As a vegetarian for over a decade, I’ve eaten quite a few veggie pizzas. Truly fantastic veggie pizzas are few and far between. So, I combined all of the elements I’ve enjoyed over the years to create my own “ultimate” veggie pizza pie. This is the best homemade veggie pizza I’ve ever had, and I hope you’ll say the same!
This vegetarian pizza recipe will delight vegetarians and carnivores alike. It’s fresh and full of flavor, featuring cherry tomatoes, artichoke, bell pepper, olives, red onion and some hidden (and optional) baby spinach. You’ll find a base of rich tomato sauce and golden, bubbling mozzarella underneath, of course.
The trick with loaded veggie pizzas, as many pizza shops seem to forget, is that they require a few extra minutes in the oven to develop full flavor and structure. Don’t stop baking until the cheese is deeply golden in spots. Otherwise, you might end up with floppy pizza that doesn’t live up to its true potential.
Start with my easy whole wheat pizza dough, and this recipe is ready in about 45 minutes, start to finish. This veggie pizza is quicker and healthier than delivery!
Veggie Pizza Toppings
This pizza starts with a base of my whole wheat pizza dough. As an alternative, use one pound of store-bought pizza dough, which you can divide by two to follow my recipe exactly (or just make one large pizza—that also works with store-bought dough).
Then we’ll add the following. This recipe is truly very flexible—you can skip any of them if you don’t like ’em or don’t have ’em. Use more of one for less of another. Easy!
Pizza Sauce
You have a few options here. You can use my go-to pizza sauce recipe, which is currently only available in my cookbook, Love Real Food (page 168). Or, use your favorite marinara sauce, homemade or store-bought.
Baby Spinach
Layer some fresh spinach between the pizza sauce and mozzarella to sneak in some greens.
Part-Skim Mozzarella
I love part-skim mozzarella here because it turns more golden and bubbly than fresh mozzarella.
Artichoke
Canned or jarred marinated artichoke is an easy addition here. I sliced my jarred quartered artichokes in half again to make bite-sized wedges.
Bell Pepper
Fresh bell pepper becomes nice and tender during the pizza’s short stint in a high-heat oven.
Red Onion
Red onion mellows significantly in the oven, but you omit it for sensitive palates.
Cherry Tomatoes
Halved cherry tomatoes offer reliably sweet tomato flavor and texture.
Olives
I particularly love Kalamata olives, which become a little shriveled and condensed in flavor.
Sliced Almonds
Ever had sliced almonds on your pizza? It’s a trick I’ve learned from a couple of local pizzerias. The almonds offer some toasty flavor and crunch. I’ve heard from some readers who really love this addition, and a few who don’t—it’s up to you!
Optional Garnishes
Hot from the oven, I like to top this veggie pizza with red pepper flakes, fresh basil leaves and finely grated Parmesan.
Please let me know how your pizza turns out in the comments! I love hearing from you.
Ultimate Veggie Pizza
- Author:
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
- Category: Entree
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: Italian
- Diet: Vegetarian
Make the BEST veggie pizza at home! This mouthwatering vegetarian pizza recipe features fresh cherry tomatoes, bell peppers, artichoke, spinach and more. Recipe yields two 11-inch pizzas or 1 large (about 6 to 8 servings).
Scale
Ingredients
- 1 batch easy whole wheat pizza dough or 1 pound store-bought pizza dough
- 1 cup pizza sauce or marinara
- 2 cups baby spinach
- 2 to 3 cups (8 to 12 ounces) shredded low-moisture part-skim mozzarella cheese
- ½ cup jarred or canned artichoke, cut into 1” pieces
- ½ cup fresh red or orange bell pepper, cut into narrow 2″ strips
- ½ cup red onion, cut into thin wedges
- ½ cup halved cherry tomatoes
- ½ cup pitted Kalamata olives, halved lengthwise
- ½ cup sliced almonds (optional)
- Optional garnishes: Fresh basil (small leaves or torn), red pepper flakes and/or finely grated Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 500 degrees Fahrenheit with a rack in the upper third of the oven. If you’re using a baking stone or baking steel, place it on the upper rack. Prepare dough through step 5.
- Spread pizza sauce evenly over the two pizzas, leaving about 1 inch bare around the edges. Evenly distribute the spinach on top of the sauce, followed by the cheese (use all three cups if you want a cheesy pizza as shown here).
- Top the pizzas with artichoke, bell pepper, red onion, tomatoes, olives and almonds (if using).
- Bake pizzas individually on the top rack until the crust is golden and the cheese is golden and bubbly, about 10 to 12 minutes (or significantly less, if you’re using a baking stone/steel—keep an eye on it).
- Transfer pizzas to a cutting board and sprinkle with with fresh basil, red pepper flakes and Parmesan, if using. Slice and serve! Leftover pizza keeps well in the refrigerator for 4 days, or for several months in the freezer.
Notes
Make it nut free: Omit the almonds.
Change it up: On top of the mozzarella, use any combination of the suggested toppings (up to 3 cups t0tal). The spinach and almonds are not essential.
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