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one green planet

This pizza tastes like Italian summer in your mouth! Or at least what I imagine Italian summer tastes like. The crunchy yet chewy crust is topped with tomato sauce, thinly sliced tomatoes, homemade vegan mozzarella and fresh from the garden basil pesto….mhmmm. It is creamy, chewy, fresh, and most of all….delicious! You won’t get it until you try it. I’m pretty sure the basil pesto takes it to another level.

Margherita Pizza With Fresh Basil Pesto and Mozzarella [Vegan]

$2.99
Save Trees. Print Less. But if you must, we charge $2.99 to encourage less waste

Serves

2 pizzas

Cooking Time

45

What Ingredients Do You Need To Make Margherita Pizza With Fresh Basil Pesto and Mozzarella [Vegan]

For the Pizza Base:
  • 2 pizza crusts (pre-baked or pre-bought)
  • 1 cup tomato sauce
  • 1 large tomato, very thinly sliced

For the Fresh Basil Pesto:

  • 1/2 cup soaked cashews, soaked 8 hours cold or boil for 15 minutes
  • 1/2 cup olive oil
  • 2-3 cloves garlic
  • 2 cups packed basil leaves

For the Vegan Mozzarella:

  • 1/4 cup soaked cashews (soaked 8 hours cold or boil for 15 minutes)
  • 1 cup hot water
  • 2 tablespoons, plus 1 teaspoon tapioca starch
  • 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil (optional)
  • 1 small garlic clove, minced
  • 3/4 teaspoon sea salt
  • 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
  • More salt and nutritional yeast to taste (optional)

How To Make Margherita Pizza With Fresh Basil Pesto and Mozzarella [Vegan]

  1. Start by preheating your oven to 375°F.
  2. To make the pesto, combine all pesto ingredients into blender and blend until smooth. Set aside.
  3. To make the mozzarella, blend all ingredients together in a high-speed blender until completely smooth, about 1 minute.
  4. Pour into a small saucepan and cook, stirring constantly over medium-high heat. After a couple of minutes the mixture will start to look weird, like it’s curdling or separating. This is totally normal, reduce heat to medium and keep stirring so you don’t burn the cheese to the bottom of the pot.
  5. Keep cooking and stirring until really thick (about 2-3 more minutes) and the mixture becomes like a cohesive mass of melted dairy cheese and begins to stretch. Remove from heat and let cool.
  6. Pour 1/2 cup tomato sauce on each raw pizza. Evenly distribute thinly sliced tomatoes on both pizzas.
  7. Using a spoon, place spoonfuls of cheese mixture evenly over both pizzas.
  8. Finally, drizzle the basil pesto evenly over both pizzas until you run out.
  9. This part is optional, but recommended: sprinkle a little more salt and nutritional yeast over both pizzas.
  10. Place one or both pizzas in oven to bake about 20 minutes. Watch the pizzas, you want the mozzarella to brown a little on top. Serve immediately. If you choose to save the other pizza, do not cook it. Wrap tightly with plastic wrap and place in freezer until ready to bake.

Notes

*The vegan mozzarella is adapted from Vedged Out's Foxy Moxy cheese recipe.

$2.99
Save Trees. Print Less. But if you must, we charge $2.99 to encourage less waste

Nutritional Information

Total Calories: 2480 | Total Carbs: 249 g | Total Fat: 148 g | Total Protein: 46 g | Total Sodium: 3369 g | Total Sugar: 36 g

Note: The information shown is based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.


About The Author

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Jennifer Harmon

See My Recipes

Jennifer Harmon is the founder and recipe developer of the vegan food blog, Peppers and Peaches, which features all types of plant-based meals, snacks, and treats. Jenn’s goal is to spread the word that a plant-based diet is good for animals, the environment, and personal health.  Plus, it’s super tasty!

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