Kale, Caramelized Onions, and Mushroom Pizza with Creamy Basil Sauce

Who doesn’t love pizza? I don’t think I have ever met anyone—vegan or otherwise–who said no to pizza. However, if you’re vegan or vegetarian, it is quite a challenge to find a pizza place that caters strictly to your preference.

Well, why risk it when you can make an exclusively vegan pizza that is just as hearty filling, scrumptious, and comforting as the regular thing. Best of all, this isn’t made from grains, so this is also gluten-free!

Kale, caramelized onions, mushrooms, creamy cashew basil sauce, what could be better right?

Here is how our friends at Simply Quinoa made it:

Ingredients:

Crust:

• 1 box vegan pizza dough mix
• 2 tablespoons organic olive oil
• 2 tablespoons organic apple cider vinegar
• 6 tablespoons water

Sauce:

• 1 (28 oz) can of crushed organic tomatoes
• 1/2 tablespoon Italian seasoning
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon organic red pepper flakes (optional)

Toppings:

• 1 organic red onion, thinly sliced
• 2 tablespoons organic olive oil
• 1 cup finely chopped orgnic kale
• 1 cup sliced organic mushrooms

Cream sauce:

• 1/2 cup raw organic cashews
• 1/3 cup nutritional yeast
• 2 teaspoons organic lemon juice
• A dash of salt
• 1 cup fresh organic basil
• 1/2 – 3/4 cup water

Instructions:

Crust:

1. First, preheat the oven to 350ºF. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
2. Next, add the contents of the mix into a large bowl, followed with the oil, vinegar and water. Stir until a thick dough batter forms.
3. Transfer the batter onto the baking sheet and spread it out evenly with wet hands. I like to spread mine to about 1/4″ as the crust does puff up as it bakes. Place in the oven and bake for 10 minutes.

Sauce:

Add all the sauce ingredients into a pot and stir to combine. Bring to a low boil and cook for 10 – 15 minutes until the sauce has thickened. Then, store in a glass jar in the fridge or freezer.

Toppings:

First, heat the oil in a skillet over medium high heat. Add the onions and cook until soft and caramelized, about 5 – 10 minutes.

Assembling the pizza:

After 10 minutes, remove the crust from the oven. Next, spread 1/2 cup sauce in a thin layer across the crust. Top with kale, caramelized onions and mushrooms. Bake for another 10 minutes until the mushrooms are cooked.

Cream sauce:

While the pizza is finishing, add all the sauce ingredients into a high powered blender. Start with 1/2 cup of water and add more as needed. Then, blend on high until smooth and creamy. Lastly, taste and adjust seasonings if desired.

 

Thank you to our friends at Simply Quinoa for this wonderful recipe!