Deep-Dish Pizza With Zucchini, Onion, and Eggplant

A vegetarian deep-dish pizza

• Ready In: 1 hr 15 mins
• Serves: 4-6

Ingredients

• 2 1⁄2 tablespoons olive oil
•  chicago-style deep-dish  pizza dough (Chicago Style Deep-Dish Pizza Dough)
• 2  garlic cloves, minced
• 1  yellow onion, chopped
• 2  zucchini, cut into 1/2-inch dice (8 oz.)
• 1  eggplant, cut into 1/2-inc dice (10-12 oz.)
• 1  teaspoon kosher salt
•  fresh ground black pepper
• 1  lb fresh mozzarella cheese, thinly sliced
• 3 1⁄2 cups  pizza sauce (Tomato Sauce for Chicago Style Pizza)
• 1⁄2 cup  freshly grated parmesan cheese

Directions

1. Position oven rack on the 2nd-lowest level in the oven and place a baking stone on the rack; preheat oven to 500°.
2. Brush a 14-inch round deep-dish pizza pan with ½ tablespoon olive oil.
3. Starting in the middle and using your fingertips, press the dough evenly to cover the bottom and about 2 inches up the sides of the pan.
4. Cover the pan with plastic wrap or a clean kitchen towel and let dough rise in the pan for 15-20 minutes.
5. Meanwhile, in a large skillet over med-high heat, warm the remaining 2 tablespoons oil; swirl pan to coat.
6. Add in garlic and onion; stir/saute 3 minutes, until soft but not brown.
7. Add in the zucchini and eggplant; continue to saute/stir until the vegetables are crisp-tender and beginning to brown at the edges, about 8 minutes.
8. Season with salt and pepper; remove pan from heat and set aside to cool slightly.
9. Assemble pizza: lightly press the dough up the sides of the pan if it has slid back down.
10. Lay half of the mozzarella slices over the pizza dough, overlapping them to cover the dough completely.
11. Scatter the cooked vegetables over the top.
12. Place the rest of the mozzarella over the top.
13. Ladle the tomato sauce evenly over the mozzarella; sprinkle with parmesan cheese.
14. Place pizza in the oven on the baking stone and decrease heat to 450°.
15. Bake about 30 minutes, until the crust is crisp and a deep golden brown and the cheese is golden.
16. Remove pizza from oven and place on a wire rack to cool 5-7 minutes.
17. Use a knife to loosen the crust from the sides of the pan; cut pizza into large wedges and then slide a metal spatula under the bottom of the crust to remove and lift out wedges; serve immediately.