Veggie Pizza

This vegetable pizza uses a hot surface and moisture-managed toppings for a crisp base beneath tender peppers, onions, mushrooms, and olives.

Recipe at a glance

• Yield: 8 slices
• Equipment: sheet pan or pizza stone, skillet, rolling pin
• Timing: 25 minutes prep, 15 minutes bake
• Cooking setting: 475°F

Ingredients

• 1 pound pizza dough
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 cup pizza sauce
• 1 1/2 cups shredded part-skim mozzarella
• 1/2 bell pepper, thinly sliced
• 1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced
• 1 cup sliced mushrooms
• 1/3 cup sliced black olives
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano

Method

1. Heat oven and stone, if using, to 475°F for 30 minutes. Sauté mushrooms in half the oil until their released moisture evaporates.
2. Stretch dough to a 12-inch round on parchment or an oiled sheet pan. Spread sauce to within 1/2 inch of the rim. Add cheese, cooked mushrooms, pepper, onion, and olives in a thin even layer.
3. Bake 12–16 minutes, rotating once, until the underside is crisp and the cheese bubbles. Vegetables should be tender at the edges but not watery.
4. Rest 3 minutes, scatter with oregano, and slice into eight wedges.

Ingredient and technique notes

Cooking mushrooms first keeps their water from soaking the crust. Slice peppers and onions thinly enough to soften during the brief, hot bake. Pat marinated vegetables dry before adding them. Leftover slices regain a crisp base in a dry skillet; a microwave softens the crust.

Dough and topping balance

Let refrigerated dough warm for about 45 minutes; cold dough springs back and tears. If it resists stretching, cover it and wait 10 minutes rather than forcing it. Keep the center slightly thinner than the rim. A half-cup of sauce is enough for a 12-inch round: extra sauce blocks heat and leaves the middle limp. Cheese goes beneath most vegetables to shield the crust from their juices.

Crispness cues and repairs

Look underneath with a spatula: the base should have brown freckles and hold straight when lifted. Pale dough beneath browned cheese means the surface was not fully preheated; move the pizza to a lower rack for another 2 minutes. Pooled moisture signals crowded or thick toppings. Blot it, then return the pizza to the oven briefly. Resting 3 minutes prevents cheese and vegetables from sliding during cutting.

Other vegetables and storage

Thin zucchini ribbons work if salted for 10 minutes and dried. Roasted broccoli, artichoke hearts, or spinach squeezed dry are also suitable. Fresh basil should be added after baking, unlike dried oregano. Refrigerate slices up to 4 days. Reheat in a covered skillet until the cheese warms, then uncover to recrisp the bottom. Freeze fully cooled slices for one month with parchment between them.

Cut with a wheel using firm strokes so toppings remain aligned.