Broccoli, Mushroom, and Sun-Dried Tomato Pizza

Using plenty of veggies makes this easy vegan broccoli pizza, embellished with mushrooms and sun-dried tomatoes, a nourishing meal. Serve a big salad with mixed greens and plenty of raw veggies, embellished with olives and chickpeas. Use as many of the shortcuts as you’d like, making this a super-quick preparation; I’ve provided from-scratch options for sauce and crust (even a gluten-free option!) for when you have more time.

Serves: 3 to 4

• 2 1/2 cups bite-sized broccoli florets
• 6 ounces baby bella (aka cremini) or portabella mushrooms,
  cleaned (remove stems if desired) and sliced into bite-sized pieces
• 1 tablespoon or so (at most) olive oil
• One 12- to 14-inch good-quality pizza crust
  (or use the recipe for Basic Pizza Dough or 
  Gluten-Free Poured Pizza Crust)
• 1/2 to 1 cup good-quality prepared marinara or pizza sauce
  (depending on size of crust and how tomato-y you like it,
  or homemade Fresh Tomato Marinara Sauce)
• 1 to 1 1/2 cups grated vegan mozzarella cheese (Daiya is great for this)
• 1/3 cup moist, thinly sliced sun-dried tomatoes
  (oil-cured or not, as you prefer)
• Several basil leaves, thinly sliced, optional

Preheat the oven to 425º F.

Line roasting pan with baking parchment or oil it lightly. Arrange the broccoli and mushrooms in it and drizzle with olive oil, stirring together. Bake for 5 minutes.

Place the crust on a pizza pan. spread the sauce evenly over it, followed by the cheese. Put in the oven, and when you do so, give the broccoli and mushroom mixture a stir and continue to let it roast while the pizza bakes.

Bake the pizza and veggies for 12 minutes longer. The bottom of the pizza crust should be golden and starting to get crisp, and the cheese melted. The veggies should be nicely done — starting to brown here and there.

Remove the pizza and vegetables from the oven. Cut the pizza into 6 wedges with a pizza wheel or sharp bread knife. Pile the vegetables onto the pizza, followed by the dried tomatoes and optional basil. Serve at once.

Variation: Make this a white pizza by replacing the red sauce with pureed silken tofu — you’ll need about half of a 12.3-ounce box.

Nutritional Information:
Per Serving (does not include crust; Basic Pizza Dough has nutritional information): 276 calories; 22.6g fat; 636.4mg sodium; 271.3mg potassium; 15.9g carbs; 6.2g fiber; 3.8g sugar; 6.8g protein

• Explore more of VegKitchen’s Easy Pizza Recipes.
• Find more of VegKitchen’s Vegan Dinner Recipes and Pizza Dinner Recipes.