The Ultimate Summer Pizza

This piece is part of our Outdoor Pizza Party series. Read all of the stories — including a test drive and plenty of recipes — here.

To be honest, I rarely order vegetarian pizzas. They’re usually topped with raw, unseasoned mushrooms, olives, bell peppers, and onions, making for a bland pie that simply can’t compete with pepperoni. But I do make an exception for pizza from The Cheeseboard Collective, a quirky, legendary spot in Berkeley that makes only one kind of vegetarian pizza per day. With interesting seasonal veggie combinations (like artichoke-ricotta-spinach or cabbage-walnut-blue cheese) and a sourdough crust, I would happily eat there every day, and it was my inspiration for making a veggie-packed ‘za that sings of summer and eating outdoors.

This ultimate summer pizza has it all: a crunchy crust, loads of flavorful veggies, melty cheese, and fragrant herbs and garlic. It’s bright and colorful, and will make you forget all the underwhelming veggie pizzas of your past. Here, I’ll show you how to bring it to life, whether you’re cooking it in a pizza oven, on the grill, or in your regular oven.

At Cheeseboard, the veggie pizzas rarely have tomato sauce but are finished with a garlicky, herby oil instead, so that’s what I did here. Omitting the tomato sauce really lets the flavors of the vegetables shine through, and the garlic oil adds just the right amount of seasoning to keep things from being bland. I went with an easy combination that’s reminiscent of pesto: olive oil, minced garlic, fresh basil, and some red pepper flakes, if you like heat. The herby oil does triple duty: It gets brushed onto the dough, tossed with the veggies, and brushed on top of the finished pizza.

As for the veggies, I like the summery combination of corn kernels, quick-cooking zucchini ribbons, slivered red onion, and juicy cherry tomatoes. It’s a colorful combination with lots of textures, and the tomatoes add some brightness that you usually get from a tomato sauce pie. The key is to toss the veggies with some of the garlic oil so that they’re well-seasoned before topping the pizza. I top the dough with mozz first to help the veggie stick to the pizza, then load on the produce, followed by crumbled feta for its salty, tangy bite.

Kitchn put a lot of energy into developing a pizza dough that’s easy to work with and grills up nicely, and it’s a great dough that’s worth making for this pizza (no matter how you end up cooking it). If you’re looking for a shortcut, call your local bakery or pizza joint and ask if they’ll sell you some of their dough, which tends to be better than what’s sold at grocery stores. Whatever route you choose, make sure to plan ahead for the dough to warm up to room temperature so that it’s easier to shape.

This recipe makes two pizzas, but how many people it feeds depends on how much dough you start out with. If you start with 1 1/4 pounds of dough (which is how much Kitchn’s recipe yields), you’ll feed six, but if you start out with 1 pound (the amount typically sold in stores), you’ll feed four. When you stretch out the dough, it doesn’t have to be perfectly round, so don’t stress out too much about that part.

Get the recipe: The Best Pizza Dough for Grilling

1. In the pizza oven: This is the fastest method! Assemble the whole pizza, then bake at 800ºF until the bottom is charred in spots and the cheese on top is melted — just 2 to 3 minutes total.
2. In the regular oven: Heat an upside-down baking sheet or pizza stone in a 450ºF oven. Assemble the pizzas on parchment paper, then slide onto the hot stone or baking sheet and bake one at a time.
3. On the grill: Start by grilling one side of the dough rounds over high heat, then take the crusts off the grill. Top the grilled side of the dough with the oil, cheese, and veggies, then slide the pizzas back onto the grill to crisp up the second side and melt the mozzarella.
   
   No matter which route you take, brush the baked pizzas with the remaining oil, sprinkle with torn basil leaves, slice, and serve.