Homemade-Ratatouille-Pizza

This recipe is a new twist on ratatouille and combines some of my favorite things – veggies and pizza! Introducing my Homemade Ratatouille Pizza. It’s cheesy, flavorful and has a fluffy homemade whole wheat honey crust.

Ratatouille is a classic dish that technically originated in France, but vegetables were being prepared in a similar stewed fashion for several years prior in the Mediterranean. It makes sense, because vegetables are less expensive than meats and fish, so they were a staple diet for many people who couldn’t afford to buy animal protein. Ratatouille is still a popular dish today, especially for those aiming to eat a healthy diet. It’s a wonderful meal because it’s filling and comforting, but is made entirely of vegetables, herbs, spices and olive oil!

If you’re looking for a low carb meal packed with veggies and protein, check out my Classic Ratatouille with Cheesy Chicken Breast. This ratatouille pizza recipe is certainly still nutritious as it’s full of veggies and made with whole wheat crust. We make it on the grill and it’s perfect for a relaxed Friday night in.

Making homemade pizza dough might sound intimidating, but it is actually so simple! Just pick up your flours, olive oil, honey and a packet of yeast from the store and get some water ready and you’re well on your way. Here’s how to make it, step by step:

• Start by warming up your water over the stovetop or in microwave. You want the water to be around 110 degrees, which feels lukewarm to the touch. If you are microwaving, heat for around 30 seconds and see if the water feels warm enough. If not, heat for 15 more seconds. If over the stove, warming over low heat for about a minute should suffice.
• Once your water is warm, transfer to a large mixing bowl (or bowl of electric mixer), add the honey and stir until dissolved.
• Then, sprinkle the yeast on top. Let sit for a minute or two. You should see it start to bubble up – this means the yeast is activating and you’re going to have a nice fluffy pizza crust as the end product.
• If yeast does not bubble at all, your water was likely too hot and I would recommend starting over.
• Next, add the salt, olive oil and flour to the mixing bowl, stirring with a dough hook on your electric mixer or using a wooden spoon if mixing by hand. Add the flour in increments to make it easier to combine.
• Once combined, continue to mix until a dough ball forms. Kneed the dough (or keep electric mixer running) for about 5-7 minutes.
• Shape into a ball and coat lightly with olive oil and place back in the mixing bowl. Cover with a towel and let rise for 1-2 hours.
• Once the dough has risen, it’s time to roll it out! Stretch it gently with your hands into a large pizza round. A rectangle works too! Before doing this, I like to dust my hands lightly with flour.
• You can either use the oven or grill to cook the dough. Preheat oven or grill to 450.
• Brush pizza dough with olive oil. If using the oven, bake on a pizza stone or cookie sheet. If using the grill, you can either use a pizza stone or throw the crust directly on the grill.
• Allow the crust to cook for 5-8 minutes until it gets crispy enough to stay in tact. Remove from grill or oven and add sauce, cheese and sliced veggies.
• Once toppings are on, return to grill/oven and let cook an additional 15 minutes. Be sure to keep an eye on the bottom crust and lower the heat if it’s looking too brown.

• 1 medium zucchini
• 1 medium yellow squash
• 1/2 eggplant (optional)
• 1 tomato
• 1 16 oz can tomato sauce or crushed tomatoes
• fresh mozzarella –
• shredded parmesan
• fresh basil and parsley
• whole wheat flour
• bread flour
• instant yeast
• salt
• olive oil
• honey