Vegan Pizza

his vegan pizza recipe is a fun treat. Just add your favorite pizza crust topped with marinara and this divine creamy homemade white sauce and you're ready to go.

Tonight I was SO in the mood for pizza! I never know when the mood will strike, so I always have pizza crusts ready to go in my freezer for these pizza emergencies. This pizza is a fun treat any night of the week.

For years, when I wanted pizza I would purchase a vegan cheese to grate and sprinkle over my pizza.

But vegan cheeses (meaning no casein) can be hit or miss, usually miss. Or they're expensive. And vegan cheese is usually made with preservatives or soy, and I don't always want to eat soy. Finally, pre-packaged cheeses can be high in fat and calories.

So this isn't any old vegan pizza.

For this pizza, you'll actually create your very own soy-free white sauce to be poured over the marinara. Then simply top with your favorite ingredients, and 15 minutes later you have a piping hot, rich-tasting pizza with absolutely no guilt whatsoever. Whoo-hoo!

This sauce was created using the techniques you can learn in Get Sauced With Sass!, my unique course that teaches you how to take what you have on hand to create unique vegan sauces from scratch without a recipe. Sound like fun? It is! :)

Notice how I didn't say this recipe is for a "cheese" sauce. That's because it doesn't taste like cheese. But that's okay. This white sauce is made with ingredients like white beans (a wonderful source of calcium and protein), cashews (a healthy fat), and nutritional yeast (a yummy source of Vitamin B12).

These and other ingredients combine to make a unique and rich-tasting sauce that is so flavorful, you simply won't miss the cheese.

Use your favorite marinara, toppings, and pizza crust (I like Vicolo Organic Cornmeal Pizza Crust).

Enjoy!

Vegan Pizza White Sauce
Yield: Approximately 2 cups

Note: I've included amounts of ingredients as I can best remember. Please use your best judgment and experiment with the ingredients to find a flavor that works for you. Relax and have fun with it. :)

1 can (about 1 1/2 cups) Great Northern Beans, rinsed well and drained
1 cup cashews
2 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup non-dairy milk (I like plain almond milk)
1/4 teaspoon dried chipotle chile flakes
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
1/3 cup nutritional yeast
1/4 teaspoon red chile flakes
THE FOLLOWING INGREDIENTS ARE ADDED "TO TASTE":
Lemon juice
Onion powder
Garlic powder or garlic granules
Oregano
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
Water, to desired consistency

1. Place all ingredients in a blender, using only enough water to enable easy blending. Process until completely smooth. Add water to desired consistency.

2. Cover your pizza crust with marinara. Spoon or pour white sauce over the marinara. Top with your favorite ingredients.

I topped mine with onion and green olives (photo above). Jeff opted for onion, green pepper, heirloom tomato, and a crumbled veggie burger...