This vegan pizza comes via NYTimes Cooking from Chloe Coscarelli and it is just a great tasting vegan pizza just on its own without trying to not be vegan. And that’s its strength. The white bean puree “sauce” is really the building blocks for several other options, but this is the initial starting point. Add, mix, match and build your own.
For this you’ll need some pre-prepared pizza dough, 1-2 cups butternut squash (peeled and cut into 1/2″ chunks), 1/2 apple (cored, peeled and cut into thin slices), 1-2 cups shiitake mushrooms (chopped into slices), 1 15 oz can of white beans (rinsed and drained), x1 garlic clove (peeled and cruched), 2 Tbs fresh thyme, 1/2 cup kale (stemmed and chopped), x1 onion (peeled and thinly chopped), 1 Tbsp lemon juice, 1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar, 1 tsp brown sugar, olive oil, salt and pepper.
Preheat oven to 425.
Drain beans and rinse well. Place them into a food processor and add garlic, thyme, lemon juice and good grind of pepper and salt. Pulse until smooth. Use a little bit of water to make the consistency that of a well softened butter as you’ll need to spread it like that. Set aside.
Toss chopped squash in small bowl with about 2 Tbsp olive oil, salt and pepper. Spread evenly on a baking sheet and place into preheated oven. Roast until browned, about 15-20 mins, turning at least once during cooking for even browning.
When you remove the squash from the oven, turn up the heat to 500.
Sautee chopped onions in a medium skillet with a little olive oil over medium heat. Stir well until just browning – about 10-12 mins. Add vinegar and sugar and immediately stir well until all onions are covered and colored. Turn off heat.
In a medium skillet, sautee the chopped mushrooms in a little olive over medium heat. Stir well until browned well on both sides – about 12-15 mins. Turn off heat.
Stretch out pizza dough until it fills a 16-18″ lightly oiled circular pan (you can also use a large rectangular baking sheet if that’s all you have). Gently spread the white bean puree evenly from crust to crust – not too thick, but thick enough to give the whole surface a layer of sauce.
Add a layer each of caramelized onions, mushrooms, roasted squash, sliced apple and the raw, chopped kale.
Place into the oven until browned, rotating once, about 15-20 mins.
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