The Ultimate Pizza
This isn’t just any veggie pizza—this is the ultimate, flavor-packed, veggie-loaded masterpiece your pizza night has been waiting for! Choose your favorite crispy crust (store-bought, homemade, or low-carb), then pile it high with a rainbow of roasted veggies. Because it’s so flexible to whatever ingredients you have or like, you can really get creative here. Top it off with a handful of cheese (or go dairy-free if that’s your style) and pop it in the oven for a perfectly melty, golden-brown finish. Whether you’re hosting the next pizza night with friends or just looking for a delicious way to get your veggie fix, this recipe always hits the spot. With that said, let’s make the pizza!
Grab These Ingredients
We’re crafting this veggie pizza with some classic toppings. You can add just about any veggie you have in your fridge, but here’s what we love:
Eggplant: We’ll briefly pre-roast the eggplant to get it nice and tender. You could also grill it if you have the BBQ going! Zucchini: As with the eggplant, we’ll quickly cook this in advance to tenderize it and remove the excess water. You can use zucchini or yellow summer squash here (both are equally nutritious and delicious!). Bell Pepper: Red and yellow bell peppers add color and crunch. Spinach: It’s not a rainbow veggie pizza without our favorite leafy green! Cook spinach in a pan beforehand to remove the excess water. Red Onion: Top it all off with sliced red onions for more color and zing. Cheese: And, of course, we can’t forget the cheese! Use low-moisture shredded mozzarella cheese, or add a kick of flavor with Parmesan or cheddar cheese! Pizza Sauce: You can use store-bought tomato sauce or homemade marinara sauce here (but don’t go overboard—it should just be a thin layer of sauce).
Making This Is So Simple
Step 1: Roast The Hard VeggiesPreheat the oven to 450°F with the pizza pan in it to heat it up. Halve the eggplant and zucchini lengthwise, then slice them into ¼ inch pieces. Spread onto a baking sheet and drizzle with 1 Tbsp of oil. Roast until slightly tender. Step 2: Sauté The Soft VeggiesMeanwhile, slice the onion and peppers. Add to a sauté pan with 1 Tbsp of oil and cook over medium/high until slightly soft. Remove them from the pan and cook the spinach until it’s completely wilted. Step 3: Assemble The PizzaRoll out your pizza dough, lightly brushing the top with oil. Layer tomato sauce, cheese, and all your veggies. Cook the pizza on the preheated pizza pan, then serve warm with salt, red pepper flakes, and/or ranch (or your favorite dip).
To Pre-cook Veggies Or Not?
Sometimes! Veggies with a high water content (like mushrooms, spinach, zucchini, and eggplant) should be cooked in advance to prevent the pizza from becoming soggy. Roasting/sautéing also concentrates the natural sugars in the veggies, bringing out a deeper, richer flavor. I don’t recommend skipping this step!
Best Vegetable Pairings
This veggie pizza is incredibly customizable, and you can add or swap veggies to suit your taste! In no particular order, here are a bunch of our favorites:
Broccoli Sun-dried tomatoes Peppers (bell, banana, jalapeño) Roasted red peppers Eggplant Mushrooms Artichoke hearts Olives Carrots Arugula (add it after cooking) Fresh basil leaves
Recipe Tips
Layer The Cheese Correctly: You wouldn’t think the order matters, but it does! If you put your veggie toppings on the pizza first, you’ll get a sad, soggy pizza crust. By putting the cheese on first, you create a barrier between the crust and the vegetables, making for a crispy crust and well-cooked veggies. Don’t Overload The Toppings: It might be tempting to pile the veggies high, but too many toppings can result in a soggy pizza. Keep it balanced by adding just a few toppings—a little goes a long way! For The Crispiest Crust: A trick I always use to create a pizza crust with a crispy bottom is to preheat the pizza pan in the oven before putting the pizza on it. While your oven preheats, throw the pizza pan in as well. When you’re ready to cook, transfer the pizza to the hot pan (assembling the pizza on parchment paper beforehand helps with this) and cook as usual.
