Vegan Mixed Olives and Spinach Pizza

Olives add great flavor to this vegan spinach pizza. This recipe features a generous helping of baby spinach, or you can use baby arugula instead. Do try this with pepper jack or other spicy vegan cheese, which gives it a bit of a kick. Serve with a colorful salad—add some beans or chickpeas for more protein.

Vegan Mixed Olives and Spinach Pizza

Makes: 6 wedges, 2 wedges per serving

Ingredients

1 (12–14 inch) good-quality pizza crust
1 cup good-quality marinara or pizza sauce, more or less as needed
1–1 ½ cups mozzarella-style or pepperjack vegan cheese, grated
2–3 big handfuls baby spinach or arugula, enough to cover the surface generously
⅓ cup green olives, chopped
⅓ cup black olives, chopped
dried hot red pepper flakes, to taste (optional)

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 425°F.
Place the crust on a pan, spread the sauce evenly over it, and sprinkle with the cheese.
Bake until the cheese is bubbly and the bottom of the crust is golden, about 8 to 10 minutes.
Sprinkle with the spinach or arugula, followed by the olives, and return to the oven just until the greens wilt down, which should take less than a minute. Remove from the oven, and sprinkle with dried hot red pepper flakes, or pass them around, if you haven't used spicy cheese.
Let the pizza stand for a minute or two, and cut into 6 wedges to serve.

Tip: If you don’t have a pizza stone and pizza wheel, try cutting the crust with kitchen sheers even before putting the toppings on. Makes it so much easier to deal with when it comes out of the hot oven!

Variation: Make this a white pizza by replacing the red sauce with pureed silken tofu.