three cheese veggie tortilla pizza

I originally was going to name this pizza three cheese fire-roasted tomato, pepper, and arugula tortilla pizza, but I thought I'd spare you the run-on sentence name. Instead I'm limiting my wordy self and focusing on the basics. Here's what you need to know: the crust is made from a tortilla. The pizza is then piled high with veggies and smothered in three melty cheeses. The end.

This is what I like to call working [wo]man's pizza. It's the kind of dinner that comes together in minutes for an easy, effortless weeknight meal. The addition of fresh arugula and basil gives the pizza a certain garden-fresh quality while the three cheeses add an additional layer of indulgence. Use the topping suggestions as a guideline. Experiment. Create your own variation based upon the odds and ends left in your fridge at the end of the week. Who doesn't love a a good fridge clean out meal? I know this frugalish gal does!

One final word on the crust from the test kitchen: leave the pizza in the oven longer than you think it should. A deeply browned crust is the key to turning this tortilla crust into a wood-fired thin-crust-like taste. Trust me. I learned through trial and error... See the photo below - that's the crust color you're looking for.

Three Cheese Veggie Tortilla Pizza
Ingredients
6 or 8 inch tortillas (whole wheat or flour)
Canned fire-roasted tomatoes, drained
Roasted red peppers, roughly chopped
Handful of basil,
Arugula
Mozzarella
Ricotta
Parmesan
Olive oil
Garlic clove, smashed
Salt and pepper

Ingredient notes:
I'd plan on one or two whole wheat or flour tortillas per person depending on your toppings and hunger. I used one 14.5 oz. can of fire roasted tomatoes and spread it over four tortillas. If you're feeling adventurous, replace the tomatoes with pesto. It produces an equally awesome pizza worthy of its own blog post.

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 450°F. Put racks in upper third and lower third of oven.
2. Prepare cookie sheets with parchment or nonstick spray. Then place tortillas on sheets.
3. Brush about a teaspoon of olive oil onto each tortilla then rub with the crushed garlic clove.

4. Spread drained chunks of tomatoes on tortillas. 

5. Add chopped peppers, basil and any other leftover lonely veggies you'd like. 

6. Add a few dollops of ricotta, tear the mozzarella into smaller pieces, and sprinkle the pizzas with parmesan. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

7. Bake the pizzas for about 12 minutes. The tortilla browns best when kept in the lower third of the oven for about nine minutes and then finished in the top of the oven to brown the cheese. Remember leave the pizza in longer than you'd think [see third paragraph above]. 

8. Top the finished pizza with a handful of arugula and a bit more fresh basil. Give it a few minutes to wilt before serving. 

9. Slice the pizza up and serve!

Root beer is optional [although I have a soft spot in my heart for it], but creamy veggie pizza with a effortless thin crust is not.