Veggie pizza
Who said pizza was unhealthy? These veggie pizzas pack winning flavour combinations plus your five-a-day.
Ingredients
- 500g/1lb 2oz plain flour, plus extra for dusting
- 7g sachet fast-acting dried yeast
- 8 tbsp warm water
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- salt
For the tomato sauce
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- 400g tin plum tomatoes
- 1 tbsp finely chopped fresh oregano
- freshly ground black pepper
For the courgette pizza
- 2 courgettes, cut into matchsticks
- 2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- 150²µ/5½´Ç³ú feta, crumbled
- 1 unwaxed lemon, very thinly sliced
- 2 fresh rosemary sprigs, leaves picked
For the butternut squash pizza
- 30g/1oz unsalted butter
- 2 red onions, thinly sliced
- pinch caster sugar
- 500g/1lb 2oz butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into thin strips
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 150²µ/5½´Ç³ú Stilton, crumbled
- handful fresh sage leaves
Method
To make the pizza dough, measure the flour and yeast into a bowl and add salt to taste. Make a well in the centre and add the warm water and extra virgin olive oil. Mix until it comes together. Turn out the dough onto a work surface and knead for 3 minutes, or until it becomes springy and elastic. Place it in an oiled bowl and cover with cling film. Leave to rise for 45 minutes, or until it doubles in size.
To make the tomato sauce, heat the olive oil in a frying pan over a medium heat and add the garlic. Cook for 1–2 minutes, then add the tomatoes and oregano, breaking up the tomatoes with a wooden spoon. Season with salt and pepper and simmer for 30 minutes, or until thickened. Mash the tomatoes with a potato masher to get a smoother sauce, if necessary.
Preheat the oven to 200°C/180°C Fan/Gas 6.
To make the courgette topping, sprinkle the courgettes with salt and leave in a colander for 30 minutes. Rinse thoroughly, then squeeze them dry with kitchen paper.
To make the butternut squash topping, melt the butter in a frying pan over a low heat and add the red onions, sugar and some seasoning. Cover with a lid and cook for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until caramelised and soft.
Lay the squash in a roasting tin and drizzle with the olive oil. Roast for 20 minutes, or until tender.
Remove the squash from the oven and turn the temperature up as high as it will go. Place two large baking sheets in the oven.
Once the pizza dough has risen, divide it into four balls and roll each one out on a lightly floured surface to make 25–30cm/10–12in pizza bases.
Heat a heavy-based frying pan over a high heat and, one at a time, put the pizza bases in the pan to brown and cook the bottoms. Remove the hot baking sheets from the oven and place the browned bases on the sheets.
Arrange the courgettes on two of the bases. Top with the garlic, feta, lemon and rosemary.
Arrange the squash slices so they radiate out from the centre of the remaining two bases. Spread the caramelised onions over the top and cover with the Stilton and sage leaves.
Bake the pizzas for 8–10 minutes, or until the cheese has melted and they are cooked. Serve.
