Veggie Pesto Pizza

This is a delicious and healthy vegetarian pizza from 2020 silver winning cookbook Sprout Right Family Food: Good Nutrition and Over 130 Simple Recipes for Baby, Toddler, and the Whole Family by Lianne Phillipson. It’s egg-free, gluten-free and nut-free and a great way to sneak in veggies. “Stack it thick, and whatever vegetables fall on the plate will be picked up by little fingers,” says Phillipson. “The assembled unbaked pizza can be frozen, or leftovers can be enjoyed the next day for lunch.”

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MAKES 2 SMALL OR 1 LARGE PIZZA

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Veggie Pesto Pizza

Course Main Course

Author Lianne Phillipson, author of Sprout Right Family Food: Good Nutrition and Over 130 Simple Recipes for Baby, Toddler, and the Whole Family

Ingredients

• 2 cups (500 mL) packed fresh basil
• ½ cup (125 mL) packed fresh cilantro leaves
• 2 tablespoons (30 mL) sunflower seeds
• 2 teaspoons (10 mL) capers 4 Kalamata olives, pitted
• 4 sundried tomatoes
• 2 cloves garlic peeled
• ⅓ cup (75 mL) extra virgin olive oil
• Pinch of sea salt
• 2 small or 1 large pizza base preferably gluten-free or spelt
• 1 cup (250 mL) shredded goat’s or cow’s milk mozzarella cheese

Topping options (finely chopped)

• Green beans
• Corn
• Asparagus
• Shiitake or button mushrooms
• Onion
• Broccoli
• Sweet red or yellow pepper
• Baby spinach
• Thompson raisins or sultanas

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 400ºF (200ºC).
• To make the pesto, add the basil, cilantro, sunflower seeds, capers, olives, sundried tomatoes, and garlic to a food processor and pulse a few times. Slowly add the olive oil in a constant stream while the food processor is running and blend until smooth. Stop a couple of times to scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Add a pinch of salt to taste.
• Top the pizza base or bases with a layer of pesto. Sprinkle with 2 tablespoons (30 mL) of the cheese and scatter with the desired toppings, covering all edges. Make it colourful and press the vegetables firmly onto the crust. Top with the remaining cheese.
• Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until the cheese is melted and the crust is crisp. Cut into slices and serve.
• Store leftover pizza in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to 2 weeks.

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