Week 47: Savory Potato, Vegan Parmesan, and Mushroom Pizza

When life gives you pizza, eat it quickly before anyone realizes that you have it.

Anay

When we started this pizza journey back in January, there was only one book I could find with vegan pizza recipes. I could have done an entire year just making the recipes from Julie Hasson’s helpful book, but, of course, I wanted to branch out and try recipes I found from many sources on the web and eventually create my own dishes.

As we wrap up this year of pizza and look towards a new year of burgers, bowls, and burritos in 2021, there was one recipe from Julie’s book that I knew I had to come back to. Her smoky vegan cheese sauce, made with cashews, is one of the yummiest I’ve tasted. I tweaked her fabulous recipe and used it as the base for this week’s pizza.

As the nights, and even days, get colder, I’ve been craving hearty, warm foods. This is a great pizza to make on a cold winter night. The mushrooms and potatoes are filling but don’t have a lot of calories (so you can eat an extra slice!).

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Ingredients

• 3 cloves crushed garlic
• 1/4 yellow onion, diced
• 2 green onions, sliced into thin rounds
• 6 mushrooms (button or baby bella) sliced thin
• 6 fingerling potatoes, boiled until soft, sliced thin
• olive oil
• salt and pepper
• Vegan parmesan (I used Violife and love this brand.)
• dough of choice

Smoky White Cheese Sauce Ingredients

• 1/2 cup raw unsalted cashews, soaked in water for 2 or more hours
• 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
• 3 garlic cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons tahini
• 1/2 teaspoon liquid smoke (Yes, it’s vegan!)
• 1 cup vegetable broth
• 1/2 cup water

Smoky White Cheese Sauce Instructions

1. Soak your cashews for at least 2 hours by placing them in a bowl and covering them with water. When ready to use, drain them and discard the water.
2. Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until thoroughly mixed and all bits of cashew are incorporated.
3. Pour mixture into a saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Whisk continuously for 10 minutes until it reduces to a creamy consistency.

Note: Depending on the size of your pizza, you will have more cheese sauce than you need. I made a “medium” size pizza and had about 1/2 cup of sauce left that I used on penne pasta the next day. Served with sundried tomatoes and corn tossed in, it was delicious.

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Instructions

1. Turn on your oven to 425° and allow to heat while you cook.
2. Wash and lightly scrub the fingerling potatoes then place in a pot, cover with water, and boil for about 15-20 minutes until fork tender. When done, drain and slice them into rounds. Coat one side with a light brushing of olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
3. Heat a frying pan over medium high heat. Add a glug of olive oil.
4. Add the diced yellow onions. Stir to coat with olive oil. Stir frequently for 2 minutes, ensuring the onions do not burn.
5. Add the garlic. Stir to incorporate.
6. Add the mushrooms and the green onions, cook for about 6-7 minutes until the mushrooms brown.
7. Season with salt and pepper.
8. Roll out your dough. Slather with a generous amount of the cheese sauce.
9. Layer the potatoes on the cheese sauce, keeping the side with the olive oil on top so they don’t brown too much in the oven.
10. When the mushroom mix is ready, layer it over the potatoes, ensuring you don’t have a clump of veggies in the center of your pizza.
11. Bake for 12-15 minutes depending on the size of your pizza and your oven’s true temperature.
12. When the pizza comes out of the oven, shave some vegan parmesan on top so it melts in.
13. Slice, serve, and enjoy!