Summer Veggie Pizza

And this is how you say, “so long, summer!” Not so long as in, “I’m so over you”, but more like bidding farewell to a friend you’ve loved and cherished and can’t wait to see again. This pizza is a celebration of all the goodness summer brings. Kind of like a thank you to summer!

As you know, we’re avid farmer’s market goers (definitely not a phrase, but we go almost every Saturday morning), and I’ve started buying a couple of veggies or fruits that I can use to create fun, summery dishes on the weekend. I’d like to make this a tradition with the kids. I think it would be a fun way to look forward to a meal together.

Speaking of farmer’s market produce, this za is topped with heaping amounts of zucchini, yellow squash, eggplant and sweet corn, all from our market! I also added sausage because I love the way the fat, salt and spice marries so well with the fresh veggies. Everything is sauteed in the same pan, giving every bite of the pizza tremendous flavor.

A couple more things about this pizza… it’s made with store-bought pizza dough because I’m still working on perfecting my own recipe and picking dough up at the grocery store is so easy and convenient. But shhhh, don’t tell my Nonna, she’d freak! I used her homemade sauce as a topping, but also recommend using a canned sauce because we all need simplicity in our life.

Before I end this post, I have to mention the amount of times I’ve made this pizza in the past week. Three. Yes, three. Not just because I like it, but because I’ve been looking for the perfect opportunity to take pictures of it. Long story short, there was one time my camera battery died and another time the kids were screaming because they were dying of hunger (why they always act like I’m starving them is beyond me!). Alas, yesterday, I had the opportunity to finally take photos of this masterpiece. Third times a charm. 🙂

If you end up making this za, don’t forget to tag your photos with #marinamakeseats!

Summer Veggie Pizza

Ingredients

• 1/2 pound of bulk mild Italian sausage
• 2 tablespoons of olive oil
• 1/2 cup of zucchini, chopped
• 1/2 cup of yellow squash, chopped
• 1/2 cup of eggplant, chopped
• 1 ear of corn (charred on the grill if interested), kernels sliced off the cob
• Salt
• Pepper
• 1 tablespoon of fresh oregano, chopped
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 ball of store-bought whole wheat pizza dough
• 1-2 cups of pizza sauce
• 1 1/2 cups of shredded fontina cheese
• 1/2 cup of grated parmigiano reggiano cheese, additional cheese for topping
• 3-4 basil leaves, chopped
• Red pepper flakes

Directions

Preheat your oven to 425 degrees.

In a large frying pan, cook the sausage over medium heat, until browned and cooked through. Place the sausage in a bowl and set aside, leaving the grease in the pan for the veggies.

Continue heating the pan over medium heat and add the olive oil, zuchinni, yellow squash, eggplant and corn kernels. Season with a couple pinches of salt and pepper and cook for five minutes, until the veggies begin to soften up. Next, add the minced garlic and fresh oregano and cook for an additional minute. Remove from the heat, add the sausage and stir to combine. Set aside.

On a floured surface, roll out the pizza dough with a rolling pin. Place the dough on a pizza pan or baking sheet and bake it in the oven for five to seven minutes to allow the crust to firm up a bit. Take the pizza out of the oven, top with sauce, the veggie/sausage mix and the fontina and parmigiano reggiano cheeses. Place in the oven and bake for an additional five to seven minutes, or until the cheese is melted and the crust is slightly golden.

Take the pizza out of the oven and let it rest for a couple of minutes. Top with fresh chopped basil and parmigiano reggiano cheese and serve.