Pesto Pizza (vegan)
Can you say crowd pleaser?
Combining two of my favorite meals (pizza + salad) into one fabulous dish just delights me.
I must admit, I had never really considered putting salad on pizza. That is, until I had a bunch of arugula laying around (along with some butternut squash). I tried it on a whim and it was fantastic; it’s earthy, hearty and kinda sweet. I think you are going to like it too.
Yes, it does require a little extra time and prep work but the result is well worth it.
By the way, a leftover slice is delicious for breakfast too. I did it. Twice.
Tip: When creating your meal plan for the week, why not have two pesto dishes? You could make a double batch of the pesto sauce and use one batch for pizza and one batch for a pasta or maybe a rice dish!
Ahhh, the possibilities.
Pesto Pizza with Roasted Butternut Squash & Lemony Arugula Salad recipe
For the Pesto:
Makes 1 generous cup
2 cups tightly packed fresh basil
1/2 cup walnuts
1 to 2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped (to taste)
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
1 tablespoon lemon juice
3 tablespoons nutritional yeast (click here for more information on the health benefits of nutritional yeast!)
Variations for the pesto: add a roasted jalapeno for spicy pesto, or a handful of sun-dried tomatoes for a sweeter one.
Place the basil, walnuts and garlic in a food processor fitted with the S blade. Pulse to combine, until the mixture is coarsely ground. Turn the motor on and drizzle the olive oil in a thin stream. Add the sea salt, pepper, lemon, and nutritional yeast, and pulse a few more times to combine.
For the Squash:
- 1 small butternut squash, peeled, seeds removed , and diced into 1-inch pieces
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- salt and pepper
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Directions: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Toss squash with olive oil and salt and pepper. Place on a baking sheet and bake until soft & tender, about 25 minutes.
For The Salad:
- 1 head radicchio, outer leaves removed, cored and sliced
- 1 1/2 cups arugula
- 1/4 cup flat leaf parsley, leaves finely sliced
- juice of half a lemon
- 1-2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- salt and pepper
- small handful of pine nuts, pistachios, or walnuts, toasted
Directions: combine all of the ingredients radicchio, arugula, parsley, lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper as close to serving time as possible. Store in the fridge until ready to serve.
To assemble! Make or purchase your favorite pizza dough. (Click here for a fabulous gluten-free pizza dough recipe). Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Working with one ball of dough, place on a lightly floured surface. Flatten the dough into an 8-inch disk, then stretch the edges gently until the dough is about 12-inches in diameter, rotating the dough by quarter turns as you work. You can also gently stretch the dough by placing it on the backs of your hands, letting the weight of the dough stretch it out. Transfer the stretched dough onto a baking sheet or a pizza stone that has been covered with cornmeal. Bake pizza at 450F for 5-10 minutes, until well browned & crispy. Spread with a healthy amount of pesto, reaching every corner. Top with butternut squash and layer your lemony arugula salad on top. Sprinkle with toasted nuts. Enjoy!