Vegan Pizza With Summer Squash

 

Slightly Spicy Tomato-Based Pizza Sauce

Adapted from thevegan8

• 1 – 15 ounce can of tomato sauce
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 2 teaspoons dried basil
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 – 2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, to taste

Add ingredients to a bowl and stir well. For best results, refrigerate sauce overnight to allow the flavors to really set in. When pizza dough is made, spread sauce liberally onto pizza, add toppings, and bake at 450 degrees until crust is golden brown. Note: I sprinkled on some nutritional yeast, to give the pizza a “cheesy” flavor.

For this pizza, I added diced garlic, red onions, and summer squash and spread it liberally onto the pizza. Get creative! I’ll bet any kind of topping will taste incredible with this seriously delicious sauce.

Quick Basic Pizza Dough

Adapted from Martha Stewart

• 2 packets (1/4 ounce each) active dry yeast (for a thinner pizza crust, use only 1 packet)
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 1/4 cup olive oil, plus more for bowl and brushing
• 2 teaspoons coarse salt
• 4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for work surface

Pour 1 1/2 cups warm water (no hot water – this will kill the yeast) into a large bowl; sprinkle with yeast and let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes.

Whisk sugar, oil, and salt into yeast mixture. Add flour and stir until a sticky dough forms. Brush top of dough with olive oil, cover bowl with plastic wrap, and set aside in a warm place until dough has doubled in size, about 1 hour. Place dough onto floured work surface and gently knead a few times before using.

Tip: If you would like to freeze some for later, wrap the dough in plastic and freeze in a resealable freezer bag. You can also divide in half before freezing for smaller pizzas.