Whenever I host Christmas Eve, we try to keep it simple. The big meal is the next day, so the night before we have a dinner of appetizers. It can be casual and low key or elegant hor d’ouvres. A mixture of hot and cold appetizers are more than filling for a small or large group of people.
Pizza is something that can be a dinner in itself or an appetizer for a crowd. It is something most kids will eat and it is comforting.
We have pizza every Friday night. Over the summer my kids started picking different toppings each week. One night, one of my sons suggested carrot pizza. He loves carrots. I was very, very skeptical but I had told him he could pick, so we got some rainbow carrots from Trader Joe’s and this recipe is what came out of it. AMAZING! Even my husband, who does not like cooked carrots, loved this pizza. Try something new, live a little 😉
Rainbow Carrot Pizza
Ingredients
- 3 carrots different colors, sliced thinly (I used a mandolin)
- ¼ cup white balsamic vinegar
- 1 Tablespoon agave
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
- 3 small garlic cloves minced
- 2 Tablespoons chopped fresh basil
- 1 pizza crust One of my favorites is the Against the Grain crust found in the GF freezer section
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon pepper
- ½ cup of tomato sauce more or less depending on your preference for sauce
- 8 ounces of shredded mozzarella
Instructions
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Bring a pot of water to a boil. Fill a large bowl with ice water. In a medium bowl mix vinegar, agave, salt, pepper, garlic and basil.
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Drop carrots into boiling water for 2-3 minutes and remove, placing immediately into ice water. Drain carrots and put them into the marinade for about 20 minutes.
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Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Take pizza crust out of freezer.
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In a small bowl mix the olive oil, salt and pepper. Brush olive oil mixture on the crust and place crust on the rack or a heated pizza stone and cook for 7 minutes.
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Take the crust out of the oven and spread tomato sauce over it. Cover with the mozzarella. Take carrots out of the marinade and dry in a towel.
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Place carrots however you like around the pizza. Cook for another 20 minutes. Take out and serve. Top with some more fresh basil if you like.
Recipe Notes
To save time, you can skip the instructions to boil the carrots and put them in ice water. Instead put them directly into the marinade after you slice them.
You can prepare everything ahead up to the last 20 minutes of cook time. Keep it in the fridge and cook just as your guests arrive for a warm appetizer.
Taking something simple and familiar, like pizza, and putting a new ingredient with it, is a good way to expose your family to new tastes. You never know when they’ll surprise you. Pizza is something you can easily adjust to your family’s tastes, so if the rainbow carrots don’t go over well, try different colored peppers or place the pepperoni in a shape of a Christmas tree.
Here are some past pizza and holiday appetizer ideas to help get you through the holiday season: (Usual disclaimer that if the post is dated before April 2014 it may not be gluten free. Adapt for your needs or send me a message and I’ll adapt it!)
Rethinking my cooking bucket list and looking forward to 2015
Entertaining with Appetizers and What to do with the Leftovers
That actually sounds really good!
Looks delicious and sounds easy enough to make! Thanks for sharing
So cute! My kids and I love making Pizza at home and they love putting all the toppings on it! I’m sure they would love to make this pizza with the cute rainbow effect! Love it!
We love making our own pizza on Friday nights too. I really love your addition of white balsamic here-will have to give this a try!
The white balsamic makes it less messy looking and keeps the colors of the rainbow carrots more vibrant. I usually buy mine at Trader Joe’s but all grocery stores seem to have every type of vinegar now!
I would never think to top a pizza with some of these items, but it sure does look good!
I was surprised myself! It was all my son’s idea. I will not doubt his creative cooking ideas again 🙂
This looks so healthy and flavorful! I would have never thought to add some of these ingredients.
I know! I never would have thought carrots on pizza would be good, but it really is absolutely delicious!! I was just appeasing a creative child, not wanting to curb his enthusiasm, and this masterpiece came out of it and proved us all wrong!
This looks so good! Pizza is a favorite in our house too. My kids love carrots, so we will have to try this!
This is so cute and looks delish! Thanks for sharing!
We have Pizza Friday’s too. I would have never thought to put carrots in a pizza. Looks delicious.
This sounds FABULOUS! I’ve been super turned off to traditional pizza this pregnancy, but this sounds delish!!
I have never had carrot pizza. Actually if someone asked me if I wanted a piece of carrot pizza, I would probably look at them like they were nuts. BUT this looks and sounds great!
Carrot pizza—what a great idea! So colourful and they way the carrots are prepared, would be delish!
We have pizza night every Friday night too! I definitely need to try this recipe!