The Ultimate Veggie Pizza Recipe

5 from 5 votes

I absolutely love The Ultimate Veggie Pizza Recipe—it's hands down one of my favorite homemade pizzas ever. On a base of basil-infused pesto sauce and loaded with tasty veggies like zucchini, bell peppers, kale, and jalapeños, it's topped with melty fresh mozzarella + tomatoes, all on a crispy, fluffy crust. It's simple yet bursting with flavor and perfect for any meatless vegetarian meal, ready in under 30 minutes. Vegan + Gluten-free option!

Prep Time30

Cook Time45

Total Time1 15

Course: Main Course

Keyword: baked, cheese, classic, crust, easy, healthy, herbs, pizza, vegetarian, veggies

Servings: servings

Calories: 500kcal

Author: Shanika

Ingredients

PIZZA CRUST:

2 ¾ cups organic all-purpose flour (See Notes for GF option!)
1 cup WARM fresh water
1 tablespoon honey or Agave
1 packet rapid-rise yeast (That's 2 ¼ tsps!)
1 tablespoon Extra virgin olive oil
¼ teaspoon sea salt

PESTO SAUCE:

1 Homemade pesto sauce

TOPPINGS:

1 tablespoon Extra virgin olive oil
2 cups fresh mozzarella cheese (That's about 4 ozs.)
2 cups roasted herb tomatoes
2 cups mini bell peppers, diced or sliced
1 zucchini, peeled + sliced into rounds
2 jalapeños, sliced
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried parsley
Pinch of red pepper flakes
1 cup chopped kale, fresh or frozen

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

TO MAKE THE PIZZA CRUST:

In the bowl of an electric mixer (with a dough hook attachment), mix together the warm water, honey, olive oil, and yeast (you might need to use a whisk to ensure that everything combines together well). Let is sit for at least 5 minutes, until yeast begins to activate and foam.
Slowly add the flour and salt (on low speed!), until fully incorporated and a soft dough is formed. NOTE: if dough is too sticky, add ½ cup of additional flour at a time)
Now, increase the speed to medium-high and knead the dough for about 5 minutes in the mixer.
Once done, cover the dough with plastic wrap for 10 minutes, until is rises a bit.
Once done, add the dough onto a floured surface and slightly roll out the dough until it’s flat enough to form a flat circle the rest of the way with your hands, about 11 inches in diameter. Lightly grease your pizza pan with extra virgin olive oil and place dough on one end of pan, evenly pressing it and flattening it out to fit the entire pan. Gently use your finger to stretch dough until pan is fully covered and gently pinch the edges of the dough together to form the crust.

TO MAKE THE PESTO SAUCE:

To make your own homemade Pesto sauce, see recipe!

ROAST THE VEGGIES:

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit and prepare a large baking sheet by lining it with parchment paper.
Add the tomatoes, zucchini, mini bell peppers, and jalapeños unto the baking sheet (in a single layer) and drizzle with olive oil and season with seasonings (salt, black pepper, garlic powder, smoked paprika, oregano, basil, parsley, and red pepper flakes) and bake for 25-30 minutes or until veggies are charred, wilted, and tender. Remove and let cool slightly.

ASSEMBLY:

Preheat the oven to 475 degrees Fahrenheit and place top rack into the middle of oven. NOTE: be sure to use a great pizza pan to ensure that your crust is crispy and not soggy.
Brush a generous amount of the pesto sauce over the top of the crust until evenly coated.
Generously add pieces of fresh mozzarella atop the sauce, leaving a bit of crust bare for the edges.
Top with chopped kale followed by roasted tomatoes, zucchini, bell peppers, and jalapeños.
Lightly brush the tops of the edge of the crust with 1 tablespoon of olive oil to ensure that it becomes a nice golden brown.
Gently transfer the pizza pie to the hot oven and bake for 15-20 minutes or so, until the cheese has melted (and becomes bubbly) and the crust is crispy and golden brown.
Once done, allow pizza to rest/cool for a few minutes (about 2-3 minutes) so that the cheese sets before cutting into generous slices, using a pizza cutter.
Bon Appetit!

Notes

PIZZA CRUST: For a crispy pizza, I suggest using a pizza pan with holes to allow the crust to bake through nicely. I used the AirBake Pizza Pan, which can be found at Target!
STORAGE: Leftover pizza is best kept tightly wrapped in foil paper, refrigerated for 3-4 days for optimal freshness.
GLUTEN-FREE CRUST: To make your pizza crust GF, see my Easy GF Pizza Crust recipe.
STORAGE (PESTO SAUCE): Any leftovers can be kept in a tightly sealed jar and refrigerated for up to 1 week. Can also be frozen for a longer period---up to 6 months.
ROASTED VEGGIES: It's super important to roast your veggies before assembling them unto pizza to avoid an abundance of liquid on pizza when baking as well as to ensure that veggies are cooked through before the crust and cheese melts.

Nutrition