By Chef Diana Goldman, Beantown Kitchen

I’ll take a pesto pizza sauce over a red one any day. Pesto adds a rich, nutty, and savory flavor

that is positively divine. Topped with sweet caramelized onions and crispy potatoes, this pizza

combination may just become your favorite, too. The pesto will brown as it is heated. Not to

worry – this won’t negatively affect the flavor. If you’d like, top with some vibrant green fresh

basil leaves after baking.

Ingredients

  • 3 medium or 2 large yellow onions (about 22 ounces total)
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
  • 1½ teaspoons sea salt, divided
  • 1 pound small yellow potatoes, sliced into ½-inch rounds
  • 22-ounce pizza dough, stored at room temperature for 2 hours before using (see note)
  • 1 batch Basil Pesto (below)
  • ¾ cup cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
  • Cashew Parmesan (below), red pepper flakes, a drizzle of olive oil, and/or fresh basil leaves,
  • whole or sliced into chiffonade (thin ribbons) (optional, for serving)

Procedure

  • Preheat the oven to 425°F.
  • Slice each onion in half vertically. Place the onion cut-side down on a cutting board and slice
  • into thin half moons. Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
  • Add the onions and ¾ teaspoon of salt and cook for 10 minutes, stirring frequently. This
  • will seem like a lot of onions for one skillet, but they will release moisture, shrink, and make
  • room for one another. Reduce the heat to medium-low and continue cooking for 25-35 minutes,
  • stirring occasionally, or until tender, golden, and somewhat sticky/caramelized.
  • In a medium bowl, toss the potatoes with the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil and ¾ teaspoon
  • of salt. Roast for 22 minutes or until softened and crispy around the edges. Remove from the
  • oven, use a spatula to loosen and shuffle the potatoes around, and roast for an additional 5
  • minutes. Remove from the oven and increase the temperature to 450°F.
  • Spread the dough onto an approximately 14-inch pizza pan. I find that a perforated pizza pan
  • works particularly well. Top with Basil Pesto, caramelized onions, roasted potatoes, and
  • tomatoes.
  • Bake on the middle rack for 10-12 minutes or until the crust has browned. Enjoy with optional
  • toppings, if desired.

Notes

I could share a pizza dough recipe with you, but there’s really no need. Here’s a great hack: call

around to your local pizza shops to find one that will sell you a pizza dough made without eggs

or dairy. Pick it up, roll it, stretch it, spin it, and top it. Easy!

Basil Pesto

Makes 1½ cups

Miso and nutritional yeast pair up to create the savory, cheesy depth of flavor in this

mouthwatering pesto. Serve it over pasta, spread it on a sandwich, stir it into mashed potatoes,

dip some warm bread into it, or enjoy it on Pesto Pizza with Roasted Potato & Caramelized

Onion (page x). No pressure to enjoy it all quickly, as this pesto freezes beautifully.

Ingredients

  • 6 cups destemmed fresh basil, loosely packed (about 3 ounces)
  • 1 clove garlic
  • 1 cup pine nuts
  • 2 tablespoons white or yellow miso
  • ⅔ cup nutritional yeast
  • 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • 3 tablespoons water, or more to reach desired consistency
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • ½ teaspoon sea salt
  • ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper

Procedure

Add all the ingredients to a food processor and blend until well combined, stopping periodically

to scrape down the sides.

Notes

Consider growing your own basil plants outside in the summer or indoors all year long. The ease

of snipping off leaves, fresh on demand, is a beautiful thing.

or dairy. Pick it up, roll it, stretch it, spin it, and top it. Easy!

Cashew Parmesan

Makes ½ cup

Really, parmesan? Yes, think plastic shaker bottle with the green lid. Shake this on top of salads,

pizzas, pastas, baked potatoes, or anytime you’re looking to add an umami-rich, cheesy flavor to

your meal.

Ingredients

  • ½ cup raw cashews
  • 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
  • 1½ teaspoons garlic powder
  • 1½ teaspoons hemp hearts
  • ½ teaspoon sea salt

Procedure

Add all the ingredients to a food processor and process until finely ground, stopping periodically

to check the consistency. Be careful not to over-process or you may accidentally end up with

cashew butter.