Grilled Veggie and Pesto Flatbread

If you walk into our house on any given Friday evening in the summer, you’ll find us eating these flatbreads. They are, without a doubt, my favorite summer meal.

They aren’t the simplest of meals to put together (there are, admittedly, a lot of moving parts), but the flavor that comes together in the end is worth all the chopping, roasting, and grilling. If I had to pick what my last meal would be, it would be one of these flatbreads.

If you’ve never grilled pizza or flatbreads before, I highly recommend giving it a shot. It’s pretty much the fastest way to cook a pizza (once it’s on the grill, you’ll be eating in less than five minutes), and the grill imparts such an incredible flavor to pizza. It’s so different from an oven-baked pie.

Since the pizza does cook so quickly on the grill, this is one meal where it is vital to have mise en place—which is the fancy French way of saying that you need to have all your crap together before you start cooking. You don’t want your dough to be on the grill, and then you have to run inside to shred cheese. No, no. Make sure you have all the elements ready to go before dough ever touches a grill grate.

You all know that I’m a cheese lover, but, as much as it feels wrong to say this, you’ll want to go light on the cheese on these flatbreads. Cheese is wonderful, and I like to use it in high-volume when I want my pizza to feel and tasty cheesy, but these flatbreads aren’t about the cheese.

They are about the fresh flavors of roasted veggies and fresh herbs—the cheese is just the glue that holds it all together. No need to blanket the whole thing in a thick layer of mozzarella, just a light dusting makes the pizza come together perfectly.

As far as the veggie toppings on this pizza go, this mushroom, tomato, onion, pepper, olive combo is a classic—and we can always rely on its tastiness, but depending on the season, I’ll mix it up sometimes, too. You can never go wrong with roasted veggies! If you’d normally roast it and eat it, you can roast it and put it on a pizza—no problem. Think asparagus and roasted potatoes in the Spring (uh, yum). And roasted squash and kale in the Fall (double yum). Use your imagination! Enjoy.

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Grilled Veggie and Pesto Flatbread

Yield: 4 servings

Prep Time: 40 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 50 minutes

Never grilled a pizza before? It's fun, easy, and FAST! Make sure to have all your ingredients ready to go for these Grilled Veggie and Pesto Flatbreads before you start.

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Ingredients

For the Dough:

• 1 cup warm water
• 2 1/14 teaspoons active dry yeast
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 2 1/2-3 cups white whole wheat flour {Recommended:King Arthur}
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt

For the Veggies:

• 1/2 cup halved cherry tomatoes
• 1 red onion, sliced
• 8 ounces button mushrooms, sliced
• 1 red bell pepper, sliced
• 1 yellow bell pepper, sliced
• 1/2 cup mixed black and green olives, halved
• 1 small yellow squash or zucchini, sliced
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• Salt and pepper, to taste

For the Pizza:

• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 1/2 cup prepared pesto
• 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Instructions

1. Prepare the dough by combining together the water, yeast, olive oil and honey in a large mixing bowl, or in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook. Let yeast proof for 3-4 minutes, or until just foamy.
2. Add in the flour (starting with 2 1/2 cups) and salt, and mix until well-combined. Knead (either by hand, or using the mixer) for 5-7 minutes, until smooth and elastic. You may need to add more flour. Transfer the dough to an oiled bowl, cover, and let rise in a warm place for an hour.
3. With 30 minutes left in dough rising time, preheat the oven to 425°. Fit a baking sheet with a baking mat, or spray with cooking spray.
4. In a large bowl, toss together the cherry tomatoes, red onion, mushrooms, peppers, olives, and squash. Add in the olive oil, salt and pepper, and toss to coat.
5. Spread the veggies on the prepared baking sheet. And roast in preheated oven for 12-15 minutes, or until all veggies are tender and beginning to brown. Remove from oven and set aside.
6. With five minutes left in the roasting time, preheat the grill to medium-high.
7. Divide the dough in half, and shape each into a ball. Place those dough balls on a platter along with the roasted veggies. In a small bowl, combine the chives, oregano, and parsely. Set on platter. Add the olive oil, pesto, and cheese to the platter.
8. Take the platter out to the grill. Working with one flatbread at a time, take the dough, and stretch it until it is about 12" around (no need to be precise about it). Brush one side with olive oil, and place that side down on the grill. Close the lid, and let cook for 1-2 minutes, or until the edges are just beginning to solidify.
9. Brush the top with olive oil, and flip the flatbread. Spread half the pesto on top, followed by half the veggies, and half the cheese. Close the lid, and let cook for an additional 2-3 minutes, or until the cheese is melted. Remove flatbread from the grill, sprinkle with half the herbs, and set aside. Repeat with second flatbread.

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1 serving
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 1442Total Fat: 68gSaturated Fat: 11gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 52gCholesterol: 14mgSodium: 1732mgCarbohydrates: 188gFiber: 31gSugar: 12gProtein: 41g

At Wholefully, we believe that good nutrition is about much more than just the numbers on the nutrition facts panel. Please use the above information as only a small part of what helps you decide what foods are nourishing for you.