Vegan Pesto Stuffed Crust Pizza

With potato, marinara, pesto, homemade cheese, and a flavorful herb crust, get your pizza stone ready because it's pizza night!

Yield: one 13-inch thick crust pizza

Instructions

Make the mozzarella:

Combine the ingredients in a high speed blender and blend until completely smooth.
Pour mixture into a small saucepan over medium heat. Stirring constantly, bring to a low boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook for one minute, or until thickened and pulling away from the sides of the pot. Transfer cheese to ramekins or a mug, and refrigerate until ready to use.

Make the dough:

In a small bowl combine the warm water, yeast and sugar. Allow to sit until foamy, about 5 minutes.
In a large bowl whisk together the flour, salt, oregano, parsley, basil, and garlic powder. Pour in the yeast mixture, and slowly stir to combine. Move the dough to a lightly floured surface and knead for 3-5 minutes (sprinkle with more flour if too sticky). Form into a ball.
Add the olive oil to a large, clean bowl (or wash and dry the mixing bowl you just used; a clean bowl helps the dough rise properly). Place the dough ball in the bowl and flip around a few times, using your hands to spread olive oil over the entire surface of the dough ball. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a kitchen towel, and set aside in a warm, draft-free spot until doubled in size (about 1 hour).
Place pizza stone in oven and preheat to 500 degrees F.

Prep the toppings:

Wash the potatoes and place them in a pot. Add enough water to cover the potatoes. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat, and simmer the potatoes until just fork tender, about 15 minutes. Transfer potatoes to a plate and allow to cool. Once cool, slice thinly.
Follow the link above, and prepare the pesto.

Assemble and bake the pizza:

After the dough has risen, move it to a lightly floured surface. Using the pads of your fingers, gently move around the perimeter of the dough, pressing out to increase the dough in size. For a 13-inch pizza, stretch the dough to 16 inches in diameter, allowing for folding the edges over the cheese.
Reserve about ⅓ of the cheese for topping the pizza. Cut the rest into ½-inch-thick strips or pieces. Distribute the cheese around the perimeter of the dough, about one inch from the edge.
Reserve about ⅔ of the pesto to be added to the pizza after baking. Spoon a small amount of pesto onto the cheese (see photo in post). Fold dough over the cheese and pesto, lightly pinching/pressing down to seal the inner edge. It's important that the cheese is sealed in on all sides, or it will escape during baking.
Remove hot stone from oven. If using a pizza peel, transfer the dough as you normally would. If you don't have a peel, gently fold the prepared dough in half (like a taco shell laying on its side) to make it easier to transfer to the stone. Carefully place dough on stone and unfold. *Keep in mind, where it lands is where it has to stay! That's why careful placement is important. Top with sauce, sliced potato, and the remainder of the cheese (simply pinch off pieces and dollop it on top).
Bake until the crust is golden brown, about 18 to 20 minutes. If needed, broil for 1 to 2 minutes to brown the top. Allow the pizza to cool for a few minutes. Top with the remaining pesto, and sprinkle with crushed red pepper, if desired.

Vegan Pesto Stuffed Crust Pizza

Equipment

Ingredients

Toppings:

Meltable Mozzarella:

Herb Crust:

Instructions

Make the mozzarella:

Make the dough:

Prep the toppings:

Assemble and bake the pizza:

Nutrition