Vegan Pizza Night

What could make a better meal to celebrate the end of the week than a freshly baked pizza? I have fond memories of Friday night pizza growing up, and want to make this a semi-regular tradition with our family. But good vegan pizza can be a challenge--what do you use to replace the requisite greasy cheese and meat toppings? For some, the answer may be faux cheese or meat, but I have never really been a fan of any store-bought vegan cheeses and don't stock them in my pantry. Back when we first went vegan, we simply had traditional veggie pizzas without the cheese. I was never completely satisfied with this either; to me, the marinara sauce is too assertive without the nice taming influence of cheese. Plus, basically eating bread with veggies on it just wasn't filling enough. I wanted something heartier that would make more of a meal.

Eventually, after a lot of tinkering, we hit upon a winning idea: using a garlicky white sauce as the base rather than marinara. And, at some point, we had another revelation: onions on pizza taste way better if cooked beforehand. And thus, our standard pizza was born! It is infinitely adaptable and usually quite easy to whip up based on what we have on hand.

Basic Vegan Pizza Construction

The Crust
Any pizza starts with a good crust. The only ingredients you really need to make a delicious, traditional pizza crust are water, flour, yeast and salt (though adding a little olive oil certainly doesn't hurt). Since I usually have a bucket of bread dough in my fridge, making the crust is a snap--all I have to do is roll it out. You could also make the crust fresh that afternoon using your favorite recipe, letting it rise while you prep the other components. If that isn't feasible, you can try storebought crusts; many are vegan, but it's always a good idea to check the ingredients. (And if the crust has more than ten ingredients, you probably don't want to buy it!)

The Sauce
We most frequently opt for our garlicky white bean sauce (recipe below), but sometimes we'll branch out a little and spread the crust with olive oil, pesto, or the old classic, marinara sauce. If we choose any of the latter options, we'll add some cashew ricotta (recipe also follows) to the top for a nice creamy counterpart.

Marinara base with caramelized onions, sauteed asparagus, cashew ricotta, and tempeh soysage

The Toppings
I like to keep these pretty simple. Typically, we will use caramelized onions (or shallots, if we have them) as the base. Just saute thinly sliced onions in olive oil over medium heat for about 15 minutes until very soft--you can even deglaze the pan with a little wine if you have it.

In addition, we usually choose a couple other veggies for toppings. I tend to opt for one green topping and one red one--I like my pizzas to be a little colorful. This is pretty adaptable and can change with the seasons, so I might use fresh sliced tomatoes with spinach in the summer and sundried tomatoes with steamed kale in the winter. Other faves are zucchini or frozen asparagus (cooked with the onions), and fresh or roasted red peppers. Roasted squash pairs beautifully with caramelized onions, cashew ricotta, and a little sage for a tasty winter pizza. Feel free to experiment with your favorite veggies!

I don't usually add meat substitutes, but if your pizza just isn't complete without them, try cooking up some mushrooms or adding some crumbled tempeh soysage to the top as an alternative to store-bought faux meats. Also, you can add small amounts of a garnish on top--think fresh herbs, olives, artichoke hearts, etc.--but it's best to choose just one; you don't want too many competing strong flavors.

Finally, a word about layering: I usually put the onion mixture on first, then top with the other items since it looks prettier, but this does not work well with sundried tomatoes or kale. So don't say I didn't warn you!

The Cooking Vessel
These loaded-up pizzas are not well suited for sliding directly onto a pizza stone. (Believe me, I tried it once and it wasn't pretty.) A circular pizza baking sheet or even a cookie sheet will do just fine. Lately, we have enjoyed baking our pizza in our large cast iron skillet--it forms a great crust, but it can be a bit tricky removing the pie from the pan to cut into slices.

White bean sauce base with caramelized onions, sauteed zucchini, and fresh red peppers

Although these pizzas might be a tad more labor-intensive than the standard version, they are well worth the effort, and make a very satisfying meal (especially when paired with a salad or cooked greens). If you have any other suggestions for yummy toppings, leave them in the comments section below. Hooray for vegan pizza night!

Garlicky White Bean Sauce
Makes a generous amount of topping for 1 pizza

Ingredients
1 can white beans, drained and rinsed
Juice of 1/2 lemon (or ~1TB of cider vinegar would work in a pinch)
2 TB olive oil
2 cloves garlic
1/4 tsp salt
Freshly ground pepper
Italian herbs, if desired (basil, oregano, thyme, rosemary...)

Preparation
Put all ingredients except herbs in a blender and or food processor and blend until smooth and creamy. Taste and add more salt or lemon juice if needed. Stir in herbs if using. Refrigerate until ready to assemble pizza.

Cashew Ricotta
Adapted from Veganomicon
Makes enough topping for 1 pizza

Ingredients
1/4 cup raw unsalted cashews
2 TB lemon juice (or 1 TB vinegar +1 TB water would work in a pinch)
1 TB olive oil
1 clove garlic
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 package (7-8 oz) drained firm tofu

Preparation
In a food processor or blender, mix together all ingredients except tofu; blend until smooth. Crumble in tofu and pulse a few times. The mixture should be combined but slightly chuncky, like ricotta. Adjust seasonings to taste and refrigerate until ready to assemble pizza.