Roasted Garlic and Herb Pizza with Artichokes and Sundried Tomatoes

I got the inspiration for this idea from the fabulous Katie (and I apologize for the pictures, I had some hungry guests waiting for me!). I was looking to do a cheese-less pizza as one of my options for Pizza Night and she suggested a garlic-herb topping with some veggies.

So after thinking about it for awhile, I decided to roast the garlic first, then combine with some herbs and more olive oil. I only roasted one head of garlic, thinking it would be overpowering, but actually the roasting sweetens up the garlic so much that I didn't get the full taste I was looking for. Therefore, the below recipe has my recommendation for TWO whole heads of garlic - don't be shy! I then chose artichokes and sundried tomatoes because I love those two flavors together, but get creative! Roast some tomatoes of your own, use some arugula, maybe some sauteed zucchini; your options are limitless!

Roasted Garlic and Herb Pizza with Artichokes and Sundried Tomatoes

from Colleen's Kitchen

Makes 1 pie

1 recipe pizza dough

2 heads garlic, stems cut off so that all cloves are exposed (see here for pic)

olive oil

1 teaspoon dried basil

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 small jar marinated artichoke, drained and chopped

1/2 cup sundried tomatoes in oil, drained and chopped

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line a small baking dish with foil. Liberally pour olive oil over both heads, making sure that all the cloves are covered. Bake for 30-40 minutes until golden brown and cloves are soft and mushy.

When garlic is cool enough, squeeze each clove into a small bowl and mash with fork to desired cosistency. Add about 3-4 tablespoons olive oil and the dried herbs. (This can be done in advance.)

Increase oven temperature to 500 degrees F. If you have a pizza stone, place it in the oven and let it sit at 500 degrees for at least 30 minutes. If not, line a large baking sheet with parchment paper (do NOT preheat this).

Roll out prepared pizza dough to desired shape. Spread garlic and oil mixture over the top of the dough (a pastry brush helps). Sprinkle with chopped artichokes and tomatoes.

Transfer to pizza stone and bake for 15 minutes or until crust is golden brown and crispy.