Deep Dish Veggie Pizza

Regardless of what nutritionists say, I think pizza makes a spectacularly perfect meal.  But I can appreciate why it has such a bad reputation.  We've changed the way we think of pizza, making crusts thicker, stuffing them with extra cheese, and topping them with fatty cuts of meat.  This recipe is a lighter version of the traditional deep-dish style pizza that still tastes hearty and filling.  I've added more veggies to a little less cheese, used a very flavorful sauce, and piled those toppings onto a deceptively delicious whole wheat crust.

You'll notice I use a lot of mushroom in my pizza, and yes, that's intentional.   All our efforts to promote healthy eating by choosing brightly colored fruits and vegetables have unfairly neglected mushrooms - they're an excellent source of B vitamins and minerals.  They're also widely considered a good meat substitute in vegetarian cooking because of their texture, so we use a lot of them to "beef up" our favorite recipes.  Now, I understand that not everyone is a fan of the fungus, which is why I encourage you to try different combinations of veggies when you make this at home.  Just make sure you chop them small and don't skip roasting raw vegetables before you add them to the pizza.  Roasting helps intensify the natural flavors of fresh vegetables, and helps draw out excess moisture that can contribute to a soggy crust in deep dish pizza.  And don't be afraid to think outside the box when it comes to pizza toppings. Roasted red peppers, sun dried tomatoes, artichoke hearts, kalamata olives, roasted zucchini, even fresh spinach are all delicious additions to any homemade pizza.

To modify this recipe for busy weeknights, here are some shortcuts you can take to make this recipe even easier.  I like to start with tomato paste because it has a rich tomato flavor and I always have it in my kitchen, but you could also use tomato sauce just skip adding more water.  You can also skip the hassle of measuring out a million different spices and  use a pre-made pizza or Italian seasoning from your local grocery store.  Or for the ultimate time saver, just use your favorite brand of pizza or marinara sauce.  Serve this with a side salad and you have a healthy, completely delicious dinner. Enjoy!

Deep Dish Veggie Pizza, Serves 6
Crust:
1 1/2 cups white whole wheat flour, or sub 3/4 cup whole wheat and 3/4 cup all purpose flour
2 1/4 tsp. yeast
2/3 cup lukewarm water
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
1 T. olive oil

Sauce:
4oz tomato paste
2-3 T. water
1/2 - 1 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp basil
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp fennel
1 tsp dried parsley
1 tsp garlic, minced
1/4 - 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

Toppings:
1 bell pepper, chopped
1 package baby portobello mushrooms, stemmed and quartered
1 small onion, chopped
1 can sliced mushrooms, drained
1 can sliced black olives, drained
8 oz. reduced fat mozzarella cheese, shredded

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  Chop all raw veggies and place onto a large greased baking sheet.  Roast veggies for 15-20 minutes or until they are tender.  Set aside.

To make the sauce, mix all ingredients together.

Crust should line both bottom and
sides of the baking dish.

For the crust, mix water, sugar and yeast, stir well and set aside.  In a food processor or large bowl mix flour and salt.  Slowly add the water mixture and oil to the dry ingredients until it comes together to form a dough.  Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and let rest for 15 minutes.  After dough has rested, roll out into rectangle large enough to cover the bottom and sides of a 9 x 13 inch baking dish; crust will be about 1/4 - 1/3 inch thick.  Using your rolling pin, roll the crust over the rolling pin and transfer it to a greased 9 x 13 inch baking dish.  Trim off any excess dough and add it to the bottom crust or fold it toward the center to make a double-thick crust.

Cover crust with   1 cup of the cheese, then sauce, add roasted veggies, and top with remaining cup of shredded cheese.  Bake at 450 degrees for 20 minutes, or until cheese is melted and browned.