Caramelized Onion & Sun-Dried Tomato Flatbread
Forget delivery. Treat yourself tonight with this delicious Vegan Flatbread done two ways - one with Sun-Dried Tomatoes, Pear, and Arugula; the other uses Caramelized Onion, instead. Stuff your face with pizza, guilt-free.
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Introduction
I’ve been wanting to write this recipe for a long time now, but hadn’t done it until recently for two reasons - firstly, I was terrified of making my own pizza dough (I rarely bake, and still don’t - I found some pizza dough at the grocery store that works great), and secondly, because I couldn’t think of any interesting toppings.
The flatbreads couldn’t be cheesy or meat-filled. I had to use vegetables. But was I selling out if I went for onion and pineapple? It was low-hanging fruit, and I wasn’t prepared to make a recipe so divisive.
Eventually, I arrived at caramelized onion, pear, sun-dried tomatoes, and arugula. And, damn, do they work well together. Take this flatbread to a dinner party and shield questions and cold glances from people who think you must have bought it from the grocery store down the road.
Oppositely, make it for your family or yourself (let’s be honest here - there’s no sharing going on). Try out your own toppings, but I guarantee you’ll love these ones, so give it a try.
The secret to this recipe is the caramelized onions. Do not walk away from that pan for too long once the onions have started to cook. Every two minutes, give them a quick stir to keep them from burning. It’s a tedious task, but it makes all the difference.
Stuff your face with pizza without the guilt of answering the door to the delivery guy who comments on the three sides of crazy bread and pound of wings you’ve ordered. What’s his deal anyway?
Eat Wonderfully.
Before we Get Started
Prep Time: 15 Minutes
Cook Time: 45 Minutes
Total Time: 1 Hour
Yield: 4 Servings
Ingredients
4-5 Yellow Onions
Sun-Dried Tomatoes
I used jarred.
3 tbsp. Brown Sugar
Handful of Arugula
~650g Pizza Dough
1 Bosc Pear
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Red Chili Flakes
Oregano
Method
Peel and thinly slice your yellow onions, and add them to an oiled pan over medium-high heat. Add your brown sugar and a three finger pinch of salt. Stir routinely (every two minutes).
If onions are starting to burn, add a touch more oil, lower the heat a bit, and stir more frequently.
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
Continue working your onions until they have browned to the colour that you like. When finished, take the pan off the heat.
Flour a work surface, and place your pizza dough down on top. Using a rolling pin, roll your dough out until its roughly the shape of your baking tray.
You can decide the shape of your flatbread. I just used the tray as a guide. Ensure the dough is quite thin.
Cut your sun-dried tomatoes into bite-sized pieces.
Flour your baking tray, and place your dough on top. Drizzle it with olive oil, a pinch of salt, and some oregano. Spread your sun-dried tomatoes over one half of the flatbread.
Place into the oven for 12 minutes. While it is cooking, thinly slice your pear. After the 12 minutes is up, remove the flatbread, and evenly spread the pear over both sides of the dough. Drizzle with a touch more olive oil.
Put in for another 8 minutes, then remove, and add your caramelized onions to the second half of the dough.
Continue to bake until the crust becomes a crispy, golden brown, then remove, add your arugula, another drizzle of olive oil, and some red chili flakes.
Cut into slices.
Enjoy.
Spruce it Up
Use the best olive oil you can get your hands on for this pizza. Good olive oil makes a huge difference.
In fact, when using oil for a pan, don’t worry about using extra virgin olive oil. Use vegetable oil instead, and save yourself some money. EVOO should be saved for salads or recipes like this.
Drizzle with balsamic vinegar, and reduce slowly in a pan to make a balsamic glaze.
Artichoke hearts would go perfectly on this pizza.
Try different combinations of toppings and see what you like the most.