Servings: 4-5

 

When it comes to the kids, I find myself constantly trying to sneak vegetables into meals especially since my eldest son just hates vegetables and takes them out of his food, one piece at a time, his patience amazes me! When they were younger my inspiration was the cookbook by Jessica Seinfeld, ‘Deceptively Delicious.’ Since then, I have become more innovative in how I add vegetables into meals. Both my kiddos hate peppers, onions and tomatoes in their pizzas, so I decided to sneak them into the sauce. I got so carried away, I added some carrots in there too, but you don’t have to!

 

The dough recipe does not include yeast, so you technically do not have to wait for the dough to rise. So this is an ideal recipe if you are in a bit of a hurry. I bake my pizzas in the oven, but you can also use the same dough recipe and make them in a pan instead, it’s even faster! So here it goes…

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Ingredients:

 

For the Pizza sauce:

• 2 tbsp olive oil

• 3 big tomatoes finely minced

• 1 medium sized onion finely minced

• 1 medium sweet yellow or red pepper finely minced

• 2 carrots finely minced (optional)

• 1 1/2 cups store bought tomato sauce       

• 1 cup water

• 1/2 tsp of salt

• 1/2 tsp basil

• 1/2 tsp oregano

• 1 tsp balsamic vinegar

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For the dough:

• 4 1/2 cups whole wheat flour

• 2 cups water

• 3 tbsp olive oil

• 1 tsp of salt

• 1 1/2 cups parmesan cheese (or emmental or cheddar)

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Directions:

1. Heat the 2 tbsp of olive oil and add the onions and sauté for about ten minutes until translucent.

2. Add the tomatoes for a few minutes, then the carrots and peppers and stir for 10 minutes.

3. Add the tomato sauce and water.

4. Add the spices and the balsamic vinegar.

5. Lower the fire and let the pot simmer slowly until all the vegetables are soft.

6. When the sauce is ready, use a hand blender to puree the vegetables and make the sauce creamy and thick.

7. Mix the flour with the water, half a cup at a time, and massage the dough with your fingers.

8. Add the 3 tablespoons of olive oil and salt.

9. The consistency of the dough has to be moist, so if your dough is too dry, add some more water. If it is too watery and sticky, add some more flour.

10. Prepare two large baking trays and divide the dough into two parts.

11. Sprinkle flour on your working table and roll out the dough to fit the baking trays while cutting off all additional edges. I prefer my dough thin.

12. Using a ladle, add the sauce to your pizza dough and spread it out evenly.

13. Top the pizza with grated cheese.

14. Place the pizza in the oven at 180 degrees for about 30-40 minutes until the crust becomes crispy. 

15. Cut into squares and enjoy.