Just a disclaimer, the pizzas don't have to be vegetarian, but it's more fun to come up with different or new and tasty combinations if you aren't just relying on pepperoni or sausage. I started making these with my vegetarian friend and neighbor, LT (shout out to the Upstairs Girl!) when we would get together for TV Tuesdays in our old rental place. I loved the challenge of finding vegetarian options for dinner.
Now at any time, I always have pesto or tomato sauce in my cupboard and a small variety of cheeses as well as random vegetables making themselves at home in the crisper, so sometimes I just wing it, but here are the basics (featuring a variation of my favorite, K2's Green Green Pizza)
Lil Veggie Pizzas
Start with a pre-made 8" pizza base, wheat or white.
Slather on your favorite sauce. PESTO!
Layer with your favorite veggies and/or, cheese, and some spices. FRESH-CRACKED PEPPER!
Bake for 15-20 minutes at 350 degrees, or until the cheese is to the level of melted/crispy that you like.
Slice your lil veggie pizza, pour a glass of wine, and munch enjoyably.
Here are some items and combo suggestions that I've tried before and again and again. Be creative with your toppings and how you mix them together. What's below is not comprehensive, but just want I like.
Pizza Crusts
Both Boboli adn Mama Mary's make wheat and white 8" pre-baked crusts. They come in a pack of three, so when I open a new pack, I'll use one and keep the other two in the freezer. I top them even when they're still frozen and just give it another minute or so to bake.
If you want to start closer to scratch, Trader Joes has the best pizza dough I've found. I love the wheat! It takes a little longer to bake, but you can make mini hand-tossed pizzas that look very rustic.
Sauces
Now you can go with your traditional red tomato sauce, but I've also used sun-dried tomato paste, pesto (did I mention I love pesto?), and salsa. But you can experiment with others bases like alfreddo sauce, vodka sauce, or olive tapenade (if you like it really salty). Be bold, be daring, blend.
Cheeses
I like the traditionals -- shredded mozzarella, thick-sliced fresh mozzarella (as seen above), and Parmesan -- but I've used cheddar, Monterey Jack, and feta too. If you like bleu cheese, that would be good with some quick carmelized onions as your veggie option.
Veggies and Stuff
Some of my favorites are fresh baby spinach and thin-thinly sliced zucchini and yellow squash.
In the warmer months when my herb garden is in full throttle, I pile on fresh basil, oregano and thyme. Another favorite topping is olives, green or black, but especially green. You can also go with the more traditional toppings like mushroom, onions, and bell peppers, but if you want to experiment, try banana peppers (sweet or hot), eggplant, green tomatoes, or beets. Just trolling through your local Farmers Market, you should be able to find new and different things. Plus whatever veggies or toppings you use can be used in other dishes as well, not just for your lil veggie pizza.
I've also used Morningstar Grillers Crumbles which "look" like a ground beef but are actually made up of veggie protein.
So here are a few of my favorite combos if you want to give one a try.
K2's Green Green Pizza -- MM wheat crust with pesto, fresh basil and oregano from the garden (when in season), a pile of fresh baby spinach, and some thick-sliced mozzarella (generously distributed) sprinkled with fresh cracked black pepper
Mexifest Pizza -- white crust with salsa or picante sauce, Grillers Crumbles pre-cooked with some cumin and chili powder, shredded cheddar and Monterey Jack cheeses, and topped with green olives
Veggie Delight -- tomato sauce/pesto blend with thin thinly-sliced zucchini and yellow squash, some lightly sauteed red and orange bell pepper pieces, shredded mozzarella, grated Parmesan and some baby spinach
If you come up with a cool combo let me know! Would love to get some fresh ideas.
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