Veggie Pizza Recipe

Preheat

Place a pizza stone or inverted baking sheet on the middle rack of the oven. Preheat the oven to 475°F (245°C) for at least 30 minutes so the stone or sheet becomes very hot.

If using refrigerated dough, remove from packaging and let rest at room temperature for 20 minutes to make it easier to stretch. Lightly dust a work surface with 1–2 tablespoons of flour.

Stretch or roll the dough into a 12-inch round (or size of your baking sheet). Use a rolling pin or your hands to shape. Transfer the shaped dough to a piece of parchment paper or a well-floured pizza peel.

Gently brush the dough surface with 1 tablespoon of olive oil, leaving a small edge for the crust. Spread 3 tablespoons of pizza sauce evenly over the dough, leaving a 1/2-inch border.

Evenly sprinkle 2 cups shredded mozzarella over the sauced dough, covering most of the surface but leaving the outer crust exposed.

Lightly sprinkle 2 tablespoons grated parmesan over the mozzarella if using.

Prepare the vegetables: slice mushrooms, thinly slice the red onion, pit and slice the black olives if not pre-sliced, thinly slice the green bell pepper and tomato.

Distribute the vegetables evenly over the cheese: scatter the mushrooms, red onion slices, black olive slices, green pepper strips, and tomato slices so the pizza has a balanced topping coverage.

Tuck a few basil leaves under some toppings now if you prefer them slightly wilted during baking; reserve extra leaves for serving if you want fresh basil on top after baking.

Season the assembled pizza: sprinkle 1 teaspoon dried oregano, 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes if using, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper evenly over the toppings.

Drizzle 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil lightly over the toppings for shine and flavor.

Transfer the pizza (on parchment or peel) onto the preheated pizza stone or baking sheet in the oven. Bake for 10–14 minutes, rotating halfway through if your oven has hot spots. Bake until the crust is golden and cheese is bubbling with light brown spots.

Remove the pizza from the oven using the peel or by sliding the parchment onto a cutting board. Let rest for 3–5 minutes so the cheese sets slightly.

If you reserved fresh basil, scatter leaves on top now. Use a pizza cutter or sharp knife to slice into 6–8 slices. Serve immediately.