheese is melted and bubbling.
- Remove pizza from oven and, if desired, sprinkle with optional parmesan cheese, fresh basil, and herbs.
- Slice hot pizza and serve immediately. Store leftover pizza covered tightly in the refrigerator and reheat as you prefer.
Notes
- Freezing Instructions: See homemade whole wheat pizza dough recipe for how to freeze the pizza dough. You can freeze the baked and cooled pizza or pizza slices. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and place wrapped slices in a freezer container or bag. Freeze up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator or at room temperature, and then reheat in the microwave or cover with aluminum foil and bake on a lined baking sheet/pizza pan in a 350°F (204°C) oven until warmed. (About 10 minutes for slices, 15-20 minutes for whole pizza.)
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Stand Mixer | Dough Scraper | Pizza Pan | Pastry Brush | Pizza Cutter
- Vegetables to Use: You can use 2-3 cups of your favorite fresh vegetables such as thinly sliced eggplant, zucchini, squash, mushrooms, bell peppers, onions, chopped broccoli, and/or quartered or halved artichokes. For best results, I recommend a mix of vegetables totaling about 2-3 cups. The weight of the total amount of vegetables should be 8-10 ounces. Keep in mind the same volume of different vegetables weigh different amounts. As long as the vegetables don’t overcrowd the top of the pizza, it’s fine. You can use frozen vegetables if desired instead of fresh, but extend the roasting time (step 2) to 20 minutes.
- Cheese: Feel free to use your favorite shredded cheese instead of mozzarella. I don’t recommend sliced fresh mozzarella for this dough. It can be quite wet and when paired with wet roasted vegetables, the pizza may end up soggy.
- Reference my Baking with Yeast Guide for answers to common yeast FAQs.
- This recipe was updated in January 2022. Instructions are simplified by roasting all of the vegetables together in the oven (instead of some on the stove and some in the oven). Recipe also now includes garlic (feel free to omit) and optional fresh basil for garnish.