Shortcuts. Last-Minute Homemade Pizza

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I had been busy all day, so I had not given much thought to supper.  Fortunately, my son had other plans and neither my husband nor I were very hungry. I poured a glass of red wine, and we talked about our day as I perused the pantry and fridge for ideas.

I settled on a homemade flatbread pizza.  Well, not completely homemade ... I took a short cut and used a store-bought crust.  The Italian Artisan Pizza Crust made by Stonefire is as good as any crust that I can make  - and I had one in my pantry.

Less than half an hour later, we were eating a flatbread pizza that my husband and I both thought was delicious. Quick. Easy. Yummy. Satisfying.  A perfect Meatless Monday or any weeknight (or weekend) meal!  Of course, I had to name the recipe after my blog.

Made in a Few Moments Flatbread Pizza

Ingredients:

(Feel free to vary these according to what you have on hand! You could make the crust from scratch, but we were really happy with the one I bought.)

• Stonefire Italian Artisan Pizza Crust 
• 1/2 onion, chopped into narrow slices
• 1 red or yellow pepper, chopped into narrow slices
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 3 tbsp olive oil, divided
• 3 slices monterey jack cheese (cut into narrow strips) (or shredded mozzarella)
• 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 1/3 cup shredded parmesan cheese 
• 2 or 3 roma tomatoes, sliced
• 1 tsp fresh oregano (or 1/2 tsp dried oregano).
• freshly ground salt and pepper, to taste.

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
• Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a skillet.  
• Add chopped onion and pepper slices, and garlic.  Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally until caramelized.

• While sautéing vegetables, place pizza crust directly on rack 1/3 from bottom of oven. Bake crust for 6- 8 minutes, then remove from oven.
• Sprinkle 1 tbsp olive oil evenly over crust.
• Space strips of sliced cheese evenly over the top of oiled crust.
• Spread sautéed vegetable mixture evenly over top of the cheese slices. 
• Sprinkle shredded cheddar cheese over vegetable mixture.
• Lay tomato slices over top of shredded cheddar, spacing them evenly.
• Sprinkle all over with shredded parmesan cheese.
• Bake pizza an additional 8 minutes, until golden, and cheese has melted. 

• Cut with a pizza cutter into squares, season with freshly ground salt and pepper, and serve.

Voila! Dinner was served, and the only dishes used were a frying pan, a cutting board, and a knife, rubber spatula and a pizza cutter!  My husband couldn't stop commenting about how much he enjoyed the simple meal. 

Just a reminder though, if you are serving this to hungry teenagers, you better make more than one!

Do you have a favorite homemade pizza topping?

This post may be linked to one of the great link-up parties I follow and list on my blog. Check them out!