Crispy Veggie Pizza with Olive Bruschetta has only one thing in common with standard pies. They’re both delicious and downright satisfying. Be prepared to be startled because we are making pizza, the Spoonabilities way. Not all pizzas are created equal, and these are proof of it.
Hello my friends.
Did someone say pizza? That’s right! Today we’re making crispy veggie pizza Spoonabilities style; decadently satisfying, colorful, and healthy-ish. This crispy veggie pizza recipe has cauliflower pizza crust and olive bruschetta as a base, along with feta crumbles, and a combination of cooked tomatoes and fresh cherry tomatoes, thinly sliced red onions, arugula, and a lightly seasoned zucchini ribbon salad. And as a final touch, we sprinkle on some basil chiffonade. All these ingredients have stratified textures and entwined flavors that make it much more than the sum of their parts.
Like all great dishes, the idea behind these pizzas started with Geoffrey and I urgently needing a worthwhile midnight snack that wouldn’t compromise our weight goals. (BTW, our goal is to go down in weight, not up.) A couple of store-bought cauliflower pizza crusts became a white canvas for creativity.
Bouncing around ideas resulted in a healthier pizza with all the heartiness of baking vegetables and a salad's freshness. We’re topping our pizzas with both cooked and raw vegetables for a merger of flavors and textures that will really make you rethink what pizza should be. Let’s get right into this crispy veggie pizza!
Cauliflower Pizza Crust is the Healthier Choice
The cauliflower pizza crust is just what you need for a satisfying pizza without all those extra carbs. If you think about it, pizza is not at all unhealthy fast food, it’s all vegetables, meats, and cheese, which are all nourishing things. The dietary problem with regular pizza is all that bread and extra toppings! So, having decided on the cauliflower pizza crust, we moved on to the sauce.
Like this recipe so far? Be the first to know when we release new ones!
Tomato sauce is for some unexplainable reason not compatible with cauliflower pizza crusts, at least for me. But a hearty Greek olive bruschetta, that’s another story. We use Navarino Icons Olive Bruschetta Spread.
For cheese, feta. And as for the toppings, use anything you have on hand. We topped our pizzas with fresh basil and arugula, smoked chili pepper flakes, cherry tomatoes, and the tangiest and mouthwatering vinaigrette-pickled zucchini ribbons.
I can’t even write this without drooling, so let’s keep going!
The Holy Trinity of Crispy Veggie Pizza
After trying this recipe countless times, we’ve determined a few ingredient families that just make veggie pizzas work. We’re jokingly calling them the holy trinity of crispy veggie pizzas.
- Cheese: Mozzarella is king when it comes to regular pizza, but there are so many other veggie-friendly options. This time we use briny, crumbly feta that adds a new dimension to the pizza. If feta is not in your wheelhouse, think past mozzarella. How about burrata, or queso fresco? They really add something special to veggie pizzas.
- Vegetables and Herbs: Throw in all types of vegetables, of all colors, textures, and flavors. It’s your pizza, so use what you love. In this case, we add tomatoes two ways; tomato slices as the base before going into the oven, and halved fresh cherry tomatoes after the pizza is baked. We always try to add both cooked and uncooked veggies for different texture and flavor. All leafy greens, for example, should be added after the pizza is baked. For this pizza we are using arugula and basil chiffonade.
- Pickled Veggies: Vegetables are tasty, sure, but sometimes they need a push to make them stand out. This time we add vinaigrette picked zucchini ribbons to the pizza. Think sliced carrots, cucumbers, or in this case, zucchini, just tossed with vinegar and olive oil. They add a tang to every pizza bite.
Step By Step to Layer This Vegetable Pizza Recipe
Rather than describe all the steps to you of how we layered all the ingredients for this pizza, don’t you think it’s better to show you?
- We start layering the pizza spreading the olive bruschetta, then the crumbled feta cheese, followed by the tomatoes.
- We continue by adding the thinly sliced red onion and sprinkle smoked chili flakes. Then, we bake the pizza.
- After we bake the pizza, we start adding the fresh vegetables starting with the arugula, the vinaigrette-tossed zucchini ribbons, and more red onions.
- We continue adding more feta cheese, halved cherry tomatoes, and basil chiffonade. Side note, we do love our feta. If you do too, also try Marinated Watermelon Salad with Whipped Feta Dip.
Now we have a healthy-ish pizza with both baked and fresh vegetables, and you’re ready to get started on yours. Let’s make some tasty crispy veggie pizza. The most famous food on earth revamped.
I hope you get a chance to make this crispy veggie pizza with cauliflower crust and olive bruschetta. When you’re done, take a picture and tag @Spoonabilities on Instagram so we can see it! And we love to hear from you in the comment section below.
Carlos Leo
Your Recipe Concierge
Do you need more appetizer ideas? Here we have more options.
- Cauliflower Crust Pizza with Artichokes and Roasted Red Pepper
- Pumpkin Hummus with Garlic and Cumin
- Époisses Ham Apple Tart
- Greek Green Olive Crostini
- Air Fryer Vegan Egg Rolls with Garam Masala Yogurt Dipping Sauce
Crispy Veggie Pizza Recipe with Olive Bruschetta
- Total Time: 27 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
Description
This veggie pizza recipe has a crispy cauliflower pizza crust with Greek olive bruschetta as a base, then tomato slices, and red onions. We top this pizza with fresh feta, arugula, cherry tomatoes, and vinaigrette-tossed zucchini. This low-carb cauliflower pizza crust is versatile, and you can add so many other colorful veggies. The result is light and airy pizzas as nutritious as they are crave quenchers.
Ingredients
Zucchini pickled salad
- 1 cup shaved zucchini (from 1 zucchini, you may have some leftover)
- 1 Tablespoon white wine vinegar
- 1 Tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- ½ teaspoon Sea Salt, divided
Pizza
- 2 thin cauliflower pizza crusts (1 box)
- ½ cup Navarino Icons Olive Bruschetta
- 2 ½ ounces feta cheese, crumbled (about ⅔ cup)
- 2 medium tomatoes, thinly sliced
- ⅛ teaspoon Smoked Red Pepper Flakes
- ½ cup thinly sliced red onion
Pizza toppings
- 1 cup arugula
- ½ cup cherry tomatoes, halved
- ¼ cup fresh basil, chopped / chiffonade
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F with oven rack in top position.
- Stir together vinegar, extra virgin olive oil, ¼ teaspoon oregano sea salt in a medium bowl. Stir in zucchini; let stand at room temperature for 10 minutes.
- Prep pizza: Place two pizza crusts on a baking sheet and spread the olive bruschetta over them. Sprinkle evenly over the crusts the feta cheese, slices of tomato, red onion, and top with smoked red pepper flakes.
- Bake on top rack until slightly crispy, following the box instructions. I baked it for 12 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool for 2 minutes.
- Add the Toppings: Top the pizza with arugula, the zucchini mixture (remove excess liquid), red onions, cherry tomatoes, basil, and a little extra feta cheese. Serve.
Notes
This pizza veggie pizza is very versatile. You can use any vegetable that is in season.
Besides our Olive Bruschetta, you can use any other pesto or bruschetta that you have on hand.
Remember to have a combination of cooked and fresh vegetables to add brightness to this pizza.
- Prep Time: 15
- Cook Time: 12
- Category: Appetizer
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: Mediterranean
Hey there, I'm Carlos, a food and drink enthusiast, recipe blogger and 
Alice | SkinnySpatula
What an interesting idea! I love the step-by-step pics, too, you make it look so easy.
Geoffrey @ Spoonabilities
It IS easy Alice. Glad to hear you like the step by step photos. Thanks for mentioning that.
Alexandra
Pizza night is always a good idea, and this veggie pizza is my new favourite - delicious!
Geoffrey @ Spoonabilities
Glad you like it Alexandra. Who doesn't love pizza night?
Katie
This looks like something my family would be all over!
Geoffrey @ Spoonabilities
You better make extra Katie.
Julia
You just made me crave pizza and those perfect step-by-step pictures are so gorgeous.Saving this recipe for later:)
Geoffrey @ Spoonabilities
Thanks for saving it Julia. We like to hear that.
Marlynn
This is such a yummy, healthy recipe for our family pizza nights!
Geoffrey @ Spoonabilities
Glad you like it Marlynn, and I'm sure your whole family will too!