While my heart will always belong to plain cheese pizza, and monday nights in grad school splitting a thin crust papa john’s extra cheese pizza and bottle of red wine while watching the oc with my friend Jenn… (and this was huge for me— first time I ever actually enjoyed a take out chain pizza)… there is just something about a homemade pizza topped with fresh organic local produce that makes me happy.

And this mushroom, bell pepper and onion pizza hits that sweet spot.

Ingredients:

1/8 cup flour

pizza dough, homemade or store bought

1/4 cup pizza sauce, homemade or store bought

pinch of dried oregano

1 cup shredded mozzarella

5 crimini mushrooms, sliced

1 green bell pepper, sliced

1/4 white onion, thinly sliced

Directions:

Preheat oven to 450.

Spread flour on a flat surface, shape pizza dough into an approximate 8 inch circle pizza crust.

Prebake crust for 8 minutes in oven. Remove from oven.

Brush parbaked crust with pizza sauce. Sprinkle with oregano. Top with shredded mozzarella, mushroom, pepper and onion pizza.

Bake for 7 minutes on lowest shelf. Switch to top shelf and bake for about 5 minutes more, until cheese just turns slightly golden brown.