SEAFOOD-INSPIRED VEGAN PIZZA
Seafood-inspired Vegan Pizza made with spinach, vegan mozzarella, lemony white bean spread, and a garlic vegan “seafood” blend.
Jump to RecipeSummer is almost here and I have seafood on my mind. To satisfy those ocean cravings, coming up with seafood-inspired, plant-based meals is essential to my happiness.
This pizza is a seafood-inspired dish, topped with spinach, vegan mozzarella, white bean spread, and a garlic vegan “seafood” blend (made with shiitake mushrooms and heart of palm). It has a nice, bright lemon kick to it as well, making it super refreshing!
THE VEGAN “SEAFOOD” BLEND
The base of the seafood blend consists of shiitake mushrooms and heart of palm. I went with these two because of their flavor and texture. Shiitake mushrooms have a great chew to them that reminds me of clams and mussels. They also bring an amazing earthy flavor to the table.
Heart of Palm is super light and refreshing. When you cut them up they look like little baby scallops.
To give the shiitake and heart of palm a seafood-inspired flavor I added a few things. First I started by sautéing them in garlic and olive oil. Once they cooked down a bit I added nori flakes, lemon, and old bay seasoning. Nori flakes gave the blend a umami, seafood flavor. Old bay adds that familiar flavor we associate with seafood.
THE WHITE BEAN PURÉE
I love to make it a point to include protein when creating a meal. So to add more to this pizza I made a white bean protein purée. This element is not only high in protein, it also brings a lot of flavor to the table. Seasoned with lemon, old bay, garlic, and nutmeg.
I used Northern White beans for this recipe. But you can swap it out for chickpeas or any other light bean if desired.
THE CRUST
You are welcome to make your own crust. But most days I do not have the time to be a hero about it. Luckily there are plenty of options on the store shelves. Our go-to is Rustic White Pizza Crust from Whole Foods. It’s super tasty, thin, crispy and best of all…super light. I highly recommend it!
VEGAN SEAFOOD-INSPIRED PIZZA
Ingredients
FOR THE "SEAFOOD" BLEND
- 3.5 oz Shiitake Mushrooms, sliced
- 1/2 can Heart of Palm, sliced
- 4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 lemon, juiced
- 1/4 tsp nori flakes
- 1/8 tsp old bay seasoning
FOR LEMON WHITE BEAN PUREE
- 1/2 can Northern white beans, drained and rinsed Can substitute chickpeas
- zest from one lemon
- 1/2 lemon, juiced
- 1/8 tsp nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp old bay seasoning
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp water
- pinch of salt to taste
THE REST OF THE INGREDIENTS
- 1 Pizza Crust I used Rustic White Pizza Crust from Whole Foods
- 1 cup fresh baby spinach
- 1 cup vegan mozzarella
- 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
Instructions
PREHEAT OVEN TO 400 DEGREES
PREP THE "SEAFOOD" BLEND
- In a skillet, add olive oil, shiitake mushrooms, heart of palm, and garlic
- Cook over medium-low heat for 10 minutes
- Remove from heat and add nori flakes, lemon juice, and Old Bay seasoning
- Stir until evenly distributed
- Set aside
MAKE THE LEMON WHITE BEAN PUREE
- Add all of the ingredients for the white bean puree in a food processor
- Blend until smooth
- Adjust salt to taste
- Set aside
BUILD YOUR PIZZA
- Lay pizza crust on a flat surface
- Top with white bean puree. Be sure to spread it out evenly and cover the entire crust.
- Top evenly with spinach
- Add mozzarella cheese
- Top with "seafood" blend
- Bake in over for 8-10 minutes. **Time may vary depending on your choice of crust
- Remove from oven
- Top with fresh parsley
- Cut. Serve. Enjoy!