Roasted Red Peppers. Bacon. Cheese.

….

I honestly can’t think of anything more to say.

Other than this pizza deserves to be made on a weekly basis.

I first saw the idea for the pizza at How Sweet It Is, a blog I recently found and absolutely love. She has some amazing recipes, including the original version of this pizza.

In addition to the peppers and bacon I also used roasted mushrooms and zucchini on my pizza. Why? Because I wanted to. And because I had mushrooms and zucchini to use.

And because I wanted to.

Slice the zucchini and mushrooms and roast on a foil-lined baking sheet at 425 degrees for 20-25 minutes. They should be slightly blackened when they are finished.

While the vegetables are roasting, fry the bacon in a skillet and drain on a plate lined with paper towels. Once cool, roughly crumble or chop the slices of bacon.

For my version of the pizza I used my favorite pizza dough, which produces a wonderfully thin, whole-wheat crust (please see that post for complete instructions). After shaping the dough and baking for 4-5 minutes at 425 degrees, I brushed the crust with a small amount of olive oil.

Spread an even layer of roasted vegetables on the crust, then sprinkle the bacon evenly across the top. Then lay the slices of roasted red pepper at intervals on top of the vegetables and bacon.

Finally, spread an even layer of shredded fontina over everything (I used some mozzarella, too, and it worked out great).

Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until the cheese turns brown.

At this point, you can leave the pizza as-is and I can promise you that it will be amazing.

Or, you can take it up a notch by adding some balsamic reduction.

Oh, yes.

I could eat this stuff with a spoon.

A balsamic reduction can be made simply by bringing balsamic vinegar to a boil and then reducing to a low simmer. The water will slowly evaporate, leaving a thicker and sweeter version of the vinegar. Depending on how much vinegar you use, this will take 15-20 minutes. It will be reduced by over half so start with much more than you think you will need. I started with 1 1/2- 2 cups of vinegar and was left with about 1/2 c. But I used some on the pizza and still had some left, which can be stored in the refrigerator for future use (I recently used this on a piece of grilled pork- oh my goodness gracious).

Make this pizza soon. Your life is simply not complete without it.

Roasted Red Pepper and Bacon Pizza

• 1 whole wheat pizza crust
• 2-3 slices bacon
• 2 roasted red peppers (for a how-to on making your own look here)
• 1 c. sliced mushrooms
• 1 c. sliced zucchini
• 1-2 c. shredded Fontina cheese (or combination of fontina and mozzarella)
• 1 1/2 c. Balsamic Vinegar
• Olive oil

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil and spray with non-stick spray.

2. Slice the zucchini and mushrooms, toss with olive oil and roast on a foil-lined baking sheet for 20-25 minutes. They should be slightly blackened when they are finished.

3. While the vegetables are roasting, fry the bacon in a skillet and drain on a plate lined with paper towels. Once cool, roughly crumble or chop the slices of bacon.

4. Also while the vegetables are roasting, shape the pizza dough and place on a pizza pan or stone. Once the vegetables have finished roasting, bake the dough for 4-5 minutes at 425 degrees.

5. Brush the crust with a small amount of olive oil. Spread an even layer of roasted vegetables on the crust, then sprinkle the bacon evenly across the top. Lay the slices of roasted red pepper at intervals on top of the vegetables and bacon.

6. Finally, spread an even layer of shredded fontina over everything and bake for 10-12 minutes, or until the cheese turns brown.

7. If using the balsamic reduction, begin to boil the vinegar before putting the pizza in the oven. Bring the vinegar to a boil and then reduce to a simmer for 15-20 minutes. The vinegar doesn’t need to be constantly watched but keep a loose eye on it to ensure it does not burn.

8. After the vinegar has reduced, drizzle over the whole or individual slices of the pizza.