Fall Roasted Vegetable Pizza

My last post showed you all how to roast seasonal fall vegetables, so here’s a great and simple way to turn them into a meal, top them on a PIZZA! Topping a pizza with roasted vegetables, some fresh rosemary and a few dollops of ricotta turn a plain-Jane pizza into an amazing sweet, savory gourmet meatless pizza. That was a mouthful, but this fall roasted vegetable pizza has all of that, and then some!

This roasted vegetable pizza is a meal in itself and 1 to 2 pieces are all you’ll need because its got a lot going on besides just cheese!  This is not your plain-Jane cheese pizza folks! The red onions and rosemary are my FAVORITE toppings on the pizza! The red onions are all caramelized and sweet, but sweet in a super great way, not in a sugary over the top way. I think roasting them with the coconut oil brings out their sweetness. The red onion and rosemary pair well with the mild flavors of the ricotta and mozzarella, and of course the other roasted vegetables. The color and flavor profile on this pizza is stunning and will “wow” any guests that you serve it up to. You could even slice this pizza up into small squares, or triangles (if using a pizza stone) and serve it up as an appetizer!

This is also a great weeknight pizza because the vegetables can be roasted a day or two ahead of time, as they will heat up naturally while the pizza is baking. All you need to pair this pizza with is a simple green salad, such as my arugula salad with lemon vinaigrette. Come on, let’s make some pizza together…

fall roasted vegetable pizza:

equipment needed: pizza stone or rimmed baking sheet, parchment paper
serves 4

• 1 pound pizza dough at room temp – I love the pizza dough from Whole Foods
• 2-3 tablespoons olive oil
• 8 ounces (about 2 cups) shredded mozzarella cheese
• 3-4 cups roasted fall vegetables, (combination of butternut squash, sweet potatoes and red onion) – see my post on roasting fall vegetables
• 1/2 cup ricotta cheese
• 2 sprigs of fresh rosemary leaves, (about 1 tablespoon) leaves roughly peeled off of the stem
• few pinches of coarse sea salt
• cornmeal and all-purpose flour for dusting

Important tip! Take out your pizza dough at least 30-45 minutes before you plan on rolling it out. I found to key to pliable pizza dough is to take it out at least 30-45 minutes before I roll it. The warmer the dough, the more pliable it will be. Cold pizza dough is tough and will not roll out easily.  

Preheat oven to 475 degrees, and position a rack in the lower third of the oven. I put the rack on the 2nd tier from the bottom.

Get out a rimmed baking sheet, pizza stone or whatever you use to cook pizza on, and dust it with some cornmeal. Note: If you’re using a rimmed baking sheet, line it with a layer of parchment paper and then dust it with cornmeal (see my note about aluminum below). The cornmeal helps to keep the pizza dough from sticking to the pan, and also helps to make the pizza crust a bit more crunchy.

Fact: Most commercial baking sheets are made of heavy-duty aluminum, which like aluminum foil will leach into your food, so always line your rimmed baking sheets/sheet pans with parchment paper. The parchment paper prevents the aluminum from leaching into your food, so it’s basically a barrier. Parchment paper also helps with clean up and to keep the dough from sticking to the pan.

Now, it’s time to roll out the dough! On a lightly floured work surface, roll out the dough into a rectangular shape or the shape of your pan. A thinner dough works better here, so try and get it on the thinner side.

Transfer the dough to the prepared baking sheet. Take a pastry brush and brush the dough all over with some olive oil, making sure to get the edges of the dough as well. This helps to get a crispy crust!

Now it’s time for the fun part, topping the pizza!

Sprinkle dough with half the mozzarella.

Scatter all the roasted vegetables on top.

Dollop the pizza with a bit of ricotta here and there.

Sprinkle with remaining mozzarella and rosemary leaves.

 Drizzle with olive oil, and season with a bit of coarse sea salt. Isn’t it just beautiful?

Bake the pizza in the pre-heated oven until the bottom of the crust is golden brown and the topping is bubbly, about 12 to 15 minutes.

My pizza takes exactly 12 minutes to cook to perfection each time, but ovens vary, so keep an eye on your pizza!

Slice up the pizza and serve it warm!

This pizza is best served up with a simple salad, like my arugula salad with lemon vinaigrette.

Here’s another one of our favorite meatless pizzas; broccoli rabe pizza!

I honestly can’t believe that I’ve posted 4 times in the last week. I hope it’s not too much for you all, but I have so many ideas and recipes to share with you all and I just get excited and want to get them out to you!

Please take your time and make up what you can, when you can, there’s no rush. Also, please keep in touch and if you make something and love it, let me know!  If you adapt a recipe, let me know, as it’s not only helpful to me, but to my readers. Hey, we’re all chefs in the kitchen together, so let’s share the wisdom!