Okay, full disclosure: I am not great at recipe writing. Or recipe following. Or recipe documenting. Or food photography. Or remembering to take photos before the sun goes down.
But I do love cooking, and I often receive requests for recipes after I post my meals on Instagram. So I’m going to try! One of my most frequently made and asked about meals is pizza, so this is an attempt to help you make decadent, plant-based pizza in your own kitchen! The following “recipe” is for a Rosemary Potato, Bacon, and Caramelized Onion Pizza, but you can use many of these tricks and tools to make up your own compassionate creation!
Notes/Disclaimers from an Amateur Chef
- My old cheese grater broke halfway through this meal prep. Oops. That’s why you see the cheese half grated and half sliced.
- I usually shred Follow Your Heart mozzarella blocks for pizza, but on the night I documented, I also made one of the pies with Miyoko’s fresh mozzarella. They were both delicious and none of us could decide which we preferred, so go with what you can find!
- Acquiring a pizza stone
was one of the best things to happen to my kitchen. In the past I always used round baking sheets, but my pizza dough was never evenly cooked. Don’t be discouraged if you don’t have a stone, I made pizzas for years without them, but it’s a great item to splurge on or add to your wishlist if you plan to bake a lot of these!
was one of the best things to happen to my kitchen. In the past I always used round baking sheets, but my pizza dough was never evenly cooked. Don’t be discouraged if you don’t have a stone, I made pizzas for years without them, but it’s a great item to splurge on or add to your wishlist if you plan to bake a lot of these!
Ingredients
- 1 pack Whole Foods Pizza Dough *
- 1 block Follow Your Heart mozzarella **
- 4 strips of Sweet Earth Benevolent Bacon
- 2 large Yukon gold potatoes, sliced thinly (with a mandoline, if possible)
- 1 red onion, sliced root to stem ***
- A few tablespoons of chopped rosemary, preferably fresh but dried is okay
- 2 – 4 cloves of garlic, minced ****
- 1 handful of fresh arugula
- Half a lemon
- Lots of olive oil
- 1/2 cup flour
- Salt and pepper
*Â Â If you’re brave enough to make your own, I’d try this recipe) (if you don’t have access to Whole Foods, ask your local pizza place if you can buy some dough; I’ve never been told no!)
** Avoid their “Vegan Gourmet” line; it’s the old recipe and it’s not nearly as good; yes it comes in shreds, but I promise it’s worth your time to just shred the block. (FYH has a handy store locator that lets you search by specific product; find your cheese here!)
***Â FYI, I sliced mine incorrectly in these photos
****Â Â Two cloves if you’re normal, at least four (or 8) if you love garlic as much as I do
Tools (in a perfect world)
- Pizza Stone
- Cheese Grater
(or a knife)
- Garlic Press
 (or a knife)
- Pizza Wheel
 (or a knife)
- Mandoline Slicer
 (or a knife)
(or a knife)
 (or a knife)
 (or a knife)
 (or a knife)For the Onions
- Option 1: Stovetop. Heat a couple tablespoons of olive oil in large skillet. Add onions and stir to make sure they’re coated evenly. Cook over low heat, stirring every ten minutes or so, for at least half an hour. If you’re doing multiple onions, it can take up to an hour. Honestly, I’m still working mastering this so if I were you, I’d follow someone else’s instructions.
- Option 2: If you have a Crock-Pot
, I highly recommend starting the onions in the morning and letting them slowly cook through the day. I recently learned this technique when making caramelized onion soup, and the end result was heavenly. Basic instructions here.
- When onions are fully caramelized (sweet and stringy), remove from heat and set aside. After pizza comes out of the oven, add the onions on top.
, I highly recommend starting the onions in the morning and letting them slowly cook through the day. I recently learned this technique when making caramelized onion soup, and the end result was heavenly. For the Pizza
- Pre-heat oven to 450 degrees F
- If using the Whole Foods dough, remove it from refrigerator at least an hour before cooking to allow it to rise at room temperature.
- Shred entire block of mozzarella; cover and set aside.
- When ready to assemble the pizza, spread flour across a clean table or countertop to knead. I’m not great at it, so I make my husband do this part to earn his dinner.
- Sprinkle some flour on the pizza stone or baking sheet; this prevents sticking.
- Spread dough evenly across pizza stone or baking sheet, trying to bring it all the way to the edges. (*Note: Since creating this recipe, I’ve learned it’s much better to pre-heat the pizza stone in the oven and slide the spread out dough onto it. I’ll report back!)
- Sprinkle cheese evenly across pizza, stopping about an inch from the edge.
- Sprinkle minced garlic across the layer of cheese
- Toss sliced potatoes in olive oil, rosemary, salt and pepper. When coated, place the potatoes in a circular pattern, starting in the center. Slight overlap of slices is fine (encouraged, actually).
- Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until crust and potatoes are both browned
For the Bacon
- Prep bacon strips according to instructions on package. I cook them a bit longer than recommended, because I want the end result to be crispy. Once crisped to your satisfaction, remove and chop into small pieces.
- Sprinkle pieces on cooked pizza after the onions. Or before. Really doesn’t matter.
For the Finish!
- Spread arugula leaves across hot pizza. Spritz the leaves with lemon juice, but don’t overdo it.
- Slice and serve!
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