Semi-Homemade Pizza

semi-homemade, no Sandra Lee.

It used to bother me that when people ask what my favorite food is, even at my big age, my answer is still pizza. It seemed like such a juvenile answer. All the food in the world, and my favorite thing is pizza?

Well, yes.

I can own it proudly now. I’ve come to realize part of what I love so much about pizza is its versatility. Of course, a plain NY-style slice is hard to beat, but there are also so many ways to make it different and switch things up. The possibilities are very legitimately endless.

I used to work at a pizzeria—shout out to the homies at Homeslice in Austin, TX! During my time there, I was eating an average of 3 slices every single day. It started to get a little out of hand…then the calzone phase started. Suffice to say, if you’re ever in Austin, takes yourself to Homeslice for lunch. You can thank me later.

Because I had so much access to fresh pizza dough, this quickly became my go-to hack for when I wanted something quick and easy (and, well, pizza), but also couldn’t keep ignoring the wilting veggies in the fridge.

When you’re buying dough, you’ll really want to use it that day. If you let the pizza dough sit in the fridge too long, you run the risk of the gluten becoming over-relaxed and instead of a light, and crisp crust, you’ll end up with something much tougher and gummy. When you’re ready to use it, let the dough sit out for about 30min to come to room temperature so that it stretches easily. A well-floured surface and room temperature dough will help avoid tears when stretching the dough out and when transferring it to you baking tray.

The great thing about this recipe is how adaptable it is. You can use fresh ingredients or leftovers, and you can swap most of the below ingredients for whatever you’re in the mood for.

Sauce wise, I like to stick with tomato. If you keep canned tomatoes/sauce on hand you can definitely throw a quick sauce together. But this is meant to be super easy and lazy, so grab your favorite jarred pasta sauce and use that. You can also skip the sauce completely and opt for 2-4 tbsp of olive oil.

Cheese time! Now, I know this is a hot take, but sometimes, I actually love a pizza that has no cheese at all, or just a light sprinkling on top. If you choose an olive oil base instead of sauce, however, I would recommend at least a light layer of cheese after the olive to keep the crust moist on top. The only rule with cheese is, and I cannot stress this enough, grate your own cheese! Those bags of pre-shredded cheeses are convenient but they contain anti-caking agents like potato starch to keep it from clumping together in the bag. That also means it keeps it from melting together seamlessly when it’s cooked. So, if you want those sexy cheese pulls, skip the shredded stuff.

Let’s talk about toppings.

Now, it’s really time to let your freak flag fly. I typically use this recipe as an opportunity to clean out the produce drawer, so I’ll use things like onions, bell peppers, squash, broccoli, or mushrooms. You can also use cooked veggies you have leftover.

If you’ve got leafy green things, those work great too! For fresh leafy veggies I like to blanch or sauté the greens first. Because we’ll be cooking this at a high temperature, some leafy greens can dry out before they become tender. If you choose to blanch them, be sure to thoroughly drain the excess water so you can still achieve a crispy crust!

Of course, you’re not limited to veggies. Meat, cheese, everything is fair game. I recently had a Chaat Masala inspired pizza that was incredible, so get creative and have some fun with it!

Semi-Homemade Pizza

Active time: 10-15min

Total time: 30-40min

Yield: 2-4 servings

1 md doughball (usually for a 16” pie)

All purpose flour and/or semolina for dusting

½ cup tomato sauce

¼ cup freshly grated pecorino romano  

½ zucchini

½ white onion

2 tbsp olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat your oven to 500 degrees fahrenheit. Place your pizza stone or sheet pan on the lowest rack of the oven to preheat with the oven.

Allow your dough ball to come to room temperature while you prep the other ingredients.

Slice your vegetables into ¼” thick slices or rounds and set aside.

On a marble surface or countertop, generously sprinkle flour and/or semolina in an area large enough to stretch your dough into a shape that fits your baking pan. Using the tips of your fingers ½” away from the edge of the dough ball, gently press the dough down and push your fingertips away from each other. Do this around the whole pizza and continue stretching it until the dough is about ¼” thick in the middle with a ½” thick crust.

Add you sauce to the center of the pizza and use a spoon in a circular motion to spread it out to the crust. Next, add your veggies in an even layer. Transfer your pizza to your baking sheet/stone. I like to use a piece of parchment paper and a thin cutting board as a makeshift pizza peel.

Bake your pizza for 12-20min, depending on how crispy you like it. At the halfway point, rotate your pizza to ensure an even cook all around.

Once it’s out, top it with freshly grated pecorino romano cheese, a drizzle of olive oil, and a generous pink of salt and freshly cracked black pepper.

Slice it up, and enjoy a full belly and an empty fridge!