Quick Veggie Pizza

Posted by laurel 24 February, 2010

Some nights you just want a pizza, right? Monday was one of those nights at my place, so I made my own pie on the fly. By picking up a ready-made whole grain pizza crust, it was a very quick and easy meal to prepare. The crust came in a package at the store (looked like Boboli) and was made using several whole grain flours and seeds. You can check your local grocery store for any whole grain or whole wheat crust. Look for those that are free of trans fats and high fructose corn syrup. Sometimes you can find high-quality, natural doughs in the frozen section (but you’ll need to defrost them for at least 6 hours before baking). You’ll likely find the best selection at a health food store or Whole Foods. If you’re in the South, Publix usually sells their own pizza dough in the bakery (sometimes even whole wheat doughs!).

Here’s the recipe for my pizza. It really was a quick and easy dinner. As with many of my recipes, you don’t have to be a stickler on all the measurements (just use whatever looks good to you).

Quick Veggie Pizza

1 whole grain pizza crust
1 can organic tomato paste (small 6-oz can)
2 cloves garlic
1-2 tbsp. fresh basil
1-2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1/2 yellow bell pepper
2 stalks of broccolini
1/2 cup fresh mozzarella
Salt & pepper

Prepare your pizza dough (either remove from package or roll it out if you’re working from scratch). Spread the tomato paste on top. Chop up your garlic and basil and sprinkle them on top of the tomato paste. Cut up the fresh mozzarella into thin slices and spread out across pizza. Chop up the bell pepper and broccolini and spread them out to complete your toppings (I cut the bell pepper into thin, 1-inch strips and remove the stalks from the broccolini to leave the leafy tops in small pieces). Drizzle olive oil on top of the pizza and season with a little salt and pepper. Bake in the oven according to directions for your dough. My pizza cooked at 350 degrees for 7-12 minutes.

That’s it! Looks tasty, right? If you try this one on your own, feel free to switch up the veggies to whatever you like. I served this pizza with avocado slices on the side.