Mom used to make this all the time when I was little. Cold summer pizza. It’s probably a recipe that started on the side of a Pillsbury package, but I have a photocopy of a years old handwritten recipe card.
It’s unmistakably Mom’s handwriting. Isn’t it funny how we come to recognize these little things and find a second of comfort in them? Mom’s handwriting, familiar stationery with worn edges, memories of sitting on bar stools, picking the radishes out my lunch. So arbitrary and yet heart-warming.
And there’s absolutely nothing special about this pizza. It’s the simplest recipe you could imagine. And it’s definitely not in the realm of typical comfort food like mac and cheese, mashed potatoes, or squash casserole. (I take it back about the squash casserole. Just because we ate it thrice a week from June to August does not make it a comfort food.)
But it makes me happy. This Cool Summer Veggie Pizza is making me smile.
How can it not? Look at those bright colors! They say a sun lamp can help with Seasonal Depressive Disorder. I say, so can this pizza.
My recipe is slightly adapted from my Mom’s (which is probably slightly adapted from Pillsbury). I just swapped out the veggies to my liking and attempted to cut a few calories. Although, if I were willing to give up my new-found obsession with Pillsbury Thin Pizza Crust, I could have stretched the calories a little further.
You can (and should!) adapt the recipe how you see fit. If you like mushrooms, add ‘em. If you prefer chili peppers, get chopping. Not one for dill? Try fresh chives instead. You could even par-cook Brussels sprouts and use them to top your pizza – now that would be good. I sense a new recipe in the making.
You can even go halvsies with your friend or sister or neighbor – one half filled with veggies from your vegetable patch and the other half topped with her garden’s veggies.
Seriously, this recipe should please everyone (unless you are a veggie-hater, in which case, we can’t be friends right now, not even blog friends, summer = veggie time, in winter we can be friends again). Love, Danielle 
Cool Summer Veggie Pizza
Ingredients
- 1 can Pillsbury Thin Pizza Crust
- 1/4 cup whipped cream cheese
- 1 6 ounce container plain nonfat Greek yogurt
- 1 small broccoli crown
- 5 radishes
- 1 red bell pepper
- 1 yellow bell pepper
- 5 scallions diced
- fresh dill chopped
Instructions
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Heat oven to 400 degree F. Spray large baking sheet with cooking spray and unroll dough onto the sheet. Bake until edges are golden brown, about 7 minutes. Allow to cool completely before adding toppings.
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Meanwhile, hand chop broccoli, radishes, and bell peppers or use a food processor until veggies are chopped to desired size. Using a hand mixer, combine cream cheese and Greek yogurt.
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When the crust is completely cool, spread the cream cheese and Greek yogurt mixture evenly onto the crust. Spread evenly with chopped broccoli, radishes, and bell peppers. Sprinkle with scallions and dill. Slice and eat.
