Vegetarian Pizza on Naan Bread

Vegetarian pizza on naan bread with roasted veggies – yum!

Sometimes I get too ambitious with dinner.

And then it takes forever to cook so we’re eating at 9:30 pm which is not ideal.

And then we have major clean-up which I HATE so I put it off as long as possible and we end up cleaning up the next day. Also not ideal.

So I’ve been spending the past few months learning how to make the basics…and how to make them well. So, essentially, learning how to cook various ingredients and then combining them in different ways with unique seasonings and toppings to create diverse meals throughout the week.

I guess some would simply call this cooking?

Either way, it’s really helping me figure out easy weeknight dinners that don’t take hours and don’t use up every single cutting board, knife, pot, and pan in our house.

A favorite of mine is roasted brussels sprouts. Now, I’ll be the first to tell you that I NEVER thought I’d be singing my love for brussels sprouts from the rooftop, but I am. Well, metaphorically because the roof of my complex is about 8 stories tall. No thanks.

I’ve been testing roasting the sprouts at different temps, flipped different ways, and with different toppings, and this is my absolute favorite roasted brussels sprouts method.

And, the plan here is that perhaps you make these roasted brussels (and throw some broccoli in there, too!) for dinner one night, and then use them in leftovers the next day. I also have to warn you that I love my roasted veggies on the edge of being too burnt to eat.

My husband does NOT love that, but he was away this week so I crisped those babies up until you could barely recognize them. Don’t worry Tim, I won’t do that while you’re home – maybe.

Okay enough about how burnt I like my veggies, let’s get to the pizza!

Vegetarian Pizza on Naan Bread (made with leftovers!)

Here it is, the recipe you’ve been waiting this entire post for.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup roasted brussels sprouts (click the link to see how I roast mine! Just leave out the honey balsamic sauce)
• 1/4 cup roasted broccoli (made the same way as the brussels)
• 1/4 cup ricotta cheese
• 2 tablespoons evoo
• 1/4 cup mesclun/spring mix
• 1/8 cup honey
• 1/8 cup red wine vinegar or sherry vinegar
• 1/2 tablespoon butter
• Pinch of crushed red pepper
• Pinch of salt
• 1 tablespoon chili oil (optional)

Instructions

1. Pre-heat your oven to 400 degrees and roast your garlic while you prep the pizza. Expose some of the garlic cloves by chopping off the top of your garlic bulb. Drizzle with a little evoo and wrap up in foil. Pop in the oven for about 30 minutes.
2. Prep your pizza. Re-heat your brussels and broccoli in the oven with your garlic for about 5-8 minutes. While those are heating up, brush some evoo onto both sides of your naan to help it crisp up nicely.
3. If you’re up for a little sweet and spicy action, make your “glaze” for the roasted veggies while they’re heating up. Stir honey in a small saucepan over medium heat until it turns amber. Add in your salt and red pepper flakes and red wine vinegar. Be careful, it may bubble! Stir until combined. Finally, add your butter and stir until the sauce has thickened a bit – but don’t let it get too thick or else it basically turns into candy and then your veggies will be WAY too sticky to fully enjoy.
4. If you made your glaze, toss a few tablespoons with your veggies then scoop those onto your naan. Add half of the ricotta, too!
5. Pop your pizza in the oven for about 10 minutes, but watch it closely! All ovens are different so yours may brown much faster or need a little extra time. I wanted mine to be super crispy, so I left it in for about 15 minutes. Once you take it out, top with your roasted garlic, mesclun, and drizzle with your chili oil.

A new series!

Oh and here’s a new series I’m starting: What I did wrong so you don’t make the same mistakes.

1. I didn’t add some ricotta before hand and the veggies we’re basically falling off the pizza as I took it out of the oven. Hence why I suggested adding half of the ricotta PRIOR to putting it in the oven.
2. Forgetting my naan in the oven. I forgot it, though it actually ended up exactly how I wanted it – golden and extra crispy. But don’t do that, I happened to catch it just in time, but that does not always happen.

Curious to hear your thoughts – do you prefer pizza with a “regular” crust or a naan crust?

g.