This is a super pizza and it is quite simply delicious. The picture above is taken before it enters the hot oven, and before it is smothered with melting vegan cheese (choose your own brand). The base is made in part with cornmeal, smeared with a spreading of freshly-made pesto, and topped with freshly cut tomatoes, sundried tomatoes, root garlic (normal will do), chilli olives and extra virgin olive oil – glorious !!! A winner in my home !!! Flavour galore !!!
Serves 4 – makes two round pizza bases around 12” each.
For the base, please see my Moroccan Pizza recipe – then substitute half of the flour with cornmeal/polenta flour, otherwise follow the recipe.
http://mouthwateringvegan.com/2011/02/20/moroccan-inspired-spicy-pizza-2/
INGREDIENTS FOR THE TOPPING
You will need my pesto recipe (please follow it, but instead of parsley use basil) – if time is pressing, use a vegan brand from a jar.
http://mouthwateringvegan.com/2011/03/06/parsley-basil-pecan-pesto/
- 2 cups pesto (1 cup per pizza)
- 2 large tomatoes, sliced
- 2 roots garlic, chopped
- 4 garlic cloves, chopped finely
- 12 whole cherry tomatoes
- ½ cup sundried tomatoes,chopped
- drizzle of olive oil
- green spicy olives of your choice
- 2 cups grated vegan cheese (optional)
METHOD
Roll pastry out, and place on to two ready-greased dishes. Then spread the pesto evenly, leaving an inch clear at the edges all round.
Next arrange all the ingredients (except for the vegan cheese), as per the main picture above, on top of the pesto base. Place in preheated hot oven for 15 -20 minutes, bring out, sprinkle on your cheese and drizzle some more olive oil. Allow the cheese to melt in the oven for a further 10 minutes or so – feel free to check it.
Serve hot and Enjoy !
All recipes, content & design © Miriam Sorrell mouthwateringvegan.com 2010
These are free recipes for your pleasure – all we ask in return is that you take a few moments to leave a constructive comment !
March 10th, 2011 at 9:22 pm
Gorgeous, mouth-watering photos! I can’t wait to try this recipe.
March 11th, 2011 at 2:09 pm
Thanks Elizabeth, they are delicious! but I will leave you be the judge of that ! Look forward to your near future comments. Cheers !
March 11th, 2011 at 3:27 pm
Miriam- I can’t wait to try this one. I have a question for you though. I was a cheese lover and it was the last animal product I gave up when going vegan a few years ago. I have tried a few vegan cheeses and haven’t been pleased with them. For lasagna I have discoveed an amazing tofu recipe for “ricotta” that works perfectly. However, for pizza and other recipes in which cheese would ordinarily be an accompaniment, I have had no luck and so I just skip the “cheese” altogether. What brand or suggestions do you use/have? Thank you for your help!
March 11th, 2011 at 5:20 pm
Hi Tammy – I know what you mean, cheese was the last thing I gave up and it was a difficult one.
Now, depending on where you live, you can try different brands of vegan cheese. If you’re in the US, you could buy daiya cheese (http://www.daiyafoods.com/), or else if you are in the UK, you can buy Redwoods Cheezly cheese (http://www.redwoodfoods.co.uk/). I haven’t tried the daiya, but hear it’s good – and the Redwoods is certainly good, and should also be available in the US soon. Also, there is a good parmesan alternative – “Parmanzano” – which is available in most countries (http://www.mhfoods.net/pz.html). Hope this helps. Best, Miriam.
March 11th, 2011 at 9:41 pm
This looks great and am making tonight with my new pack of Daiya cheese…Tammy you will love the Daiya!!!
)
March 12th, 2011 at 10:11 am
Let me know how it goes, and hope you enjoy it – good tip regarding the Daiya cheese. Enjoy !
March 12th, 2011 at 3:51 pm
Looks delicious, can’t wait to try it out.
March 12th, 2011 at 7:24 pm
Hi Michael, it does look rather appetizing doesn’t it – let me know how it goes. Have a great day !
March 12th, 2011 at 11:56 pm
Oh yum yum YUM!!! This is sooooo going on my menu plan!
March 13th, 2011 at 2:02 am
I cannot wait to try this….all of your recipes look so amazing. I do not know which one to start with!!!:)
March 13th, 2011 at 2:06 am
Looks yummy…like all of your recipes….I cannot wait to try!!!
March 13th, 2011 at 12:47 pm
Thanks Angela, am glad you like all my recipes and let me know what you think of this one once you have tried it. Enjoy !
March 13th, 2011 at 12:48 pm
No worries Angela, whichever one you start from, the next will still be there waiting for you ! I love your enthusiasm, it is very inspiring !.
March 13th, 2011 at 12:49 pm
Hi there, thanks so much for that, enjoy, share, and keep well !!!
March 25th, 2011 at 8:48 pm
This was spectacular…for some reason lately I had grown tired of pizza and this recipe just reaffirmed my love for it!! SO flavorful and like a taste explosion-LOVE the pesto as a base!!
March 26th, 2011 at 12:56 pm
Rose thanks so much for this feedback – it is wonderful that we can eat pizzas with different ingredients – this one is something else because the taste, flavours and colours come together and give us another dimension to great tasting pizzas, glad you loved it – keep well always !
May 2nd, 2011 at 5:42 pm
Would love to make this.What is your recipe for the cornmeal crust?
May 2nd, 2011 at 7:04 pm
I am not a vegan, but I do fix vegetarian meals. I will definitely try this but will use regular cheese. I have found your recipes to be fresh and different!
May 3rd, 2011 at 10:49 am
Tiffany Hi there – here is the help you will need :- For the base, please see my Moroccan Pizza recipe – then substitute half of the flour with cornmeal/polenta flour, otherwise follow the recipe from there, here is the link to it.
http://mouthwateringvegan.com/2011/02/20/moroccan-inspired-spicy-pizza-2/
Best to you !
May 3rd, 2011 at 10:51 am
Hi there Gaylan, thanks for your wonderful comment and you are most welcome ! Let me know how it all goes once you have made and tried it. Best to you !
May 20th, 2011 at 10:32 pm
That looks incredible, as does all your recipes.I’m cleansing right now and only on day 4grrrrr! I was wondering what your favorite brand of vegan melting cheese is? Havnt quite been able to find one I’m in love with!
May 21st, 2011 at 1:08 pm
Hi Marci, thanks for your comment and compliment. Good luck on your cleansing/de-tox. With vegan cheese it depends on which part of the world you are – basically from what I have heard Daiya cheese is pretty awesome and Redwoods cheese is also good – these are not as great in taste as non-dairy, so cannot say that I am in love with vegan cheese – but that said they are good substitutes, especially when one is needing to melt them on pizzas or other savoury dishes. Hope this helps. Cheers !
June 12th, 2011 at 10:32 am
we always feel so good in general as a vegan.
it is such a beautiful world when all the creatures are treated with gentleness and l.o.v.e. and respect.
July 12th, 2011 at 3:06 pm
hi tammy
i just wanted to say if you live in europe you should definitely try vegusto, their no-muh cheese mild tastes just like cheese. you know comté ? it tastes just like that
i personally hate cheezly
and miriam this recipe loooooks amazing all your recipes by the way thank you so much
July 12th, 2011 at 8:22 pm
Hi Chana, welcome and thanks for your comment and constructive feedback. Thanks also for your wonderful compliment. Best to you !
September 10th, 2011 at 5:21 pm
Wow!!! This Looks Great!!! Would love to get the recipe!
September 11th, 2011 at 1:02 pm
Viv Hi and here is the link to my recipe for you. http://mouthwateringvegan.com/2011/03/10/polenta-garden-pizza-to-live-for/ Enjoy and look forward to your future comments. Cheers to you !
October 3rd, 2011 at 12:59 am
hey, any ideas for another sauce besides pesto? don’t quite like it..
October 3rd, 2011 at 6:24 pm
Hi Hihihi, thanks for your comment – if you are not a lover of pesto – best to use a few fresh tomatoes, place them in a food processor, or mash them, add lots of raw finely chopped garlic, a few finely chopped sun-dried tomatoes and herbs of your choice – process and place this rich mixture on top of your pizza, drizzle some extra virgin olive oil and add some vegan cheese that melts well on top, and perhaps (if you like them) a few olives. Serve with a green salad, and voila ! I hope this helps a bit. Cheers !
January 14th, 2012 at 4:09 am
You, my dear, are an Artist!! I devour your dishes without even touching them as they are so visually appealing. I love your use of vibrant colors, and your photography rocks.
January 14th, 2012 at 12:52 pm
. . . And that my dear means a lot to me, how kind of your words reflective of a generous being with a wonderful demeanor, thanks again for the music to my ears.
January 15th, 2012 at 8:14 pm
This looks delicious!! Have to try it!
January 15th, 2012 at 8:31 pm
Hi Heidi, thanks for dropping by – hope you make and enjoy this too ! Cheers.
January 17th, 2012 at 5:53 pm
Hi Miriam….delicious looking recipes, that I am DEFINITELY gonna have to start trying. Question…you say “cornmeal/polenta flour.” How bout Bobs red mill polenta? I had the polenta flour in my basket and then put it back and picked up the polenta…what do you think, will it work?
January 18th, 2012 at 11:14 am
Sherry Hi there and welcome to my blog. Thanks for dropping by with your comment. I am not sure what brands you have available in your country and how they differ from here. Cornmeal the texture of fine sand is what you need in the deep yellow colour, not the powder. Hope this helps you define the right one. And enjoy the pizza, hope it all works out well for you and you enjoy it too – let me know how it goes. Thanks & Cheers to you.
January 21st, 2012 at 4:14 pm
I made the polenta pizza and it was fabulous. I left off the vegan cheese as I’m not a cheese person and added some extra garlic and sundried tomatoes. MMMMMMM : )
January 21st, 2012 at 9:13 pm
Staci-lee Hi there and welcome here – thank you for dropping by with your comment. So glad that you enjoyed this pizza so much, garlic is really awesome ! Best to you and look forward to your future comments on my blog.
June 22nd, 2012 at 4:44 am
Miriam, When I first became a vegan, I, too, thought vegan cheeses did not taste as good as dairy cheese. However, after 3 – 4 months of abstaining, my palate changed completely and now dairy cheese tastes heavy, greasy, salty, thick and globby to me… I use Daiya vegan cheese and think it is great. There are a couple of other true vegan cheeses in my area of Florida, US, that are also very good. Vegetarian cheeses are not the same as vegan cheeses in that they often contain casein, a cancer causing protein in cows milk. Daiya is interesting in that it sometimes does not necessarily slump and look melted even though it is and it tastes melted when you eat it!
June 22nd, 2012 at 7:03 am
Hi there Mary and thanks for popping by here. Yes, I am familiar with the Daiya cheese and know that many people like it. I agree with all you have said as I am familiar with that information already (as a nutritionist I know this), however, I thank you for taking the time to put this together for others to see. I do hope that in the meantime you have enjoyed this pizza, and best to you.
June 22nd, 2012 at 2:34 pm
Hi, Miriam. I’m Vien. Nice to meet you.
Thank you for sharing this amazing recipe to us. I wish i could make it. I’m a vegan too. I’m a vegetarian from I was born. I live in Indonesia and I think it will be very hard to find vegan cheese in this country. The people in here are still eat meat. Sometimes I feel very sad to see it. I live alone and I often eat the same food for many days. It’s boring, but it’s better than kills animal for filling my stomach. Some of your recipes are great. I love cake and your recipe will help me so much.
June 23rd, 2012 at 10:35 am
Vien Hi there and welcome here. Many thanks for dropping by here with your comment. I understand what you have said and am sorry that your situation has not been altogether too happy. I am pleased however that you have found my blog and hope that you are able to make some of the recipes here on my blog, and to that end I look forward to your future comments on my blog. In the meantime best wishes to you !
August 11th, 2012 at 1:36 am
Love that pesto is the base sauce. My local grocery store did not have any fresh basil, so I had to improvise. I used spinach and a pinch of dried basil. Had no idea what root garlic is, so we just chopped some green onion up. I actually thought that the pizza would be too tomatoey, but it is so good. The sundried tomatoes make it that much more perfect. We used a sprinkle of Daiya cheese for the topping. Thanks Miriam for the excellent recipe. We will definitely be making this one again.
August 13th, 2012 at 10:58 am
Sherrie Hi there and welcome here. I am delighted that you have made this and enjoyed it. Spinach would have worked well with this too. Next time try normal garlic chopped and it will give it that edge. I very much look forward to your future comments here. Best wishes your way in the meantime !
September 16th, 2012 at 12:47 pm
This looks absolutely DELICIOUS and I can’t wait to try it. Thank you !
September 17th, 2012 at 10:44 am
Hi there Jude and welcome here. Let me know how it goes – enjoy and I look forward to your future comments on my blog. Best wishes your way in the meantime !
September 17th, 2012 at 7:45 pm
Thank you Miriam
September 18th, 2012 at 9:19 am
You are welcome Jude !
October 23rd, 2012 at 8:04 pm
Looks so yummy
October 24th, 2012 at 7:23 am
Thanks for that Marsha and hope you make and enjoy it too !
February 12th, 2013 at 3:44 am
Good evening! I made this delicious pizza tonight for dinner! It turned out super fabulously as do all of your recipes. In the pesto instead of vegan cheese & cream I put in some vegan cream cheese and it made the pesto nice and rich
I love your recipes and cannot wait for your cook book! Thank you again, and again!! 
!!
February 12th, 2013 at 12:00 pm
Heidi Hi there and many thanks for your wonderful comment – I am delighted that you have made and enjoyed this pizza – I like the cream cheese idea too ! I very much look forward to your future comments on my blog. Thanks for your interest in my upcoming book (it is out for pre-ordering on Amazon from my homepage). Best your way !