Recipe: Vegan cast iron pizza

I made a delicious pizza for dinner tonight. I cheated and used frozen pizza dough, though… so all I really did was assemble ingredients and add heat. It turned out really well but I’m sure it would’ve been even better with a handmade crust! My version is vegan so it fulfills my diet requirements while satisfying my pizza cravings. If you make it, feel free to use whatever toppings you want and top with the shredded cheese of your choosing (Mozzarella, most likely).

Equipment
Well-seasoned cast iron skillet, 10 or 12 inches in diameter

Ingredients
(measurements are estimated because I just winged it — adjust to your own tastes!)

• 1 ball pizza dough (thawed overnight, if frozen)
• 1/4 cup crushed tomatoes or tomato sauce
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp freshly cracked black pepper
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp onion powder
• 1/4 tsp dried marjoram
• 1/4 tsp dried thyme
• 1/4 tsp dried rosemary
• 1/4 tsp parsley flakes
• 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 Tbsp nutritional yeast (optional)
• 4 pieces quartered marinated artichoke hearts
• 3 baby Bella mushrooms, sliced
• 1 bell pepper (green), sliced thinly
• 1 Roma tomato, sliced thinly
• 1 handful of leaves of fresh basil, sliced or ripped into bite-size pieces
• Olive oil for brushing

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 450°F.
2. In a small bowl, combine tomato sauce and spices (including the nutritional yeast, if using it).
3. Roll the dough into a large circle. Line cold cast iron skillet with the dough. (No need to coat the pan with oil if skillet is seasoned!) If there’s more dough than skillet, cut off excess dough (leaving an inch or two along the sides) and fold/press down the edges to create the crust. Brush dough with olive oil.
4. Add a light coating of seasoned tomato sauce.
5. Layer with your toppings in the order given (first artichokes, then mushrooms, etc.) except the basil.
6. Heat skillet on a high flame for 3 minutes to get the pan piping hot.
7. Place skillet in preheated oven for 18 minutes, until the crust is a golden brown.
8. Remove the pizza with a spatula (it should slide right out!), top with the basil, and cool on a rack for 3 minutes. (The lack of cheese means no gooey hotness to burn the roof of your mouth! Score! If you’re using cheese, though, let cool for a few more minutes.)
9. Cut into slices and enjoy!

I couldn’t roll out the dough very much (no rolling pin and no upper-body strength) so it made a very small pizza. I sliced it into four relatively large pieces and ate two for dinner. The remaining two slices will be reheated tomorrow for dinner… or perhaps for lunch. Mmm! So tasty, I’m tempted to eat the rest right now. Om nom nom nom nom…

Many thanks to Nick at Macheesmo for the inspiration with his cast iron skillet pizza recipe! His pizza looks amazing and I’m sure it has something to do with his handmade crust. Next time I decide to make pizza, I’m going to try his pizza dough recipe, too.

On a totally unrelated note, I love Better Off Ted. I’m sad it wasn’t popular while it was in production–it was canceled too early! Two seasons was not enough. If you’ve never seen it, check it out on Netflix–it’s available to watch instantly.