Flatbread Pizza with Roasted Tomatoes & Onions

Just made the most delicious flatbread pizza tonight, with freshly roasted tomatoes and onions.

I am obsessed with roasted plum tomatoes! Normally, roma plum tomatoes are dull and flavorless if eaten raw. But when they finish roasting, the flavor is intense! The only problem is, it’s best to cook them low and slow, so you need at least an hour or more of roasting time.

I roasted this batch for a total of about 3 hours @ 250° but you can reduce the cooking time if you increase the temp.

I found an interesting recipe in the Barefoot Contessa Back to Basics book (borrowed from the library) for Roasted Tomatoes with Basil – here’s a similar recipe from her, sans the basil leaves.

I adjusted the recipe for my needs, but I was really intrigued by the addition of balsamic vinegar. I normally don’t cook with vinegar, but I see it in so many recipes, I was inspired to try it. It really adds a layer of flavor to the dish, without a strong vinegar taste. Don’t be afraid to try it!

First, here’s my recipe for the tomatoes. After, you’ll find my easy flatbread pizza recipe using the roasted tomatoes.

Roasted Tomatoes & Onions with Basil

Serves 2

Ingredients:

• 4 plum tomatoes
• 2 Tbsp Olive Oil (I opted for the everyday extra virgin, not my “good stuff”)
• 1 Tbsp Balsamic Vinegar (I don’t have fancy smancy balsamic vinegar yet)
• bunch of fresh Basil leaves – enough to top 8 slices of tomatoes
• (Optional) 1 medium or large onion – I used a sweet Vidalia

Roasting Instructions:

1. Heat the oven to 250°
2. Halve the plum tomatoes – chop off the top stem part. I left the seeds, but you can scoop them out if you’d like. Transfer the tomatoes into square baking dish.
   
3. Top with basil leaves then drizzle Olive Oil and Balsamic Vinegar over the top of all the tomatoes.
   
4. Bake for about 2 hours
5. (Optional step) After the tomatoes have roasted for 2 hours, chop onion into large chunks and add them to the baking dish with the tomatoes.
6. Mix gently to coat the onions with the liquid from the dish.
   
7. Bake for one more hour.

Enjoy! The aroma in your kitchen will be intoxicating!

Now for the pizza recipe!

Flatbread Pizza with Roasted Tomatoes & Onions

Serves 2 – 3 depending on the size of the flatbread

Ingredients:

• Flatbread or Naan – I haven’t tried mixing my own dough for pizza dough yet, but SOON I will! In the meantime, I like using natural store-bought whole grain naans or flatbread.
• Roasted tomatoes & onions (recipe above)
• 2-4 oz cheese – tonight, I mixed thinly 2 oz sliced french style yogurt cheese with 2 oz shredded sharp Vermont cheddar. I also like using mozzarella, sheep’s milk Manchego, or even feta. If you are saving calories, Laughing Cow light swiss is a good choice too.
• sliced Mushrooms (Optional)

Instructions:

1. Heat oven to 350° – If you just finished roasting the tomatoes and onions, raise the oven temp to 350°.
2. Place the flatbread or naan(s) on your pizza pan – my counter-top oven came with an aluminum pizza sheet pan. You can use a pizza stone or a cookie sheet.
3. Distribute the cheese evenly on the flatbread; I like adding the cheese to the bottom of the pizza – It melts nicely, plus if your toppings are chunky, I find that it’s easier to put the toppings on top of the cheese than vice verse.
   
4. Add the roasted tomatoes, onions, and any liquid in the baking dish. Add the mushrooms. – Note: you may want to slice the roasted tomatoes into smaller pieces if they are too large for you. My DH likes smaller chunks, while I don’t mind the larger halves.
   
5. Bake for 10-20 minutes depending on how crispy you like the crust. Check on it regularly to see how the cheese is melting.
6. Slice and enjoy! Yum!