Veggie pizzas sometimes get a bad reputation by being too plain, predictable, dull in color or tasteless. When prepping this type of pizza, always remember to keep creativity as your number one ingredient! Dried and fresh fruit, add texture, color and flavor, while nuts and seeds can add a hint of earthiness. Pineapple is one of my favorite toppings, and is requested at every pizza shindig I attend! The tropical, bright and sweet element that it brings is unmatched and thus its one of this pizza’s best feature. Combining this with non-traditional pizza toppings such as eggplant creates a veggie masterpiece in minutes!
Prep Time: 35 minutes
Cooking time: 15 - 20 minutes
Total time: 70 minutes
Ingredients
4 Tblsp. Homemade Tomato Sauce
2 Tbsp. Cranberries and Sunflower seeds mix
8 Leaves, Spinach, sliced
1/2 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced and caramelized
2 Tsp fresh Rosemary, minced
3 Medium Baby Mushrooms, sliced
3 Tbsp. Kraft Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressing
4 Circular slices Eggplant , .5” thick
4 Circular slices Sweet potato, .5” thick
3 Medium slices of fresh Eleuthera pineapple, chopped lengthwise
3 marinated Artichoke quarters, diced
1 9” Gluten-Free Pizza Crust (courtesy of Still Riding Foods)
Olive Oil
Prep:
Slice, dice and chop all herbs and vegetables. Preheat oven to 300 degrees for 20 minutes. Place sliced eggplant and sweet potato on a baking sheet, leaving space in between. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Place in the oven for 7-10 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool.
To prepare balsamic glazed onions, place a medium yellow onion (sliced into thin rings) and 3 baby mushrooms (sliced into 6 – 8 pieces) in a small sauté pan with olive oil for 10 – 15 minutes on medium heat. Stir occasionally and add a dash of salt and black pepper. After an additional 5 minutes, add the balsamic vinaigrette and let simmer for 7 minutes until sauce becomes thick.
Directions:
After removing the baked vegetables, unwrap the pizza crust, drizzle with olive oil and top with minced rosemary. Place crust on pizza pan and into the oven for 30 seconds, this will add crispiness to the crust. Assemble the pizza in the following order: tomato sauce, eggplant, sweet potato, spinach, caramelized onions and mushrooms with balsamic, sunflower seeds, cranberries and fresh pineapple. Smooth a thin layer of tomato sauce on the crust, leaving ¼ - ½ inch uncovered. Slice the eggplant and yam lengthwise and place neatly on the pizza in a clockwise direction. Following this, sprinkle spinach on top and add artichokes. Cover the toppings evenly with the balsamic mushrooms and onions (drain as much sauce from the mix as possible so that the pizza dough is not overly saturated. Follow this step for the artichokes as well) , sprinkle seeds and cranberries and lastly, top the pizza with chopped fresh pineapple. Let pizza bake for 15 – 20 minutes. Remove from heat, let cool, slice and serve.
Servings: 1 - 2
Tips:
Fresh grapes can also be used in place of pineapple
Powdered or chopped honey roasted peanuts can add a nice crunch during the last 2 minutes of baking or as a topping when the pizza is ready
For dairy lovers, Feta cheese (last topping) or grated Parmesan (pizza crust topper) can be added