A new favorite in our house: roasted veggies in a pizza crust

It seems we’ve been eating more vegetarian dishes lately, which means there’s often an assortment of a little of this broccoli, a little of that pepper, and the odd half onion in the refrigerator drawer.

Stir fry is one way to use up the mix of veggies, or when I feel up to making a pie crust the favorite go-to comfort food recipe is Donna’s Vegetable Pot Pie. But when I saw the Rustic Roasted Vegetable Tart in the Detroit Free Press food section I knew I’d have to give it a try. A cool and rainy Sunday afternoon was the perfect weather to experiment with this adaptable dish.

My version differs from the original; I used what ingredients I had on hand. Click here for the Detroit Free Press version; below is my adaptation.

The crust puffed up nicely around the balanced combination of sweetly roasted veggies, Balsamic glaze and cheese. The original recipe states 8 servings, but this tart wouldn’t stretch that far in our house. Graham and TJ each had two slices; I stopped at one, but could easily have had another. Delish.

Rustic Roasted Vegetable Tart With Balsamic Glaze and Herbed Cheese

Serves: 4

ROASTED VEGETABLES
1/2 acorn squash
1/2 green pepper, large dice
small bunch of broccoli, florets only
2 Portobello mushrooms, sliced and cut into bite sized chunks 1/2″ thick
1/2 red onion, cut into thin wedges
1 carrot, sliced on diagonal 1/4″ thick
3 small garlic cloves sliced thin
2 tablespoons plus ½ teaspoon olive oil, divided
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper

BALSAMIC GLAZE
¼ cup balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon brown sugar

PIZZA TART
1 tablespoon cornmeal
1 whole wheat pizza dough

HERBED CHEESE
1/2 cup Italian shredded (bagged) mixed cheese
sprinkle of dried basil
sprinkle of dried oregano

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Lightly spray baking dish with oil and place acorn squash cut side down. In a large bowl, combine garlic and the other vegetables and drizzle with 2 tablespoons of oil, salt and black pepper; toss to coat. Place vegetables in an ungreased 9″x13″pan.

Bake squash and mixed veggies for 25 to 30 minutes or until tender and moisture has evaporated. Stir halfway through.

Prepare balsamic glaze by mixing balsamic vinegar and brown sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly until sugar dissolves. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer until glaze thickens, about 5 to 8 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.

Remove roasted vegetables from the oven. Peel acorn squash, cut into bite sized chunks and add to the other vegetables. Drizzle vegetables with balsamic glaze and gently toss to coat.

Sprinkle cornmeal over a pizza pie pan or large baking sheet to prevent dough from sticking. Press pizza dough into a 13-inch circle. Allow dough to rest briefly if it becomes too elastic to work with.

Combine cheeses, basil and oregano and spread 1/4 cup over dough within 1-1/2″ of edge all around. Spoon glazed vegetables over cheese. Sprinkle remaining 1/4 cup cheese mix on top of vegetables.

Fold up edges of dough over filling, leaving center uncovered. Brush exposed folded dough with remaining ½ teaspoon oil and sprinkle dough with coarse salt.

Bake at 450 degrees until the crust is golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes.