I made the base recipe a long time ago and it was delicious. The crust has no yeast, there’s no tomato sauce, and the pizza is created in a springform pan, but the finished product is amazing. This time, I wanted to try it out with a plant-based focus. And, no, I am not trying to talk people into cutting meat or eggs out of their diet. This recipe is so tasty that I really think it is better than the original AND I didn’t have to run out and get ricotta cheese!

So, here goes…I pieced together two different recipes. First, I made the “riccotta” or almond filling.

Whipped Almond Ricotta (5 Ingredients!)

Prep 10 minutes ∙ Cook 10 minutes ∙ Makes Servings: (~1/4-cup servings) ∙ Source Minimalistbaker.com

INGREDIENTS

• 2 cups slivered blanched almonds* (I used almond flour)
• 2-3 tsp nutritional yeast (plus more to taste)
• 2 Tbsp lemon juice
• 1/2 – 3/4 tsp sea salt
• 1 dash garlic powder
• 3/4 – 1 cup water
• 2-3 Tbsp fresh basil, oregano, or parsley (optional)

DIRECTIONS

Add all ricotta ingredients (starting with the lesser amount of water (3/4 cup/180 ml and salt (1/2 tsp) as original recipe is written) to a high-speed blender and blend until smooth and creamy, scraping down sides as needed (~2 minutes). You are looking for a well-puréed mixture with only very small bits of almonds intact. Add a bit more water a little at a time if the mixture is having a hard time blending until smooth.

Then, I modified Giada’s pizza recipe:

Pizza Rustica – Plant based

Prep 45 min ∙ Cook 1 hr 10 min ∙ Makes 6 to 8 servings ∙ Difficulty Intermediate ∙ Source Foodnetwork.com

INGREDIENTS

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 box of bella and/or shitake mushrooms, diced
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 2 (12-ounce) bunches fresh spinach, stemmed, coarsely chopped (about 12 cups), or 1 (10-ounce) package frozen cut-leaf spinach, thawed and drained
• 1 (15-ounce) vegan ricotta (see above)
• 12 ounces Daiya mozzarella cheese, shredded
• 1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan (I put this on half for the kiddos)
• 4 ounces thinly sliced prosciutto, coarsely chopped (I put this on half for the kiddos)
• ½ Tablespoon aquafaba
• ½ cup water
• Pastry Dough, recipe below
• Spray with olive oil
• Pastry Dough:
• 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup coconut oil
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ tbsp aquafaba
• ½ cup water plus
• 2 to 4 tablespoons ice water

DIRECTIONS

Position the rack on the bottom of the oven, and preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a heavy large frying pan over medium heat. Add the mushrooms with garlic and saute until golden brown, breaking the sausage into pieces, about 5 minutes. Transfer the mixture to a small bowl and set aside to cool.

Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon of oil in the same frying pan over medium heat. Add the spinach and cook until the spinach wilts and the juices evaporate, stirring often, about 10 minutes. Cool to room temperature. Squeeze the spinach to drain as much liquid as possible.

Into a large bowl, add reconstituted aquafaba and beat lightly. Stir in the ricotta, mozzarella, and 1/3 cup of Parmesan cheese (on one half). Add the mushrooms and the spinach to the mixture and stir to combine.

Roll out larger piece of dough on a lightly floured work surface to a 17-inch round. Transfer the dough to a 9-inch springform pan. Trim the dough overhang to 1 inch. Spoon the ricotta mixture into the dough-lined pan. Place cheese and prosciutto to one half. Roll out the remaining piece of dough into a 12-inch round. Place the dough over the filling. Pinch the edges of the doughs together to seal, then crimp the dough edges decoratively. Brush the beaten 1 large egg over the entire pastry top. Sprinkle the remaining 2 tablespoons Parmesan over the top (pref the half that’s got meat in it). Bake on the bottom shelf until the crust is golden brown, about 1 hour.

Let stand 15 minutes. Release the pan sides and transfer the pizza to a platter. Cut into wedges and serve.

This was a big hit tonight! Who knew almond flour made such great ricotta?!