Roasted Red Pepper and Red Onion Pizza with Basil
“People used to ask me if there isn’t anything you can’t put on pizza, and my answer still is, ‘Anything that doesn’t taste good.'”
– Ed LaDou, Spago pizza chef.
Did Italians really invent pizza? It depends on what you mean by pizza. If you mean just a flatbread with oil and spices, then you can thank the ancient Greeks and Romans. If you mean the pizza we think of today, covered in cheese and toppings, then yes, it was a popular street food in late 18th-century Naples.
In 1905, Italian immigrants opened the first pizzeria in New York City, but it was in the 1950s that pizza really took off in the U.S., in part because of World War II soldiers coming home and wanting the food they’d fallen in love with overseas.
Of course, for the gourmet “California” version, topped with things like goat cheese or barbecue chicken, we have Wolfgang Puck and his pizza chef Ed LaDou to thank. LaDou also developed the first California Pizza Kitchen menu.
The Steps
I adore a good veggie pizza. Even better, this roasted red pepper and red onion combo, when made with this cauliflower crust, is almost guilt-free. An easy homemade pizza sauce, and your choice of cheese topping, also make it a cinch to make.
- Make the pizza sauce.
- Broil and peel a red pepper. Slice into thin strips.
- Quarter and slice a red onion.
- Top this pre-baked cauliflower crust or other pre-baked pizza crust with sauce. Refrigerate or freeze any leftover sauce.
- Add cheese of your choice, roasted pepper, and red onion.
- Broil for about five minutes to melt the cheese.
- Sprinkle pizza with fresh basil and serve.
Tips and Substitutions
- When roasting red bell peppers, placing them in a freezer bag or airtight container for a half-hour after broiling makes them easy to peel.
- Pressed for time? Substitute a jar of roasted peppers instead of roasting them yourself.
- I love these toppings with this cauliflower crust. The flavors really complement each other. Adding a thin layer of the cheese or some grated Parmesan both before and after laying on the sauce helps keep the crust from getting soggy.
- Crumbled goat cheese or feta are delicious with these veggies, but shredded mozzarella is also an excellent choice, as well as cheaper.
- Add mushrooms or artichoke hearts or roasted garlic. Yum.
Reality Bakes
I usually only use about half the sauce per pizza, which is a good thing as last time I made this pizza I only had an 8-ounce can of tomato sauce on hand, not the 15-ounce one.
Roasted Red Pepper and Red Onion Pizza with Basil
Ingredients
- Cauliflower pizza crust or other pre-baked crust*
- 1 can (15 oz) tomato sauce
- 1 can (6 oz) tomato paste
- 1 tsp olive oil
- Pinch of sugar
- 1/2 tsp dried oregano
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- Pinch of freshly ground black pepper
- Handful basil leaves, shredded or chiffonaded, plus more for topping
- 1 red bell pepper
- 1 red onion
- Crumbled goat cheese, feta, or shredded mozzarella cheese
Instructions
- Mix together tomato sauce, tomato paste, olive oil, sugar and dried oregano and garlic powder. Add the salt and pepper, red pepper flakes (if using) and basil leaves to taste.
- Cut the bell pepper in half and seed and core. Place skin side up on a baking sheet lined with foil and broil for 15 minutes. Seal broiled pepper in a plastic bag or airtight container and let sit for 30 minutes. Peel pepper and slice thinly.
- Quarter and thinly slice the red onion.
- Spoon desired amount of sauce onto a pre-baked crust, then add the cheese and other toppings, except for the basil.
- Broil pizza for 5 minutes, or until cheese has melted.
- Sprinkle with fresh basil and serve.
Notes
