Whenever I talk about making pizza at home, what I’m really talking about are the toppings for the pizza. Because we’re into the beginning of summer, I thought I would check out what was in season at my local farmers’ market. Boy, was I surprised! There was so much to choose from that I thought I would get a little of everything.

These pizzas are great if you’re leading a vegetarian lifestyle. I will post this under both categories, “pizza dishes” and “vegetarian dishes”. Oh yeah, I’ve got a great way to prepare the toppings.

Making your pizza dough is fun, but this post, I’m going to concentrate on the toppings. I’m taking help from my local grocery store and buying the pre-made pizza dough. You can also go to your local pizzeria to buy your dough.

Please read the notes before beginning this recipe.

Let’s get started on my Rustic-Style Grilled Pizzas.

Prep Time: 30 minutes
Inactive Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 30 to 60 minutes
Grilling Time: 2 to 4 minutes per side
Total Grilling Time:  2 hours 8 minutes
Yields: 4 personal-sized pizzas
Equipment: 2 rimmed baking sheet pans, indoor grill pan, 2 large mixing bowls, rolling pin, 1 small mixing bowl, 2 pairs of disposable gloves, chef’s knife, cutting board

List of Ingredients:
1 ball of store-bought pizza dough
2 (4-ounce) balls of fresh mozzarella cheese
1 (4-ounce) package of fresh goat cheese
6 slices of Prosciutto, thin julienned strips (optional)
4 heirloom tomatoes, cut into wedges
1 sweet onion, roasted
2 bulbs of fennel, cleaned, cored, and roasted
3 red beets, roasted and diced
3 golden beets, roasted and diced
1 red bell pepper, roasted and julienned
1 yellow bell pepper, roasted and julienned
2 bulbs of garlic, roasted
3 tablespoons of basil leaves, roughly chopped
2 tablespoons of Italian flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped
1 (5-ounce) package of organic store-bought pre-washed Spring Mix

Ingredients from your Pantry:
All-purpose flour
Olive oil
*E.V.O.O.
Kosher salt
Black pepper, freshly-ground
Red wine vinegar
Granulated sugar

Ingredients for the Roasted Fennel And Onions:
1 large sweet onion, quartered
2 bulbs of fennel, cored and quartered
1 tablespoon of kosher salt
1 teaspoon of black pepper, freshly-ground
1/4 cup of olive oil

Ingredients for the Roasted Garlic:
2 bulbs of garlic, cut in half crosswise
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons of olive oil
1 teaspoon of kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon of black pepper, freshly-ground

Ingredients for the Roasted Bell Peppers:
1 red bell pepper, washed and dried
1 yellow bell pepper, washed and dried

Ingredients for the Roasted Beets:
2 red beets, washed and dried, cut off the tops and bottoms, cut in half
2 golden beets, washed and dried, cut off the tops and bottoms, cut in half
2 tablespoons of kosher salt, divided
2 teaspoons of black pepper, freshly-ground and divided
1/2 cup of olive oil
2 tablespoons of *E.V.O.O., divided
2 tablespoons of Italian flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
1 tablespoon of fresh basil leaves, roughly chopped
2 tablespoons of red wine vinegar

Ingredients for the Pizza Dough:
1 ball of store-bought pizza dough, room temperature
All-purpose flour
Olive oil

Ingredients for the Heirloom Tomato Topping:
4 heirloom tomatoes, cut into wedges
1 teaspoon of granulated sugar
1 tablespoon of kosher salt
1 teaspoon of black pepper, freshly-ground
2 tablespoons of fresh basil leaves, roughly chopped
1 tablespoon of red wine vinegar
1/4 cup of *E.V.O.O.

Instructions for the Roasted Fennel and Onions:
Preheat oven to 425°F.
Place the fennel and onions on a rimmed sheet pan, then spread them into a single even layer. Drizzle with olive oil, then toss with salt and pepper to coat. Roast for 30-35 minutes. Transfer to a large mixing bowl and set aside.

Instructions for the Roasted Garlic:
Preheat oven to 425°F.
Place the halved garlic bulbs into a large piece of aluminum foil. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons of olive oil over the tops of each half. Sprinkle with kosher salt and fresh-ground black pepper. Wrap the garlic up tightly in the foil, and transfer to a baking sheet. Roast for 40 minutes. Once cool enough to handle, squeeze the garlic cloves out of their skins into a small bowl. Add 1/2 cup of E.V.O.O. Using a fork, smash the garlic into a paste.

Instructions for the Roasted Bell Peppers:
Preheat oven to 425° F.
Wrap each bell pepper in foil. Place onto a baking sheet pan along with the garlic. Roast for 30-35 minutes. Unwrap the peppers and transfer to a large mixing bowl. Cover tightly with plastic wrap. Allow to steam for 10 minutes. Remove the skins and seeds, and slice into julienne strips. Transfer to a large mixing bowl. Set aside.

Instructions for the Roasted Beets:
Preheat oven to 425°F.
Lay two large pieces of aluminum foil. Place the red beets on one piece of foil and the golden beets on another. Add the olive oil, kosher salt, and fresh-ground black pepper to each pair of beets. Wrap both the red and golden beets tightly in foil, then transfer to the baking sheet pan with the wrapped garlic and bell peppers. Cook for 1 hour (60 minutes) or until a knife can be inserted with no resistance. Once completely cooled, using disposable gloves, remove the skins, dice, and transfer to a large mixing bowl. Add chopped basil, Italian parsley, 2 tablespoons of *E.V.O.O., and red wine vinegar. Toss to combine and set aside.

Instructions for the Heirloom Tomato Topping:
Add all the ingredients to a large mixing bowl, and toss to combine. Set aside.

Instructions for the Store-Bought Pizza Dough:
Allow the dough to rest at room temperature for 1 hour. Cut the dough ball into four equal parts. Next, dust a flat surface with all-purpose flour. Roll the dough out to around 6-8 inches in diameter. They don’t have to be perfectly round; that’s what gives them that rustic look.

Preheat an indoor grill pan over medium-high heat. Brush two of the pizza doughs with olive oil, then place them onto the grill pan, oiled side down. Brush the tops with olive oil. Grill for 2-4 minutes per side.

Preheat oven to 425°F.
Arrange the four grilled pizzas (2 pizzas on each pan) on 2 rimmed baking sheets. Next, brush the tops of each pizza with roasted garlic. Evenly distribute torn fresh mozzarella over each one. Transfer the baking sheet pans to the oven, leaving the door slightly ajar. This process only takes a couple of minutes.

Once the cheese melts, pull the pizzas out and start arranging the toppings. I made different combinations for each of the four pizzas. For the base of all of the pizzas, I added the roasted onions and fennel over the melted mozzarella. Two I saved for the heirloom tomatoes and prosciutto, one for the roasted peppers, and the last one for the roasted golden and red beets topped with crumbled goat cheese.

To serve the pizzas, I added mixed greens, which included baby spinach, Swiss chard, and baby kale.

Serving instructions for the Heirloom Tomatoes Pizzas:
For the heirloom tomato pizzas, I arranged the greens under the tomatoes so the colors would show through. Then I topped it with the sliced prosciutto.

Serving instructions for the Roasted Peppers and Beet Pizzas:
For the roasted peppers and beets, I placed the greens on top. A sprinkling of kosher salt and fresh-ground black pepper.

You could make your Rustic-Style Grilled Pizzas with whatever ingredients you like. These are just a few ideas to play with when making your favorite pizza.

There you have it, my Rustic-Style Grilled Pizzas.

Notes:
1) The fennel and onions will roast on the same rimmed baking sheet. The garlic, bell peppers, and beets will roast on the second baking sheet.

2) Watch the roasting times for each vegetable.

3) *E.V.O.O. is an acronym for Extra Virgin Olive Oil.

4) Linda Lou Hamel is not a nutritionist or dietitian, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and nutritional value are important to you, I recommend running the ingredients through a preferred online nutritional calculator of your choice. Calories and values can vary depending on the brands you choose.

https://lindalouhamel.com/2019/07/10/summer-time-flowers-and-herbs/