Healthy Vegan Pizza Topped with Zucchini and Fresh Vegetables
Vegan pizza is delicious! But there are a few tricks that when you get these details right, you'll forget all about the fact that it's cheese-free. The first rule to having delicious vegan pizza is to focus on your crust! And that's the secret to perfecting the perfect vegan pizza for your family's Pizza Night. It's the ultimate pizza, with perfect crust and toppings to make you go back for seconds and thirds. Now pass me another slice!
Why it's healthier: You add zucchini which is rich in many nutrients and antioxidants and is especially high in vitamin A. Zucchini is also a great source of the antioxidants carotenoids such as lutein, zeaxanthin, and beta-carotene which benefit your eyes, skin, and heart,and may protect against certain cancers. Zucchini can also help lower blood sugar levels as a high fiber carb replacement. Other potential benefits are bone health, anticancer effects, a healthy prostate and thyroid function.
Healthier ingredients: Zucchinis are high in: Fiber, Vitamin A, C and K, and antioxidants carotenoids such as lutein, zeaxanthin, and beta-carotene.
Healthy Vegan Pizza Topped with Fresh Vegetables
Prep Time: 19 hours
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 19 hours 10 minutes
Makes 3 pizzas
Ingredients
- 3 3/4 cups wholewheat flour 500g
- 3 3/4 cups all-purpose flour plus more for shaping the dough
- 3 cups of filtered water
- 4 teaspoons fine sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon active dry yeast
- 1 can tomato sauce 400g
- 6 garlic cloves finely chopped
- Salt and pepper
- 1 zucchini thinly sliced
- 10-12 white cap mushrooms thinly sliced
- 1 punnet cherry tomatoes 300g
- 1 small red onion thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup cooked chickpeas 1/2 can
- More salt and pepper
- Pinch pizza seasoning or red pepper flakes
- Fresh basil leaves
Instructions
- To prepare the dough: whisk whole wheat flour, all-purpose flour, salt, and yeast in a large mixing bowl. Gradually add 3 cups of water while stirring with a wooden spoon.
- Stir until well incorporated. Knead dough gently with your hands to bring it together and form into a rough ball.
- Transfer to a large clean bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and let the dough rise at room temperature in a draft-free area until its surface is covered with tiny bubbles, and the dough has doubled in size, approx. 18-24 hours.
- Transfer dough to a floured work surface and gently shape it into a rough rectangle.
- Divide into three equal portions and mold portions gently into a ball.
- Dust dough balls with flour, and cover with plastic wrap until ready to use.
- Preheat oven to 460F. Dust dough and pizza stone generously with flour.
- Place dough on the pizza stone and work the dough into a round disk approx. 10-12 inches.
- In a bowl add tomato sauce, garlic, salt, and pepper. Mix to combine. Then paint the sauce over the pizza dough leaving approx. 1 inch for the crust.
- Decorate pizza with chopped zucchini, mushrooms, cherry tomatoes, and red onion.
- Crack with salt and pepper and place in the oven to cook for approx. 10-12 minutes, or until the bottom of the crust is crisp and the top is blistered.
- Remove from oven and sprinkle with chickpeas, more salt, and pepper, a pinch of pizza seasoning and fresh basil leaves.
- Cut into 8 slices and serve. Continue Step 3-5 for the remaining two pizza dough balls.
Notes:
Note: Pizza dough can be made 3 days ahead. Slice dough into 3 separate dough balls and wrap each dough ball separately in plastic wrap to chill. Let rest at room temperature covered with plastic wrap for 2–3 hours before using.
Nutrition Info: Nutrition information is a rough estimate.
Calories 818 Total Fat 2.3 g Sat. Fat 0.1 g Sodium 3387 mg Total Carbs 172.1 g Fiber 17.3 g Sugars 17 g Protein 27.9 g
More From The Beet
