Yup. That’s a doozy of a title. Technically, it could be longer, but where’s the mystery if I tell you ALL the ingredients in advance? We all need a little mystery in our life—right? I think so.
Do you know who else I find a little mysterious? Max. Some mornings, he’s pretty chill. After breakfast, he wants to snuggle, spend a few minutes chasing the da bird all over the living room and then it’s nap time. Other times, like this morning, he just can’t sit still. He is EVERYWHERE. Scampering here and there and leaving a disaster in his wake.
I tried playing with him to burn off some of his excess energy, but it seemed like I always picked the wrong toy or time. He just stared at me and wouldn’t engage. So I gave up and went back to work. Five minutes later he’s tearing around the apartment, dragging shredded toilet paper behind him.
Sigh. The life of a cat mom.
Who am I kidding? I wouldn’t want it any other way!
Okay, now back to my pizza. I generally have a preference for vegetarian pizzas. It’s not like I won’t eat pizza with meat, but when given an option of pepperoni or veggies—I choose veggies. Most of the time when I make pizza, I’m not real fancy. It’s typically mushroom (fresh, please!) and green olives.
I decided to stretch myself and be a little extravagant. I LOVE roasted garlic so I mixed some with cream cheese as a substitute for your typical pizza sauce. I topped it with caramelized onions (yum!), mushrooms, artichokes and two kinds of cheese—goat cheese and an italian blend. So, so, so good!
I made it on a Friday night and watched some movie that I have already forgotten. But this pizza, still lives on in my memory!
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Pizza w/ Roasted Garlic Sauce, Caramelized Onions, Mushrooms and Artichokes
Adapted from Budget Bytes
Ingredients:
- Pizza dough (click here for my recipe)
- 2 large onions, sliced
- 1 (8 oz) container of sliced mushrooms
- 1 can (14 oz) artichoke hearts
- 1 (8 oz) cream cheese
- Roasted garlic head
- 1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 Tablespoon butter
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- Goat cheese (4 oz) or to taste
- 2 cups Italian Cheese blend, shredded
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions:
- In a skillet, combine butter and extra virgin olive oil over medium-low heat. Add onions and saute for about 45-60 minutes, stirring every few minutes until the onions are a deep brown. Lightly salt and pepper to taste.
- Remove caramelized onions from skillet and add the mushrooms and dried thyme. If needed, you can add another tablespoon of butter. Cook mushrooms until softened, approximately 10 minutes. Lightly salt and pepper to taste.
- In the meantime, place cream cheese in a microwavable bowl and microwave for 30 seconds or until softened. Add roasted garlic and combine thoroughly. Salt and pepper to taste.
- Adjust the rack in your oven to its highest position and preheat to 450 degrees with the pizza stone or pan inside. Roll out dough on a piece of parchment paper with cornmeal lightly sprinkled over it.
- Spread garlic cream cheese sauce over dough. Then layer with caramelized onions, mushrooms and artichoke hearts.
- Carefully lift parchment paper with pizza on top and place on your now smoking hot pizza stone or pan. Bake for 12-15 minutes. Remove and top with italian cheese and crumbled goat cheese. Bake for an additional 5-7 minutes or until the crust is golden brown and cheese is melted.
Special Notes:
To roast a garlic head: preheat oven to 400 degrees. Slice off top of garlic head to expose garlic cloves. Drizzle olive oil over garlic. Salt and pepper to taste. Wrap in aluminum foil and bake for 20-30 minutes or until garlic is brown and soft. Cool then remove garlic from wrapper. You can store it for a day or two in the fridge or use immediately.
Enjoy!
Tanya
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