Can pizza be boring? Hard to believe, but don’t blame the pizza. It’s just that some folks have the same-old, same-old pizza week after week, month after month, again and again (and again). Always cheese, always pepperoni, always same-old.

Break out of that pizza rut, America! We’ve got some great ways you can use fruits (yes!) and vegetables on that pizza pie, and make each creation more memorable than the last.

Grilled Veggie Pizza
It’s summer time, so why not top pizza with grilled veggies? Choose from red bell peppers, zucchini, yellow squash, red onions and other veggies, cooked on your outdoor charcoal or gas grill. Prepare your crust – we’d use our Rustic Crust Crispy Thin Crust! – with some olive oil, then top with sauce and bake for about 5 minutes. Remove from the oven, top with your grilled veggies, add a little cheese, then pop back into the oven until the cheese is lightly browned.
(Remember, grilling can dry out your veggies, so lightly coat them with oil before grilling!)

Apples & Cheese
Apples have a great relationship with cheese, so why not team them up on your pizza? We recently road-tested a recipe featuring apples, cheddar cheese, caramelized onions and walnuts, and we’re hooked! (Note: you’ve got to saute the apples!) Check out this recipe, from ohmyveggies.com and enjoy a truly unique spin on pizza pie!

Wild Mushroom & Arugula Pizza
We’re wild about this recipe from our friends at Eating Well. It’s all about the process when it comes to this recipe and timing, as they say, is everything. Use fresh wild mushrooms (such as hen of the woods, also known as maitake, or chanterelles) and remember to only add the arugula after the pizza comes out of the oven. We also suggest making the effort to find agrumato lemon oil for its flavor kick!

Fruit and Veggie Combo
Who says fruit and veggies can’t work together? This Caramelized Onion, Gorgonzola, Pear and Arugula Pizza makes for the perfect summer slice. Get the recipe here!

Brussel Sprouts, Anyone?
Brussel sprouts. Some of us love, love, love them, while others…well, to many people, they are the “vegetable which shall not be named.” Despite those childhood traumas involving you-know-what, however, you will be won over by this terrific pizza recipe from Bon Appétit. Perfect as a crowd-pleasing appetizer, wonderful for a cozy dinner for two, this pizza pie will win over those anti-Brussel sprouts folks.