Homemade Pizza with Pesto, Zucchini and Cashew Nuts
Don’t let the length of this recipe overwhelm you. Once you see how simple it is to make your own pizza, you won’t want to opt for takeaways anymore.
Servings 2
Calories 768kcal
Ingredients
For the pesto
- 1 head garlic (1 head = about 6 to 8 cloves)
- 1 cup fresh basil leaves
- 1/4 cup fresh parsley
- 1/2 jalapeno seeded and chopped (optional)
- 1/4 cup raw unsalted cashew nuts roasted
- 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/8 cup Parmesan cheese grated
- sea salt to taste
- black pepper to taste
For the topping
- 1-1.5 cup zucchini sliced into rounds
- 1 cup bell pepper (capsicum, any color) sliced into thin strips or small cubes
- 1 cup onion sliced
- 1/2 tsp paprika powder
- 1/2 tsp ground cumin seeds
- 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper use less for less heat
- 1/8 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/8 tsp turmeric powder
- 1 cup grated mozzarella cheese
- 1/4 cup raw unsalted cashew nuts roasted
- 1 pizza dough for 2 small pizzas (or 1 big to share) scroll down to notes if making your own
Instructions
Optional: Roast Garlic (45 min)
- Preheat oven to 375°F or 190°C. Chop off the top portion of the garlic head to reveal cloves.
- Peel any excess paper/skin off from the bulb of garlic.
- Pour about a teaspoon of olive oil on top the garlic cloves and cover with foil and roast in a baking dish for 45 minutes, or until golden brown and soft.
- Allow to cool and then squeeze garlic out of the paper skin into a small bowl.
For the pesto (prep: 5 min)
- Blend (roasted) garlic with all other pesto ingredients until smooth sauce-like consistency.
For the pizza (prep: 10 min, cook: 30-35 min)
- In a large bowl add the zucchini, pepper and onion. Add all herbs and toss to coat. Toss really well making sure the spices are evenly coating the veggies and there are no clumps. Set aside.
- Then press/roll the dough into one 12” round circle or divide into 2 smaller ones.
- Top with pesto and then sprinkle with mozzarella cheese.
- Add veggie mix and bake at 375°F or 190°C for 30 – 35 minutes. (I added a little grated Parmesan on top as well)
- Take out the pizza and allow to cool for a minute or two.
- Sprinkle with roasted cashew nuts and serve.
Notes
Depending on how much time you want to spend there are a few options you can try. You could buy ready-made pizza dough or packages where you only have to add a bit of water, knead and roll it out. This is the simplest and quickest way. Or you could give your pizza a more authentic look by making the dough yourself. Option 3 is a lot more work, but if you make this in the weekend I’m sure you won’t regret it… a bean crust (with black, kidney or chickpeas). Still perfecting the recipe but the first tryouts were pretty good. The recipe will follow.
- CLICK HERE to learn how to make authentic pizza dough
- CLICK HERE to learn how to make buckwheat pizza dough
- Instead of using bread flour, experiment with whole beans, chickpea flour, spelt or other gluten-free alternatives
