We all love Pizza Margherita, but sometimes you just want to try something new. That’s why I’ve put together 9 inspirations for your next vegetarian pizza in this post.

Note that all the recipes below are based on the Neapolitan pizza dough recipe, which is described in detail here.

Broccoli, roasted onion cream and chili

I’ve always wanted to try a pizza with broccoli! If you like broccoli gratin and you’re looking for a vegetarian pizza, you will love this pizza! The cream was based on a recipe from Joe Beddia’s book “Pizza Camp”.

Ingredients for the cream (for one pizza):

• 1 large Vidalia onion, or other sweet onion
• 1 cup of cream (200 gr)
• Olive oil
• Salt and pepper
• 3 – 7 Calabrian chillies, pickled in oil; or other chillies
• 1 garlic clove

Ingredients for the pizza:

• 50 gr di buffalo mozzarella
• 50 gr broccoli
• 3 tbsp hard cheese, e.g. Parmigiano

Instructions:

• Ideally, let the buffalo mozzarella dry on a paper towel 3 hours before baking. Since it is still very moist fresh out of the package, it would lose liquid on the pizza and only make it unnecessarily mushy. Then cut or tear the mozzarella into small pieces.
• Preheat the oven to 230 degrees.
• Cut the onions into half rings.
• Add the half onion rings to olive oil and season with salt and pepper; then lay them out on a baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes. Then turn the onions and bake again for 20 minutes and then let cool.
• Then put the onions and cream in a blender, season with salt and pepper and blend until a fine consistency.
• Shape the pizza dough and spread about 3 tablespoons of the sauce on the dough.
• Add buffalo mozzarella, broccoli and a little salt on the pizza.
• Bake the pizza.
• Finally, sprinkle some grated Parmigiano and olive oil over the pizza.

That’s it! Now it’s time to enjoy your pizza with broccoli, roasted onion cream and chili.

Zucchini, buffalo mozzarella and mint

This creation is inspired by a recipe from Marc Vetri’s book “Mastering Pizza”*.
The important thing here is to grate the zucchini just before baking so it doesn’t lose too much water and become mushy. All in all a very refreshing pizza and visually also an eye-catcher!

Ingredients (for one pizza):

• 1 small zucchini, finely grated
• 50 gr Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, grated
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• salt and pepper
• 50 gr buffalo mozzarella
• 8 mint leaves

Instructions:

• Ideally, let the buffalo mozzarella dry on a paper towel 3 hours before baking. Since it is still very moist fresh out of the package, it would lose liquid on the pizza and only make it unnecessarily mushy. Then cut or tear the mozzarella into small pieces.
• Just before baking, grate the zucchini and mix with the Parmigiano and oil in a small bowl. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
• Shape the dough and spread the zucchini “paste” on top.
• Sprinkle a little Parmigiano on top.
• Bake the pizza.
• Spread the buffalo mozzarella and the mint leaves over the pizza.

That’s it! Now it’s time to enjoy your pizza with zucchini, buffalo mozzarella and mint.

Spinach, marinated cherry tomatoes and ricotta cheese

This variant is a great combination of different wonderful flavors: the mellow spinach, the sweet and sour marinated cherry tomatoes and in addition the refreshing ricotta – just delicious! For this topping, I recommend Nancy Silverton’s pizza dough recipe, as it’s a thin and crispy pizza, making it a great match for the ingredients.

Ingredients (for one pizza):

• 50 gr tomato sauce
• 30 gr marinated cherry tomatoes
• 30 gr fresh spinach
• 30 gr ricotta
• 1/4 lemon
• Salt and pepper
• 1 tbsp olive oil

Instructions:

• Wash the spinach.
• Heat oil in a frying pan.
• Add onions and garlic and sauté briefly.
• Add spinach and stir through until it shrinks.
• Then let the spinach cool and set aside.
• For the ricotta cream, squeeze the lemon and add the juice to the ricotta. Add olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
• Shape the dough and spread tomato sauce on top.
• Now add the spinach and then the marinated cherry tomatoes on top.
• Spread the ricotta over the pizza with a small spoon, one blob at a time.
• Bake the pizza.

That’s it! Now it’s time to enjoy your pizza with spinach, marinated cherry tomatoes and ricotta cheese.

Pesto Genovese, buffalo mozzarella and marinated cherry tomatoes

Pesto Genovese makes a wonderful aromatic base for a pizza and also looks great. On top, the marinated cherry tomatoes work really well together with it!

Ingredients (for one pizza):

• 20 gr pesto genovese
• 30 gr marinated cherry tomatoes
• 50 gr buffalo mozzarella

Instructions:

• Ideally, let the buffalo mozzarella dry on a paper towel 3 hours before baking. Since it is still very moist fresh out of the package, it would lose liquid on the pizza and only make it unnecessarily mushy. Next, cut or tear the mozzarella into small pieces.
• Shape the pizza dough and spread the pesto on it.
• Now spread the tomato slices and then the mozzarella on the dough.
• Bake the pizza.

That’s it! Now it’s time to enjoy your pizza with pesto Genovese, buffalo mozzarella and marinated cherry tomatoes.

Pear, buffalo mozzarella, gorgonzola, walnuts and honey

I heard and read again and again about gorgonzola-pear combinations – so I had to try it myself. Taste-wise, it’s definitely interesting, especially with the sweet-salty combination. The variant is particularly suitable for autumn or winter, because it can taste quite heavy – but try it out best yourself!

Ingredients (for one pizza):

• 30 gr mozzarella
• 30 gr gorgonzola
• 1/2 pear
• 30 gr walnuts
• Some honey

Instructions:

• Ideally, let the buffalo mozzarella dry on a paper towel 3 hours before baking. Since it is still very moist fresh out of the package, it would lose liquid on the pizza and only make it unnecessarily mushy. Next, cut or tear the mozzarella into small pieces.
• Cut the pear into thin slices.
• Chop the gorgonzola into small cubes.
• Coarsely ground the walnuts.
• Shape the pizza dough and top it with the pear slices.
• Spread buffalo mozzarella, gorgonzola and walnuts on top.
• Pour a little honey on top.
• Bake the pizza.
• After baking, pour a little honey over the pizza again.

That’s it! Now it’s time to enjoy your pizza with

Quattro Formaggi with chili threads

A pizza Quattro Formaggi with great high-quality cheeses is something incredibly fine. To take some of the heaviness out of it and give it a visual kick, chili threads are an amazing ingredient!

Ingredients (for one pizza):

• 50 gr buffalo mozzarella
• 50 gr Gorgonzola
• 50 gr smoked Scamorza or smoked Provola cheese
• 50 gr Parmigiano Reggiano
• 5 gr chili threads

Instructions:

• Ideally, drain the buffalo mozzarella on a kitchen towel 3 hours before baking. Then cut into small pieces or tear into small pieces.
• Cut the cheeses into small cubes.
• Shape the pizza dough.
• Cover the dough with the cheese.
• Bake the pizza.
• Cover the pizza with the chili threads.

That’s it! Now it’s time to enjoy your pizza quattro formaggi with chili threads.

Spinach with feta

I really like this vegetarian version, because the spinach with its mellow flavor and the intense aroma of the feta cheese work extremely well together!

Ingredients (for one pizza):

• 70 gr tomato sauce
• 50 gr fresh spinach
• 30 gr feta cheese
• Olive oil
• Optional: onions, garlic

Instructions:

• Wash the spinach.
• Heat oil in a frying pan.
• Add onions and garlic and sauté briefly.
• Add the spinach and stir through until it shrinks.
• Then let the spinach cool and set aside.
• Chop the feta into small cubes.
• Form the dough and spread tomato sauce on it.
• Now put the spinach on top and then sprinkle the feta on top.
• Bake the pizza.

That’s it! Now it’s time to enjoy your pizza with spinach and feta.

Creme fraiche, gorgonzola and spring onions

Pizza is like a canvas – and can therefore be topped with ingredients that you just have in the fridge. This variant is a good and extremely tasty example!

Ingredients (for one pizza):

• 30 gr creme fraiche
• 30 gr gorgonzola
• 30 gr spring onions

Instructions:

• Season the creme fraiche with salt and pepper and stir until smooth.
• Cutthe gorgonzola into small cubes.
• Shape the dough and spread the crème fraîche on it.
• Then put the gorgonzola and the spring onions on the dough.
• Bake the pizza.

That’s it! Now it’s time to enjoy your pizza with creme fraiche, gorgonzola and spring onions.

Pizza Cosacca

The Pizza Cosacca is very popular in Naples, but rather unknown here. It is actually a very simple pizza: tomato sauce and aromatic hard cheese, e.g. Parmigiano Reggiano, Pecorino or Caciocavallo, and this simple but nevertheless super tasty pizza is ready! It is best to shave the hard cheese directly over the hot, ready-baked pizza.

Ingredients (for one pizza):

• 70 gr tomato sauce
• 50 gr hard cheese, e.g. Parmigiano Reggiano, Pecorino or Caciocavallo
• pair of basil leaves

Instructions:

• Put the basil leaves in a bowl with water. This ensures that the basil does not burn so quickly in the oven.
• Shape the pizza dough, spread the tomato sauce on it and then the basil leaves.
• Bake the pizza.
• Now shave the cheese over the still hot pizza.

That’s it! Now it’s time to enjoy your pizza cosacca.

Thanks for reading! I hope this post about vegetarian pizza ideas was valuable to you. If you have any unanswered questions, feel free to let me know in the comments. I’d appreciate it if you could share this article with your friends.

Julia