Description
This Easy Christmas Veggie Pizza is a festive and healthy appetizer featuring a crescent dough crust spread with a creamy chive and sour cream mixture, topped with colorful fresh vegetables arranged to resemble a Christmas tree. Perfect for holiday gatherings, this recipe is simple to make and delightfully visually appealing.
Ingredients
Scale
Dough Base
- 16 ounces crescent dough (sheets preferred, regular crescent dough also works)
Spread
- 7.5 ounces whipped chive cream cheese (about 1 cup; regular cream cheese can be substituted)
- ½ cup sour cream
Vegetables & Toppings
- 1 red bell pepper
- 1 yellow bell pepper
- 1 1/4 cups broccoli florets (chopped into small pieces)
- ½ cup small cauliflower florets
- 2 tablespoons grated carrot
- 2 tablespoons red onion (diced small)
- 5 cherry tomatoes (cut in half)
- 1 scallion or green onion (thinly sliced)
Instructions
- Prepare Oven and Pan: Preheat the oven to 375°F. Lightly oil a rimmed baking pan or line it with parchment paper to prevent sticking.
- Form and Bake Crust: Lay the crescent dough sheets on the prepared pan, overlapping and pinching the seams to seal them together into one large sheet. Fold any extra dough down around the edges. Bake for 13-15 minutes until the crust turns golden brown. Remove from oven and let cool completely.
- Cool Before Topping: Ensure the baked dough is cooled completely to the touch before adding toppings to avoid sogginess or melting.
- Make Cream Cheese Spread: In a small bowl, stir together the whipped chive cream cheese and sour cream until fully combined. Spread this mixture evenly over the cooled crescent dough base, leaving a thin border around the edges to form a crust.
- Outline Christmas Tree: Use a butter knife or chopstick to lightly trace a large Christmas tree shape in the cream cheese spread. If needed, smooth out and retrace until satisfied with the shape.
- Add Broccoli and Cauliflower: Fill the tree shape densely with chopped broccoli florets. Fill the surrounding area outside the tree with small cauliflower florets to create contrast. Sprinkle the shredded carrot evenly over the broccoli tree for color and texture.
- Create Bell Pepper Stars: Slice the top off the yellow bell pepper and remove core and seeds. Use small star-shaped cookie cutters to cut star shapes from both yellow and red bell peppers. Place a larger star at the top of the tree and decorate the rest of the tree with smaller stars and halved cherry tomatoes.
- Finish with Onion and Serve: Sprinkle diced red onion and thinly sliced scallions evenly over the entire pizza. Slice into portions and serve immediately.
Notes
- For a flaky crust, use crescent sheet dough rather than individual triangles.
- Make sure the dough cools completely before spreading the cream cheese mixture to prevent melting.
- Use star-shaped cookie cutters for easy and festive decorations from the bell peppers.
- This appetizer is best served the same day but can be chilled briefly before serving.
- To cut neatly, use a sharp knife and wipe between slices.
