Vegan Pesto Pizza Recipe for Lazy People
Pesto: not just the weird spread your grandma used to spoon onto crackers.. In fact, if you’ve only had store-bought, you’ve never truly had pesto. Take that aromatic basil-y, garlic-y goodness and spread it on a vegan pesto pizza like no other!
Friends,
I can’t believe it took me this long to make pesto again.
Have you ever been so obsessed with a food that you had to forget all about it? That was totally me with pesto… Until now!
Inspiration struck me at the most opportune of moments.. This past month of recipe development has seemed particularly difficult. I’m apparently cursed with a perpetual case of writers/cookers block.
Luckily, my knight-in-shining-armor has the best ideas up his sleeve.
“How about a pizza… But not any pizza; a pesto pizza.”
Was this it? Did he stumble upon the holy grail of recipes?
Vegan Pesto Pizza with a Secret Healthy Ingredient
Now, if you didn’t know: I love secret ingredients.
No, we’re not talking about the Krabby Patty secret formula.. I’m talking about sneaky healthy ingredients!
For example: this pesto is actually made with 1/2 basil and 1/2 lacinto kale… Don’t tell anyone and they’ll never notice!
In fact, I was pleasantly surprised at how well kale hid inside this pesto. I normally can’t stand the bitterness of kale, despite it being a near-perfect food.
That, my friends, is a secretly-healthy WIN!
“But Pine Nuts are Expensive AF!”
I hear you, imaginary voice in my head!
Pine nuts at my local store are twenty dollars a fu*cking pound. With a price like that, it’s no wonder I only ever see grandmas eating pesto! She’s the only one who can afford to make it!
Luckily for us, we have Hemp Seeds which are equally neutral tasting, but exponentially healthier.
We’re talkin’;
- Rich in Omegas 3&6
- Packed with plant-based protein
- Helpful in aiding skin, brain, and heart health
Best of all?
They’re half the price of pine nuts.
Swapping out half of the pine nuts for hemp seeds not only saves us money, but increases the nutrition profile of the vegan pesto pizza!
It’s All About the Toppings, Baby!
What really makes a pizza special? It’s all in the toppings!
After coating our pizza dough in pesto, we finished by slicing some tomato slices, basil leaves, and… Vegan mozzarella cheese!?
Your eyes are not deceiving you: that is, in-fact, vegan mozzarella from Miyoko’s.
Holy cow (cashew?). Words cannot describe the nostalgia blast I got from eating this pizza. The mozzarella was eerily similar to the real thing, and I couldn’t have been happier with the results.
Thanks, Miyoko!
I Have Another Secret About This Pizza:
We actually made the olive oil infused with medical marijuana! I haven’t talked about it much here, but my partner and I are both medical patients in Arizona. Together we run Just Another Jay, a lifestyle cannabis collective focused on highlighting quality, artisan products.
Wondering how we infused this pizza with medical cannabis (taking it to a whole new level!?)
Here’s the low-down on home infusion.
Vegan Pesto Pizza Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 pound of pizza dough I used Trader Joe's brand
For the Pesto
- 1 cup lacinto dinosaur kale, tightly packed
- 1 cup basil tightly packed
- 1/4 cup pine nuts
- 1/4 cup hemp seeds
- 1 1/2 Tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- Salt and pepper to taste
For the Pizza
- Basil leaves for garnish
- Sliced tomato for garnish
- Vegan mozzarella Miyoko's is INSANE!
Instructions
- Prepare pizza dough per instructions (mine had to be set out at room temp for 30 minutes beforehand) and preheat oven
While the dough is rising, start on the pesto:
- In a food processor, combine the kale, basil, pine nuts, hemp seeds, lemon juice, and garlic and blend until relatively smooth
- Next, turn the processor on the lowest speed and slowly drizzle in olive oil
By now, the pizza dough should be nice and ready:
- Spread it out on a lightly floured surface
- Spread out pesto (I had 2-3 Tablespoons leftover)
- Place tomato slices, basil leaves, and non-dairy cheese
- Bake per instructions (mine cooked for 10 minutes at 475°F)
- Remove from oven, let cool slightly, cut, and enjoy!
Notes
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