Spring Pesto Pizza
Photography by Becka Vance
Photography by Becka Vance
Pile your veggies on this plant-based pizza
Farm fresh veggies and extra herbs from the garden inspired this simple recipe made vegan-friendly with almond ricotta.
Originally published in issue 77.
Ingredients
SERVES 2–4
- Almond Ricotta
Almond Ricotta
- 2 cups slivered, blanched almonds
- 1 teaspoon nutritional yeast
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons plain yogurt
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup water
- Spring Pesto
- Pizza
Spring Pesto
- ⅓ cup sunflower seeds
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 cup basil
- 1 cup spinach
- ½ lemon, juiced
- 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
- ⅓ cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more if needed
- ½ teaspoon salt
- Black pepper to taste
Pizza
- 1 unbaked pizza crust (gluten-free if preferred)
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 leek, sliced
- 1½ cups almond ricotta
- 2 spears asparagus, chopped into
- 1-inch pieces
- 1 zucchini, sliced into rounds
- ¼ cup pistachios, roughly chopped
- Spring pesto
- Watercress
- Edible flower petals to garnish (optional)
Instructions
Blend all almond ricotta ingredients in a high-powered blender until smooth, adding a little more water if needed. Adjust seasonings to taste and refrigerate.
Add pesto ingredients to a food processor and blend until combined. Add more olive oil if the pesto is too thick to drizzle.
Make the pizza: Preheat oven to 350° and roll out pizza dough. Prebake the dough if necessary before topping. In a small skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat and sauté leek until caramelized. Spread a thick layer of almond ricotta on the pizza crust and top with asparagus, zucchini, caramelized leek, and pistachios. Bake pizza until the crust is baked through, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from oven and top with pesto, watercress, and spring flower petals.
Liz Murphy
Liz Murphy is a local plant-based chef and sustainability warrior. Find her cookbook, Kitchen Contentment at santoshanutrition.com or look for it at local San Diego shops. Santosha Nutrition offers a plant-based cooking class with Chef Liz, a unique and fun gift for cooks of any level. Certificates include an interactive virtual or in-person cooking experience, with three recipes in a digital recipe packet with instructions. Her cookbook Kitchen Contentment: A Seasonal Guide to Cooking with Plants contains over 50 vegan and gluten-free recipes.
