Rainbow Pizza

This pizza is packed with delicious vegetables! It will be loved by both kids and adults!

Our modern idea of pizza originates from Naples, Italy. Pizza was a flat bread that was covered with various toppings like garlic, anchovies, tomatoes, oil, and cheese. It was eaten as an inexpensive meal and sold at casual restaurants and by street vendors.

Pizza came to the United States from Naples through immigrants. The Neapolitan immigrants recreated their favorite pizzas in cities like New York, Boston, Chicago, Trenton, and St. Louis. It became very popular. One of the United States’ first documented pizzerias was Lombardi’s in Manhattan, they had been licensed to sell pizza in 1905. Before that time pizza was made at home or sold by unlicensed vendors.

Rainbow Pizza was invented in my household to celebrate Pride Month this year, but was inspired long ago by one of my college roommates. She was a lesbian and she showed me the Pride scene at our university and in our surrounding area. We had so many adventures together because she wanted to keep our lives thrilling and exciting. One thing she was not excited about though was eating her vegetables. I had read that children were more likely to eat vegetables if they were presented with vegetables in a variety of colors. I wanted to see if that theory would work on adults. Thus I started to have many different colored vegetables included in our roommate dinners. She especially enjoyed when I had rainbow vegetables in Italian food. I hope this recipe is enjoyed by many! Please share with friends and family!

Rainbow Pizza Recipe

Yields One 16-inch pizza

Vegetarian

Prep Time 10 minutes 

Bake Time 18 – 20 minutes

Wine Pairing Suggestion: Pinot Grigio

Beer Pairing Suggestion: Lager

Directions

Preheat oven to 425 F

Toss the dough and then shape to make a 16-inch pizza crust. Or using a floured rolling pin, roll the dough and then shape to make a 16-inch pizza crust.

Transfer dough to nonstick pizza pan dusted with cornmeal. Drizzle olive oil around the edges of the crust. Spread oregano, salt, and pepper over the crust.

Pour a thin layer of marinara sauce over the pizza.

Evenly distribute 4 ounces of mozzarella on the pizza.

Line the vegetables on top in rainbow order: red onion, red bell pepper, orange bell pepper, and green bell pepper.

Spread the remaining 4 ounces of mozzarella on the pizza.

Place pizza pan in oven. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, until cheese is melted and the crust is golden and crisp.

Cut into slices using a pizza cutter.

Serve hot. Serve with Parmesan and red pepper flakes.

Pizza is a fun recipe to make with your kids! Make it a learning activity by using the pizza and pizza slices to teach fractions.

Have fun with the toppings! Modify the toppings based on what produce is fresh and local to your area. Roasted asparagus, cherry tomatoes, and broccoli also work well on Rainbow Pizza!

For a crispy pizza, bake the dough on a pizza stone.

DID YOU MAKE THIS DISH?

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