Looking for a fun way to get your kids excited about eating their vegetables? We all know the daily struggle of convincing little ones to eat their greens, and sometimes it feels like we’re fighting a losing battle – especially during those busy weeknight dinners when everyone’s tired and hungry.
That’s where this heart-shaped vegetable pizza comes in handy. It’s a clever twist on regular pizza that makes eating vegetables feel more like a treat than a chore, and it’s so simple to put together that you can even get the kids involved in the prep work.
Why You’ll Love This Vegetable Pizza
- Quick preparation – Ready in just about 20 minutes, this pizza is perfect for those busy weeknights when you want something homemade but don’t have hours to spend in the kitchen.
- Kid-friendly vegetables – The colorful mix of veggies combined with creamy spinach dip makes eating vegetables fun and tasty – perfect for picky eaters.
- Simple ingredients – Using pre-made pizza dough and easy-to-find vegetables means you can grab everything you need in one quick grocery store trip.
- Customizable – You can easily swap out any vegetables based on what you have on hand or what your family prefers – it’s that flexible!
What Kind of Pizza Dough Should I Use?
Store-bought pizza dough comes in a few different varieties, and any of them will work well for this heart-shaped creation. You’ll find refrigerated pizza dough in tubes or bags, usually near the canned biscuits and crescents – both styles will give you good results. If you’re shopping in the refrigerated section, look for classic-style pizza dough rather than thin crust, since it’s easier to shape and holds up better under toppings. While whole wheat dough can be used, it tends to be a bit less stretchy and might be trickier to shape into a heart. Just remember to let your dough come to room temperature for about 30 minutes before shaping, as this makes it much more cooperative to work with.
Options for Substitutions
This cute veggie pizza is pretty flexible with substitutions! Here’s what you can switch up:
- Pre-made pizza dough: If you can’t find pre-made pizza dough, you can use crescent roll dough, flatbread, or even a pre-baked pizza crust. Just keep in mind that cooking times might need to be adjusted.
- Spinach dip: No spinach dip? Try using cream cheese mixed with a little ranch seasoning, hummus, or even a white pizza sauce. Each will give you a different but tasty base for your veggies.
- Vegetables: The great thing about this pizza is that you can swap any of the veggies based on what you have. Try cauliflower instead of broccoli, yellow peppers instead of red, or cucumber instead of carrots. Just make sure to cut everything small and thin so it cooks evenly.
- Additional options: Feel free to add other veggies like cherry tomatoes, sliced mushrooms, or corn. Just remember to keep the pieces small and pat any wet vegetables dry before adding them to prevent a soggy pizza.
Watch Out for These Mistakes While Baking
The biggest challenge when making a heart-shaped pizza is maintaining its shape during baking – to prevent the dough from shrinking or losing its form, make sure to let it rest at room temperature for 20-30 minutes before shaping.
A common error is overloading the vegetables, which can make the crust soggy and prevent it from cooking properly – try pre-cooking denser vegetables like broccoli and carrots until they’re just tender, and be sure to pat all veggies dry before adding them to the pizza.
To avoid a soggy center (especially when using spinach dip), spread your base layer thinly and evenly, leaving a 1/2-inch border around the edges, and pre-bake the crust for 5-7 minutes before adding toppings.
For the crispiest results, bake your pizza on a preheated pizza stone or turned-over baking sheet, and keep an eye on the edges of your heart shape – they tend to brown faster than the center, so you might want to cover them with foil if they’re cooking too quickly.
What to Serve With Heart Shaped Vegetable Pizza?
This fun and colorful veggie pizza calls for some simple sides that won’t overshadow its festive presentation. A light Caesar salad or mixed green salad with Italian dressing makes the perfect companion, keeping the meal fresh and balanced. Since this pizza already features a good amount of vegetables, I like to add some protein to round out the meal – try serving it with some Italian-seasoned meatballs or grilled chicken on the side. For a casual party setting, you could also put out some marinated olives and a plate of fresh mozzarella balls to let people snack while the pizza bakes.
Storage Instructions
Keep Fresh: This veggie pizza stays good in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. The vegetables might release a bit of moisture over time, so I recommend placing paper towels between layers if you’re stacking slices to keep the crust from getting soggy.
Make Ahead: Want to prep this pizza in advance? You can chop all your veggies and store them separately in the fridge up to 2 days before assembling. The spinach dip can also be prepared a day ahead – just keep it covered in the refrigerator until you’re ready to use it.
Warm Up: If you want to enjoy leftover slices warm, pop them in a preheated oven at 350°F for about 5-7 minutes. I prefer using the oven over the microwave to keep the crust crispy. Though honestly, this pizza tastes great cold too!
| Preparation Time | 10-15 minutes |
| Cooking Time | 5-7 minutes |
| Total Time | 15-22 minutes |
| Level of Difficulty | Easy |
Estimated Nutrition
Estimated nutrition for the whole recipe (without optional ingredients):
- Calories: 800-900
- Protein: 25-30 g
- Fat: 30-35 g
- Carbohydrates: 110-120 g
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup sliced carrots (thinly sliced to cook quickly)
- 1/2 cup diced red bell pepper
- 1 cup spinach dip (refrigerated kind for convenience)
- 1 roll pizza dough
- 1/2 cup chopped broccoli (finely chopped for even cooking)
Step 1: Prepare the Oven and Baking Sheet
Preheat your oven to 425°F (220°C).
While the oven is warming up, line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
This will prevent the dough from sticking and make cleanup easier.
Step 2: Roll and Shape the Pizza Dough
Unroll the pizza dough onto a flat surface and use a rolling pin to even out the thickness for consistent baking.
Use a large heart-shaped cookie cutter (approximately 4″x5″) to cut out heart shapes from the dough.
Carefully transfer the heart-shaped dough pieces to the prepared baking sheet.
If any hearts lose their shape, simply place the cookie cutter over them again and use your fingers to reshape.
As an alternative method, you can roll the dough directly onto the parchment paper on the baking sheet.
Cut out the heart shapes and then remove the excess dough around the hearts, avoiding extra movement of the cut shapes.
Step 3: Pre-Bake the Crusts
Place the baking sheet with the heart-shaped dough into the preheated oven.
Bake the crusts for 5-7 minutes, or until the bottoms start to turn golden-brown.
Once baked, take them out of the oven and allow them to cool completely before adding toppings.
Step 4: Add Toppings
Once the heart crusts have cooled, spread about 2 tablespoons of spinach dip on each one.
Follow with additional pizza toppings such as broccoli, carrots, and red pepper slices to your preference.
Step 5: Finish and Serve
Your delightful heart-shaped mini pizzas are now ready.
Serve them immediately as a fun and tasty treat.
Makes approximately 6-8 heart pizzas, depending on the size of your cookie cutter.
For a detailed spinach dip recipe, refer to the accompanying blog post.
