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Yummy Veggie Pizza

Big on flavours and texture, this is one vegetarian pizza that even meat lovers will dig.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Course Main Course
Cuisine Italian

Equipment

  • oven

Ingredients
  

  • 1 store-bought pizza crust
  • 1/3 cup chopped canned tomatoes
  • 8-10 fresh shitake mushrooms, sliced thinly
  • 1/2 red bell pepper, cut into thin strips
  • 2 shallots or 1/4 big yellow onion, thinly sliced
  • 2 tsp mixed Italian herbs (like Opah herbs)
  • 1 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese (optional)
  • Handful basil leaves, removed from stalk
  • Handful shredded cheese
  • Salt and pepper
  • Olive oil

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven.
    In a saucepan, heat up 1 tbsp of olive oil and add mushrooms, bell pepper and onions. Saute until soft and mushrooms  begin to caramelize. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside
  • Now, prepare your pizza sauce. Using a potato masher or fork, mash tomatoes until saucy, then add salt and pepper. (Non-vegetarians: you can also mash 1-2 anchovy fillets and add to the sauce to give it a real salty boost.)
  • Preheat oven (follow instructions on your pizza box).
  • Spread a thin layer of olive oil on your pizza crust. Now, spread your pizza sauce on top.
  • (Optional) Over the sauce, I like to sprinkle a layer of grated parmesan cheese. You can skip this step but it adds a nice layer of savouriness to the mixture.
  • Now, layer your cooked vegetables on top.
  • Over this, scatter the basil leaves. Basil leaves are delicate so if you lay them on top of everything, exposed directly to the high oven heat, they will burn and you don't want that!
  • The last ingredient to go on should be shredded cheese. Try to include mozzarella as it will give it the cheese pull effect. Don't be stingy with your cheese - nothing worse than a pizza with insufficient cheese! 
  • Pop into pre-heated oven and bake until cheese is golden and bubbly. Serve!

Notes

  1. How to choose the right vegetables? Think of contrasting textures and flavour contributors when choosing your veggie combo. Mushrooms are always a good bet because they are naturally endowed with umami and you don't need too many additional seasonings. Onions add sweetness, while bell peppers contribute sweetness and crunch. You get the idea :)
  2.  While sauteing your vegetables, you can also add dried herbs (such as Opah Herbs) for that extra depth of flavour.
  3. Opah Herbs are a cook's best friend - so versatile and delicious