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The Ultimate Vegan Pizza | Living Healthy in Seattle

The Ultimate Vegan Pizza

Prep Time 20 hours
Cook Time 22 minutes
Total Time 20 hours 22 minutes
Servings 2 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 1 16- ounce frozen raw pizza dough ball (I use The Essential Baking Company)
  • 1 cup tomato basil marinara (I use Muir Glen) or enough of your favorite pizza sauce to lightly cover crust
  • Extra virgin olive oil, enough to lightly cover crust and for drizzling
  • 2 teaspoons nutritional yeast
  • 1/3 cup thinly sliced red, orange, or yellow bell pepper
  • 1/2 cup roughly chopped jarred marinated artichoke hearts, excess oil tapped off
  • 1/3 cup roughly chopped jarred sun dried tomatoes, excess oil tapped off
  • 3 tablespoons pitted Kalamata olives, halved, excess liquid tapped off
  • 4 dashes dried oregano
  • 3 dashes dried parsley
  • 4 dashes crushed red pepper flakes, or to taste
  • Freshly cracked black pepper, to taste
  • 1/3 cup diced cherry tomatoes (or sweet vine or heirloom tomatoes)
  • 1 tablespoon panko bread crumbs toasted in olive oil (optional)
  • 1 handful fresh baby spinach
  • 1 handful fresh basil, roughly chopped/chiffonade
  • Sea salt, to taste

Instructions
 

  • Remove your frozen dough from the freezer and let it slowly thaw out in the refrigerator overnight. Four hours before making your pizza, place the refrigerated dough on the counter to rest.
  • With a perforated metal pizza pan placed on the middle rack of your oven, heat at 450 for at least 30 minutes before cooking your pizza. You want to cook your pizza on a hot pan so the crust crisps up nicely and cooks through.
  • While your oven is heating, simmer and reduce the marinara down until it thickens and becomes less watery. This will ensure your crust won't become soggy. You'll want enough sauce to thinly cover your 13 to 14-inch diameter (length across) pizza. After the sauce has cooked down, place the sauce in your freezer to cool off before covering your dough. If you're using pizza sauce, you can skip this entire step and spread the sauce right on the stretched dough.
  • Cut a large sheet of parchment paper, enough to fit your pizza. Remove the dough from its bag, and gently start to stretch it out in the air, working your hands around the perimeter and letting gravity pull and stretch the dough downward. Once your dough is 13 to 14-inches across, gently lay it directly on top of the parchment.
  • Coat the entire surface of the dough with a very thin layer of olive oil.
  • Coat the surface of the dough with a thin layer of the cooled marinara, leaving naked dough around the perimeter for the outer crust. *Too much sauce will make the dough gummy.
  • Sprinkle a layer of nutritional yeast over the sauce, then evenly distribute the chopped bell pepper, marinated artichoke hearts, sun dried tomatoes, and olives. *Do not overload the pizza with toppings because it will not cook properly.
  • CAREFULLY transfer the parchment paper with your pizza onto the hot pizza pan, then bake for 22 minutes, or until the crust is golden and cooked through. Cooking times will vary depending on your oven, pan, dough, and toppings.
  • CAREFULLY removed the pizza from the oven, then season with dried oregano, dried parsley, red pepper flakes, and black pepper.
  • Evenly distribute the chopped tomatoes over the hot pizza, topping with toasted panko, if you wish.
  • Distribute a handful of fresh baby spinach leaves over the pizza along with fresh basil.
  • Drizzle lightly with olive oil, season with salt, slice, then serve.
  • Cool any leftovers to room temperature before wrapping in foil and storing in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat in the oven until just warmed through.