Individual Grilled Veggie Pizzas
Get the whole family involved making their own Grilled Veggie Pizza! These individual pizzas are a fun and healthy way to enjoy summer grilling!
One of the things we love about summer is that it is so easy to stay active.
The sun is bright. The air is warm. And, the days are long.
Particularly after a long winter, like we had this year, we find ourselves just itching to get outside and move.
And, there are so many easy excuses to do just that.
Tim and I love jumping on our bikes and going for a pre-dinner ride to work up an appetite and burn off some of the day's stresses. For us, biking is the perfect way to explore new areas of our neighborhood, since we can travel faster and go further than if we were walking. It's so much fun to take an unfamiliar road and then find our way back home.
Even on nights when we're tired from all the business, we try to at least get outside for a post-dinner walk. Rather than spending the evening sitting around, we kick ourselves out the door and spend some time moving and talking. It is surprising how, when we think we're exhausted from a long day, we still have the energy for a walk. It's the perfect, low-key way to end an evening.
Really, we'll take any chance we can get to be outside. Whether it is just eating out on the patio or pulling out the grill to cook up something crazy.
Making Pizza On The Grill
And, pizza on the grill has always seemed like a crazy endeavor to us. "Won't the crust droop through the grates?!" It just didn't seem possible.
But, could you think of a better way to bring the whole family together after a long day of fun in the sun than a make-your-own Grilled Vegetable Pizza Bar?
The dough for this pizza crust comes together incredibly fast. No long rise times. So, you can be outside, enjoying the weather and running around with the kids while the grill heats up.
Individual Grilled Veggie Pizza
Grilling veggies adds a fun, new dimension to this pizza's toppings. Get the kids involved in picking out their favorite veggies. They'll be excited to see how they taste when cooked on the grill. Try something new, like grilled broccoli. (That's our family favorite this year!)
Making your own pizza sauce is another way to make this recipe even healthier, since you are eliminating all the extra salt and sugar in store bought sauce.
Or, why not try hummus or pesto as an alternative to pizza sauce? These pizzas are a great way to introduce new, healthy dips and spreads to your family.
Individual Grilled Veggie Pizzas
Ingredients
For the Crust
- 1 ½ c whole wheat flour
- 1 ¼ c white whole wheat flour* or unbleached all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 2 ¼ teaspoon active dry yeast (1 packet)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 c water, warmed to 90-100F
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
Topping Options
- 1 c pizza sauce
- 1 ½ c mozzarella cheese (Or, try it with pepper jack, asiago, or feta.)
- 4 oz whole baby mushrooms
- ½ green pepper, un-cut
- ½ onion, un-cut
- Fresh herbs
Instructions
For the Crust
- In a large bowl, combine 1 c whole wheat flour, 1 ¼ c white wheat (or all purpose) flour, sugar, yeast, and salt. Mix to combine.
- In a small bowl or liquid measuring cup, combine water and oil. Pour into the flour mixture and mix until the dough is moistened.
- Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 5 minutes, or until smooth, adding the last ½ c of whole wheat flour as needed to keep the dough from sticking to your hands.
- Divide the dough into 4 pieces and shape each piece into a ball.
- The dough can be immediately rolled out into pizza crusts to be grilled, or it can rest, covered with a tea towel for up to 1 hour.
Putting It All Together
- Preheat the grill to medium heat. (You should be able to hold your hand 4 inches over the cooking grate for 5-6 seconds.)
- Place mushrooms on a bamboo skewer, for easy cooking. Brush the mushroom skewers, pepper half, and onion half lightly with oil. Grill the veggies, covered, for 5-7 minutes. Remove from the grill and slice as desired for pizza topping.
- Roll each dough ball into an 8” disc. Brush each side with olive oil and place on a baking sheet or plate (in a single layer).
- Check that the grill is still at medium heat, and place the crusts on the grill. Cover and cook 1-2 minutes.
- Remove the crusts from the grill to a plate, with the grilled side up. Top your crusts with pizza sauce, cheese, and any veggies you desire.
- Transfer the pizzas, carefully, back to the grill. Cook, covered, for 1-2 minutes, until the cheese begins to melt.*
- Carefully remove from the grill and serve hot.
Notes
Nutrition
Sarah founded Curious in 2010 as a way to save her recipe creations and share culinary experiences. Her love for cultural cuisines was instilled early by her French Canadian Grandmother. Her experience in the kitchen and in recipe development comes from over 10 years working in professional kitchens. She has traveled extensively and enjoys bringing the flavors of her travels back to create easy-to-make recipes.
Oh, how I wish I lived closer to you, because you just described my perfect evening - a bike ride and grilled pizza. It's how Jeff and I spend our summer, too!
We would have biking and summer grill-out parties all the time! One of us really needs to move 🙂
Well, I am ALL ABOUT grilled pizzas, so these are right up my alley! I love the flavor the crust gets from being on the grill!
That was THE BEST!
Grilled pizza is the best, isn't it? I like the idea of using hummus instead of sauce. That's a nice twist! Thanks for sharing and thanks for the shout out! 🙂
Thanks Denise. And, thanks for hosting!
This is such a creative recipe! Pizza on the grill....so smart this time of year. These look fantastic!
I need to try grilling pizzas on my new portable gas grill!
You could grill pizza anywhere!
Pizza without the oven--genius!
THE BEST way to do pizza in the summer!
Grilled pizza is so much fun!
I love the energy that you and Tim have at the end of the day! This is a great idea for a summer meal!
Thanks Betsy! We do try. It's easier knowing that getting out and being active puts us both is a great mood!
Yes, outside is most definitively the place to be 🙂 I love your idea for grilled pizza - they look amazing.
Any excuse to get outside, and we're there!
I LOVE making our own pizza's on the grill!! There are so many ways to make pizza healthier thanks for sharing!
And we love how versatile pizza is. Everyone in the family can find healthy ingredients they like!
Sarah, your pizzas look terrific! The hubby would expect a little meat on his, but I'd be happy with your lovely veggie version 🙂
You know, I normally love my pizzas loaded up, but with the flavor from the grill, even the mozzarella and fresh basil one was absolutely amazing!
When it comes to healthy eating - pizza will make EVERYONE happy!
Who can turn down pizza! 🙂
I can't believe I've never had a grilled pizza! They sound amazing, I need to get on this asap!
This was our first time, and I'm SO glad we did it!
I've always wanted to grill my own pizza..you've totally inspired me to give it a whirl! Delicious!
I really, seriously need to take that leap and grill pizza. I keep saying I'm going to but haven't yet. I'm sure they have a special taste from the grill that you can't get in the oven.
They taste like a pizza cooked in a wood-fired oven, but even smokier!