Enjoy a slice or two of this better-for-you Roasted Veggie Pizza for dinner tonight. This meatless pizza is so full of flavor that you won’t miss the meat. The pizza crust, made with Fleischmann’s® RapidRise® Yeast, is topped with roasted asparagus, zucchini, peppers, and tomatoes, along with marinated artichokes, mozzarella, and feta cheese.
There is nothing better than a freshly baked homemade pizza.
Before you even take your first bite, the smell of the pizza crust that wafts through the house as it bakes is enough to make everyone happy.
Nowadays it is so easy to pick up the phone to order out, but nothing tastes better than homemade pizza and when you make the pizza at home you can choose to add better-for-you ingredients like roasted vegetables.
I love topping a freshly baked pizza crust with roasted asparagus, zucchini, red and orange bell peppers, and tomatoes along with some marinated artichokes.
Of course, the pizza needs a bit of mozzarella cheese and I like to sprinkle on some feta cheese too.
This roasted vegetable pizza is so amazingly flavorful that even my pepperoni-pizza-loving husband asks me to make this meatless pizza often and I am always happy to oblige because it is such a simple dinner to make.
Making homemade pizza using rapid rise yeast is really quick and easy. It only requires a few minutes of kneading and a quick 10-minute rise. That’s it! You can have a pizza ready in about 30 minutes.
How to make a quick and easy homemade pizza dough.
When you use rapid-rise yeast to make homemade pizza dough, you simply mix it in with flour, sugar, and salt. There’s no need to dissolve the yeast in water.
Speaking of water, the temperature of your water is the most important thing when making a yeast dough. You need the water to be between 120° and 130° Fahrenheit before you pour it into the dry ingredients.
Why is the water temperature so important?
- If your water is too hot it will kill the yeast and your dough won’t rise.
- If your water is too cold the yeast will not activate and your dough won’t rise.
- It’s very important to follow the package instructions whenever making a yeast dough.
- It’s also best to use a thermometer to measure the temperature of the water.
- If you don’t have a thermometer, you want the water to be warm to the touch but not hot.
Use fresh yeast!
- Do not use expired yeast.
- If you use yeast that has expired, your dough may not rise and your pizza crust will be dense.
Fleischmann’s® Yeast has been used in kitchens for over 150 years. I trust it to make my yeast dough and I always have great results when I use their envelopes of dry yeast.
Pizza Dough Ingredients:
- 1 3/4 cup to 2 1/4 cup flour
- 1 envelope Fleischmann’s® RapidRise® Yeast
- 1-1/2 teaspoons sugar
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 2/3 cup very warm water (120° to 130°F)*
- 3 tablespoons Mazola® Corn Oil
Make the dough:
- To make the dough, combine 1 3/4 cup of flour with the yeast, sugar, and salt in a mixing bowl.
- Pour in the warm water and corn oil and mix until well combined.
- Liberally flour your countertop and pour the dough out onto the floured surface.
- Knead the dough for about 4 minutes until it is smooth and elastic, incorporating as much flour as needed so that the dough is not sticky.
- To knead the dough, flatten the dough and fold it toward you.
- Using the heels of your hands, push the dough away from you using a rolling motion.
- Then rotate the dough a quarter of a turn and repeat.
- Then cover the ball of dough loosely with plastic wrap and let it rest for 10 minutes.
- You can place the dough in a well-greased bowl and allow it to rest covered in plastic wrap if you prefer.
That’s it! Pretty easy, right? Once the dough has rested, either roll it out into a 12-inch circle or simply pat it into your pizza pan. If you like a nice round puff of crust around your pizza, pinch the dough to make it a bit thicker around the perimeter of your pan.
How to roast vegetables for your pizza?
- Heat a baking pan in a 425° F oven for 5-10 minutes or simply place the pan in the oven when you turn it on then allow it to heat up as the oven heats up.
- Toss your chopped veggies in a bit of Mazola® Corn Oil and sprinkle with salt.
- Remove the hot pan from the oven using thick oven mitts, and carefully spread the veggies in a single layer.
- Roast in the oven for 4-8 minutes.*
- The vegetables will continue to bake on top of the pizza, so don’t roast them fully.
NOTES: *Different vegetables need more or less roasting time. The amount of roasting time will also depend on how you chop your vegetables. The times listed below take into consideration the additional 12-15 of baking time on the pizza.
- zucchini and red and orange bell peppers = 8 minutes
- garlic cloves, cut into thin strips = 8 minutes
- thick asparagus = 8 minutes
- thin asparagus = 5-6 minutes
- tomatoes = 3-4 minutes
Do I need to roast the vegetables before baking the pizza?
- Yes! Vegetables release water as they roast, so you need to roast them for a while before baking to remove some of that excess water otherwise your pizza will become a bit soggy.
- Vegetables also need a bit more time in the oven than the pizza will take to bake. Generally, vegetables take 20-24 minutes to roast and the pizza will only bake for about 12-15 minutes.
How to top a Roasted Veggie Pizza?
- Brush the edges of the homemade pizza dough lightly with corn oil.
- Spread pizza sauce over the center of the dough leaving 1/2-inch to 1-inch border of uncovered dough around the perimeter of the pan.
- Sprinkle with about 3/4 cup of shredded mozzarella cheese.
- Arrange the roasted asparagus, zucchini, bell peppers, tomatoes, and garlic on top of the pizza.
- Cut marinated artichokes in half lengthwise and place them on the pizza.
- You can leave them whole, but I personally like smaller pieces on my pizza.
- Sprinkle on the remaining mozzarella cheese then add about 2 tablespoons of feta cheese on top.
- You can add more cheese if desired, but to keep this pizza a lighter option, use the amount listed in the ingredients.
Bake your homemade Roasted Veggie Pizza
- Bake on the lowest rack in a preheated 425° oven for 12-15 minutes until the crust is golden brown and the cheese is thoroughly melted.
- Whenever making homemade pizza it’s important to use a very hot oven. Typically I preheat my oven at least 20 minutes before I plan on putting the pizza in the oven but in this case, I had already heated it to roast my vegetables.
By the time your pizza is done baking your entire family will be in the kitchen, mouths watering, anxious to take a bite of their first slice of this homemade pizza. You can, of course, top your pizza with your favorite vegetables for a better-for-you meatless meal.
Optional roasted vegetable toppings:
- yellow squash
- eggplant
- Brussels sprouts
- onions
- mushrooms
Other vegetable toppings:
- Jalapeños
- banana peppers
- Kalamata olives
- black olives
Roasted Vegetable Pizza Video
Watch the video tutorial to see just how easy it is to make a homemade Roasted Vegetable Pizza using Fleischmann’s® Yeast.
Top a homemade pizza crust with roasted asparagus, zucchini, peppers, tomatoes, garlic, marinated artichokes, and mozzarella & feta cheese.
- 1 3/4 to 2-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 envelope Fleischmann's® RapidRise® Yeast
- 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 2/3 cup warm water (between 120° to 130°F)
- 3 tablespoons corn oil
- 2/3 cup pizza sauce
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1 1/2 cups roasted vegetables (asparagus, zucchini, peppers, tomatoes, garlic)
- 8 marinated artichokes halves, cut in half lengthwise
- 2 tablespoons feta cheese
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Preheat oven to 425°F.
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Combine 1 1/2 cups flour, undissolved yeast, sugar and salt in a large mixing bowl.
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Add the very warm water (between 120° to 130°F) and corn oil then mix until well blended for about 1 minute.
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Knead the dough on a floured surface, adding additional flour if necessary, until smooth and elastic, about 4 minutes.
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Cover the dough with plastic wrap then let the dough rest for 10 minutes.
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Grease a 12-inch round pizza pan then pat the dough into an even layer in the pan.
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Pinch the edges to create a thicker crust around the perimeter of the crust.
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Brush the edges of the pizza crust lightly with corn oil.
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Spread the pizza sauce over the center of the dough, leaving 1/2-inch to 1-inch of uncovered dough around the perimeter of the pan.
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Sprinkle about 3/4 of the mozzarella cheese over the sauce.
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Add the roasted vegetables on top then add the marinated artichokes, the remaining mozzarella cheese, and the feta cheese.
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Bake on lowest oven rack for 12 to 15 minutes, until cheese is bubbly and crust is browned.
- If you don't have a thermometer, water should feel quite warm to the touch.
- To knead the dough, add just enough flour to the dough and to your hands to keep the dough from sticking. Flatten the dough and fold it toward you. Using the heels of your hands, push the dough away from you using a rolling motion. Rotate the dough a quarter of a turn and repeat. Keep kneading the dough until it becomes smooth and elastic, about 4 minutes.
- To roast your vegetables, toss them with some corn oil and a sprinkling of salt. Preheat the oven and a baking pan to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Remove the hot pan and carefully spread the vegetables onto the pan. Then roast in the hot oven for 4-8 minutes, depending on the type and size of the vegetable. See the Roasted Veggie Pizza blog post for more information.
If you enjoy baking with yeast, you might also enjoy making these:
Dazzling Diamond Beignets
If you like this vegetable pizza recipe you might also like these:
Carrot Shaped Vegetable Pizzas
If you love making chocolate be sure to check out my Chocolate Making Courses at The Sugar Academy.
Have a sweet day, Beth
Homemade pizza crust always scares me, but you make it look so easy, I’ll have to give it another try.
It was so easy to make! It took me just a few minutes to mix and knead then it rests for 10 minutes. You can roll it out or pat it into a pan. And it tastes soooooo good! I am excited to make it again and again.