Make Your Own Veggie Patch Pizza
Applebees used to have this wonderful little appetizer called the Veggie Patch Pizza. It had a nice thin crust, tasty veggies, and lots of melty cheesy goodness. It was my favorite thing to order and even though it was an appetizer, for me it was the perfect size little pizza for a complete lunch.
And then they took it off their menu. How dare they! Nobody asked if that was OK with me. Hmmph. I guess now I just have to make my own!
This veggie pizza is quite simple to do, especially because I used a prebaked thin pizza crust. Then it’s just a matter of layering on the goodies.
The first layer is a light sprinkling of cheese, either mozzerella or an Italian blend. The next layer is the fresh veggies. I use chopped tomato, chopped mushroom, and spinach torn into smaller pieces.
After the veggies are added, you finish up with a final layer of cheese. Then the pizza gets cooked for about 10 minutes and everything is ready to enjoy!
We find that this pizza is a nice change of pace from the usual tomato sauce style of pizza. Even my menfolk gobble this up and almost without fail when they are done have to tell me “Boy that was good”. Who needs Applebees, anyway? Now we know how to make our own Veggie Patch pizzas!
Veggie Patch Pizza
Ingredients:
- 1 prebaked thin pizza crust
- olive oil (for brushing on crust)
- 8 oz bag shredded cheese – either mozzarella or Italian blend
- chopped fresh tomatoes
- chopped fresh mushrooms
- chopped fresh spinach
Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
- Brush a little olive oil on the pizza crust.
- Sprinkle a light layer of cheese over the crust.
- Add the chopped tomato, mushrooms, and spinach.
- Finish with another generous layer of cheese on the top. (You might not need to use all of the 8 oz bag)
- Lower the oven temperature to 425 degrees and bake for 7 to 10 minutes (or use temperatures and times as directed on the instructions of your ready made crust).
Love this info!! I didn't know they were using the spinach artichoke dip as the base sauce. That must have been why it was so yummy 🙂
Hi! I just started reading your blog and I'm going through the archives (I get a bit obsessive when starting a new blog!). I used to work at Applebee's back when they still made the Veggie Patch Pizza. I loved it too! I hate it when restaurants get rid of good food. Just so you know, they used the spinach artichoke dip as the base sauce for the pizza. They would spread that, add the veggies and then sprinkle mozz and parmesan cheese over it. Then they would cook it on the flat top to crisp up the tortilla crust. The last step was sliding it on a plate and under the heat lamps to melt the cheese on top. I generally stick it under the broiler for a minute or so, I like mine crispy!
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That sounds pretty good. I wouldn't of thunk of subbing another layer of cheese for the sauce..
Bev, this is wonderful! Thank you for sharing your recipe. This is going to be perfect with all the veggies and herbs from the garden!
Nice pizza idea Bev! I love tons and tons of toppings on my pizzas, especially veggies. I never had the Applebees version, but I'm sure yours is better!! 🙂