This easy summer squash grilled pizza is made with pre-made dough and topped with caramelized onions, cheese & basil for a simple homemade pizza recipe.
This easy summer squash grilled pizza is the perfect recipe for using some of your garden-fresh veggies!
Made with zucchini, yellow squash, caramelized onions, Asiago and mozzarella cheeses and topped with fresh basil leaves; it’s a fresh & easy grilled pizza recipe.
Oh, grilled pizza…at first you were my greatest enemy but somehow we were able to get past your stubbornness and harmonize for the perfect grilled crust that I longed for so badly.
I mean there’s a lot of variables going on here: grill temperature, weather your dough stretches nicely, weather to put the dough right on the grates or on aluminum foil, is it going to stick??
Not to worry my foodie friends!
I’ve suffered through plenty of burnt, blackened, chewy dough to get you that perfect, stress-free delicious grilled crust to top with all of your pizza topping desires.
How to make the perfect grilled pizza crust on your gas grill:
- Prepare all of your desired pizza toppings before placing your dough on the grill. For this recipe that means sauteing and caramelizing the onions ahead of time. This will make life much easier :).
- Let your dough rise before stretching. This will ensure the gluten is nice and relaxed so when you go to stretch and shape it, it cooperates for you. This will also avoid a chewy crust.
- Sprinkle some flour on both sides of the dough before you go to stretch it. This will avoid it sticking to your counter and hands. You want to stretch the dough thin but not paper thin, I aim for about ¼” thickness.
- Transfer the shaped and stretched dough onto a floured cutting board or pizza board to make it easier to transfer to the grill.
- Oil both sides of the dough GENEROUSLY with olive oil. I drizzle it on the dough then rub it all over with my hands, flip and repeat on the other side. (I also spray my grill with nonstick spray just to ensure no sticking).
- When the grill is preheated and sprayed, I transfer my oil dough right onto the grates and cook for about 5 minutes per side.
- If the dough slips through the grates when transferring don’t panic, just simply use a pair of tongs to get it back into place.
- At first it may seem like the dough is sticking, but don’t worry, let it cook a few minutes and you will start to notice it puffing up, and eventually it will slide around without sticking. (You may need to adjust the temperature depending on grill setting)
- Once you have a nice browned crust with slight char marks, flip the dough over and cook another 5 minutes or so.
After both sides of the pizza dough have been cooked until golden and crispy it’s time to add your toppings:
- Sauteed zucchini & yellow squash
- Caramelized Onions
- Shredded Asiago & Mozzarella Cheese
- Fresh Basil
Some other topping ideas for your grilled pizza crust:
- Pepperoni
- Fresh Mozzarella
- Mushrooms
- Arugula, Prosciutto & Blue Cheese (like my naan recipe except use the grilled pizza crust)
- Shredded Chicken with BBQ sauce
- Garden Tomatoes
- Fresh Spinach
Do you need a pizza stone for grilled pizza?
Not at all! If you follow my steps above, you’ll see you don’t need any fancy equipment except some olive oil and your gas grill.
I do have a pizza stone that I like using for cooking my pizza in the oven, but if you’re looking for authentic grilled pizza, the stone won’t give you that “charred” grilled pizza feel so I prefer putting the dough right on the grill grates.
And in case I haven’t told you already, my mom makes AWESOME pizza. In the oven, on the grill, you name it and it’s always unbelievably good. This is another recipe I’m channeling my inner Becki for the perfect pizza recipe to share with you :).
Easy Summer Squash Grilled Pizza
Ingredients
- 1 lb Pizza Dough let rise 1 hour prior to cooking
- 2 TBS Butter
- 1 Yellow Onion sliced
- Salt
- Pepper
- 3 TBS Olive Oil plus more for dough
- 2 Garlic Cloves minced
- 1 Yellow Squash sliced
- 1 Zucchini sliced
- Flour for dusting
- ½ cup Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
- ½ cup Shredded Asiago Cheese or any shredded cheese
- Fresh Basil for Topping
Instructions
- Heat butter over medium-low heat in a medium saucepan. Add onions and a pinch of salt and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally until golden and caramelized. About 20-30 minutes. Set aside.
- Meanwhile, heat olive oil over medium-high heat in large sauté pan. Add garlic, squash, zucchini, a pinch of salt and pepper. Cover, and let cook until softened, about 20-25 minutes.
- Preheat grill on low. Generously spray with nonstick cooking spray.
- Remove dough from bag, lightly flour and stretch to desired shape, about 1/4" thick. Do not make the dough too thin or it will rip and burn on the grill.
- Transfer the dough to a floured pizza paddle or cutting board. Generously coat both sides of the dough with olive oil. Gently place dough directly on grill grates. Cover and let cook 5 minutes, keeping careful watch to not burn the bottom.
- Once the dough is puffed up and the bottom is nicely golden, flip over. Repeat until golden and a slight black char.
- When both sides are golden and crispy, transfer crust to indirect heat. Add toppings: squash, onions, cheeses and basil. Cover and let cook another 4-5 minutes or until cheese is fully melted.
Did you Make this Recipe? Comment below!