Roasted Tomato, Onion, and Basil Pesto Pizza with Vegan Parmesan Cheese

This is my favorite cheeseless pizza recipe – I use my Mom’s dough recipe when making pizza (which will remain a secret) so I will just share with you the recommended dough recipe from the website that I got this recipe from. This pesto is incredible with the roasted glazed vegetables. I promise that you won’t miss the cheese in this pizza!

Easy Herb-Infused Pizza Dough

• 1 cup white bread flour (all purpose probably works too) + ¾ cup flour, divided
• ¾ tsp kosher salt
• 1.5 tsp white sugar
• 2 tsp pizza herbs (mixture of dried oregano, basil)
• 2 & ¼ tsp pizza yeast (no proofing req.) or instant yeast
• 2 tbsp oil
• 2/3 cup very warm water (not lukewarm)
• More flour for surface when kneading

Directions: In a large mixing bowl, mix together 1 cup of flour, salt, sugar, pizza herbs, yeast.
Stir well. Now quickly add in 2/3 cup of very warm water along with your 2 tbsp of oil. Stir well.
It will be very wet and sticky at this point. Now add in ¾-1 cup more of flour, gradually, as you
stir. Once all the flour is in, grab the dough and place on floured surface. Knead the dough for 5
minutes, adding flour if it gets tacky. After 5 minutes the dough should be smooth and not sticky.
Form into a ball and place in a large, oiled bowl. Cover the ball with a bit of oil so it doesn’t dry
out. Now cover the bowl and let it rise for 1.5 hours. You can punch out the air once half way
through. For best results, make the dough the day beforehand and place in an oiled and sealed
plastic bag in the fridge. Allow dough to come to room temperature on the counter before
working with it. Cooking time will vary but my pizza took 14-15 mins at 500F.

Vegan Parmesan Cheese

• 1/2 cup toasted sesame seeds (1 container)
• 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt

Directions: Preheat oven to 350F. Toast sesame seeds in the oven until golden and then throw all
ingredients into a blender. Process for 30-60 seconds.

Vegan Pesto

• 1/3 cup of Vegan Parmesan Cheese (see above)
• 3 tbsp raw cashews
• 2 cups fresh basil, stems trimmed off and roughly chopped
• Juice of 1/2 fresh lemon (approx 1 tbsp)
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• One small handfuls of fresh spinach
• 2-3 cloves garlic
• 1/2 tsp sea salt

Directions: In a food processor, add the cashews and oil and process until smooth. Now throw in
the garlic, parmesan, and fresh lemon juice and process more. Add in the basil and spinach and
process until smooth.

Roasted Tomato, Onion, Basil, and Garlic Topping

• 3-4 medium sized tomatoes (plus 1 or 2 additional for extra layering later on)
• 1 large red onion
• 1 small white/yellow onion
• 3-4 basil leaves, ends trimmed, chopped finely
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• Couple pinches salt
• 2 garlic cloves, minced

Directions: Chop the tomatoes, red onion, yellow onion, and basil leaves. Mince the garlic. In a
small bowl, mix together the oil, salt, vinegar, 1-2 chopped basil leaves, and minced garlic. In a
medium sized bowl, mix together the veggies and sauce. Spread onto a greased or lined baking
sheet and bake for 35-40 minutes at 375F, watching carefully. Veggies can be set aside on
counter for about 1 hour after cooking.

Assemble pizza in the following order:
Layer 1: Pizza Dough
Layer 2: Vegan Pesto
Layer 3: Roasted vegetables
Layer 4: Add a few more sliced tomatoes
Layer 5: Sprinkle on vegan parmesan cheese
Now bake for approx 13-15 mins at 500F. Prepare to devour!!

From: Oh She Glows