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Ratatouille Pizza

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Credit: Photo: Joe Lingeman / Food Stylist: Anna Stockwell

Inspired by traditional French ratatouille , this eye-catching pizza is by far

Credit: Photo: Joe Lingeman / Food Stylist: Anna Stockwell

Creating a Veggie Spiral

For the best-looking swirl, you want to start with similarly sized produce. For this reason, a baby eggplant or small Japanese or Chinese eggplant is your best choice. If you can only find a standard globe eggplant, cut slices from the narrowest portion of the veggie. As you build the spiral, overlap the slices of zucchini, yellow squash, eggplant, and tomato about halfway to make sure all of the colors are visible.

Leftover sliced veggies can be used in a multitude of ways. Sauté them in olive oil and stuff them into your morning omelet , add them to a pasta dish , or use them in a savory ratatouille-inspired cobbler .

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Do I Need a Pizza Stone?

I’m a big fan of a pizza stone to achieve restaurant-style pizza at home — it helps the crust cook evenly and gives it that crispy, airy texture. If you don’t have one, an inverted baking sheet is the best way to mimic it. Place the baking sheet in your oven upside down, then preheat the oven. Build your pizza on parchment paper, then slide it right onto the flat surface of the baking sheet.

Credit: Photo: Joe Lingeman / Food Stylist: Anna Stockwell

Serving Your Veggie-Packed Pizza

After letting the pizza cool for about five minutes, sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese and torn fresh basil leaves. To keep the pretty spiral intact, cut the pizza with kitchen shears rather than a regular pizza cutter, which can cause the topping to shift. Serve with the remaining pizza sauce for dipping — and more white wine.

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Ratatouille Pizza

Yield Serves 4

Prep time 25 minutes

Cook time 20 minutes

• shellfish-free
• fish-free
• alcohol-free
• vegetarian
• peanut-free
• pork-free
• pescatarian
• balanced
• tree-nut-free
• high-fiber
• soy-free
• egg-free
• red-meat-free

Per serving, based on 4 servings. (% daily value)

• Calories 544
• Fat 18.6 g (28.6%)
• Saturated 6.6 g (33.1%)
• Carbs 76.0 g (25.3%)
• Fiber 9.1 g (36.4%)
• Sugars 8.8 g
• Protein 19.6 g (39.1%)
• Sodium 956.4 mg (39.9%)

Ingredients

• 1 pound

  pizza dough, store-bought or homemade

• 1

  small yellow onion

• 1/2

  medium red bell pepper

• 2 cloves

  garlic

• 1

  small green zucchini (about 4 ounces)

• 1

  small yellow squash (about 4 ounces)

• 1

  baby eggplant or small Japanese or Chinese eggplant

• 1

  medium plum or Roma tomato (about 4 ounces)

• 2 tablespoons

  extra-virgin olive oil, divided

• 1 1/2 cups

  (13.8- to 14.5-ounce box or can) crushed or strained tomatoes, such as Pomi’s

• 2 sprigs

  fresh thyme

• 1 teaspoon

  kosher salt, divided

• 1/2 teaspoon

  freshly ground black pepper, divided

• Pinch red pepper flakes

• 4 ounces

  low-moisture mozzarella cheese

• All-purpose flour

• Fresh basil leaves, for serving

• Freshly grated parmesan, for serving

Instructions

1. If the pizza dough is cold, let sit at room temperature at least 2 hours before proceeding. The dough is ready when it does not bounce back when stretched.

2. Arrange a rack in the bottom third of the oven and place a pizza stone or upside-down baking sheet on the rack. Heat the oven to 450°F.

3. Dice 1 small yellow onion and 1/2 medium red bell pepper. Mince 2 garlic cloves. Thinly slice 1 small zucchini, 1 small yellow squash, 1 baby eggplant, and 1 medium Roma tomato into rounds.

4. Heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a small saucepan over medium heat until shimmering. Add the onion and garlic and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the bell pepper and cook until softened, about 2 minutes. Add 1 1/2 cups crushed or strained tomatoes, 2 fresh thyme sprigs, 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, and a pinch of red pepper flakes. Bring to a gentle simmer. Cover partially with a lid and simmer for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, grate 4 ounces mozzarella cheese on the large holes of a box grater (about 1 cup).

5. Remove the sauce from the heat and discard the thyme sprigs.

6. Place the pizza dough on a lightly floured work surface. Roll or stretch into a rough 14- to 16-inch round. If using a pizza stone, transfer the dough onto a floured pizza paddle. If using a baking sheet, transfer the dough onto parchment paper.

7. Spread an even layer of sauce onto the dough (about 1/2 cup) and save the remaining sauce for serving. Sprinkle evenly with the cheese. Starting from the edges and working your way to the center, arrange the zucchini, yellow squash, eggplant, and tomato in a spiral pattern, overlapping each slice by about half. You might not use up all the vegetables.

8. Brush the vegetables with the remaining 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil and season with the remaining 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper.

9. If using a pizza stone, carefully slide the pizza directly onto the stone. If using an upside-down baking sheet, slide the parchment paper onto the baking sheet. Bake until the crust is golden-brown, about 15 to 20 minutes. Remove pizza from the oven and let cool for 5 minutes. Sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese and torn fresh basil leaves before slicing or cutting with kitchen shears. Serve with the remaining sauce for dipping.

Recipe Notes

Make ahead: The sauce can be made and refrigerated in an airtight container up to a few days ahead.

Storage: Leftover pizza can be refrigerated for up to 4 days. Reheat in a 400ºF oven for 3 to 5 minutes.

Source : food