Crave Wednesday: Roasted Vegetable and Ricotta Pizza

Not too long ago Velva made a couple of white pizzas, one topped with zucchini, caramelized onions, and summer squash.  The recipe called for tossing the zucchini and squash with olive oil and then topping the pizza and cooking for 8 minutes.

In my very humble opinion, the pizza was missing a step.

Tonight as I julienned zucchini to toss with our pasta, Thatkid grabbed a piece and attempted to eat it, giving me the sly smile he does when he "helps" me measure chocolate chips.  I told him the secret to zucchini is that it always tastes better once it's cooked.

Cooking zucchini always makes it seem sweeter.  It also mellows out the flavor, which can be a little sharp when raw.  Roasting it with a bunch of other vegetables only adds to the richness of the dish, as the various flavors combine and mingle in a summer dance.  For this pizza, onions, peppers, zucchini, and mushrooms pair with creamy, salty, ricotta for a rich pizza, that also feels light and "healthy."  All those vegetables!  Like eating your garden!  Unlike root vegetables, which roast for a long period, heating up your home, this recipe calls for 15 minutes of roasting only, which makes it doable during the summer when zucchini and peppers are at their finest.

Roasted Vegetable and Ricotta Pizza (From Cooking Light)

Refrigerated pizza dough

Cooking spray

2 cups cremini mushrooms

1 cup sliced zucchini

1/4 tsp black pepper

1 yellow bell pepper sliced

1 red onion slices

5 1/2 tsp olive oil

1 Tbsp cornmeal

1/3 cup tomato sauce

1 cup shredded mozzarella

1/2 tsp crushed red pepper

1/3 cup ricotta cheese

2 Tbsp basil leaves

1. Place a pizza stone in the oven and preheat to 500.  Place dough in a bowl coated with cooking spray.  Let stand covered, 30 minutes.
2. Combine mushrooms and next 4 ingredients in a large bowl and toss with 1 1/2 Tbsp oil. Arrange vegetables on a jelly roll and bake for 15 minutes.
3. Punch dough down.  Sprinkle a lightly floured baking sheet with cornmeal and roll dough into a 15-inch circle on sheet.
4. Brush dough with 1 tsp oil.
5. Spread sauce over dough, leaving a half inch border.
6. Spring 1/2 cup mozzarella over sauce.
7. Top with vegetables.
8. Sprinkle 1/2 cup mozzarella and red pepper over zucchini mixture. 
9. Dollop with ricotta.  Slide pizza onto preheated pizza stone.  Bake for 11 minutes.  
10. Sprinkle with basil.  Cut into 12 wedges.