Vegan Pesto Caesar Salad Pizza with Roasted Chickpeas and Pickled Vegetables (GF Friendly)
A tangy, crunchy, creamy and crispy salad pizza that is so flavorful and satisfying! Homemade vegan caesar, garlic and onion roasted chickpeas and pickled vegetables, all put together with your favorite pizza crust (gluten free if necessary) and your favorite pesto!
It is undeniable that most people like pizza and most people like caesar salad, right? It is almost a no brainer to put them together to create a delicious and balanced meal.
While there are probably millions of recipes out there for this, I wanted to make it a bit more unique by adding the herby notes of basil pesto, vegan caesar dressing (which is arguably better than real caesar), pickled vegetables (whatever's in season works here), and roasted chickpeas in place of croutons.
I really wanted to continue to highlight the fresh produce I have been receiving from my CSA program, so a lot of what I used was from this weeks share. The basil, arugula, green leaf lettuce and kohlrabi are all from the farm!
Pictured above in the top and middle, starting left, is cilantro, arugula, then beets and green leaf lettuce. On the bottom left there are peas, and then to the right is the kohlrabi.
If you've never tried kohlrabi, you really should. It's best known as a German turnip, but the flavor is much more mild in comparison to the traditional turnip many eat. The texture of kohlrabi is crisp and slightly buttery, and it really takes on any flavor you want it to. I've seen it roasted, used in slaws and salads, in soups and pickled, but the options are truly endless.
When I tasted it I was really inspired by the texture, so I decided pickle it with some other vegetables I had on hand. With the kohlrabi, I used onion and red cabbage, but you could use other vegetables like carrots, cucumber, jicama, beets, brussels sprouts, etc., just use what you have and/or what's in season. The leftovers can be used on burgers, sandwiches, salads, pasta dishes, etc.
I made my own pesto to highlight the fresh basil I had, but as a short cut you can definitely buy store bought. Also, as a tip, if the pesto doesn't have lemon juice in it already I always squeeze a bit in! It adds so much brightness that pesto really needs in order to balance the oil, nuts and garlic.
I chose to use a cauliflower crust for more vegetables and less carbs, but honestly a traditional pizza crust would make this recipe even better! And, since it is grilling season, cooking the pizza on the grill would give it a wonderful flavor as well. There's some room to experiment with what you like for this recipe, so go crazy!
VEGAN PESTO CAESAR SALAD PIZZA WITH ROASTED CHICKPEAS AND PICKLED VEGETABLES
(makes one 12-in. pizza)
Ingredients
For the Cashew Caesar:
¾ cup cashews, soaked then drained if needed
2/3 cup water
1 clove garlic
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp dijon mustard
2 tsp vegan worcestershire sauce
1 tbsp capers + 1 tbsp caper brine
1 tbsp nutritional yeast
salt and pepper to taste
For the Pickled Veg:
about 1 cup hearty vegetables, julienned thinly (I used 1/2 cup kohlrabi, 1/3 cup onion, 1/4 cup red cabbage)
2/3 cup red wine vinegar
1 tsp salt
½ tsp pepper
pinch red pepper flakes
For the Chickpeas:
1/3 cup canned chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 tbsp olive oil
1/8 tsp garlic powder
1/8 tsp onion powder
salt and pepper to taste
For the rest of the Pizza:
Your favorite 12 in. pizza crust (I used this cauliflower one, but a crusty whole wheat or white dough would be absolutely delicious with this! You can pick it up pre-made in many stores these days or at your local pizzeria).
1/3 cup + 1 tbsp your favorite vegan basil pesto
3-4 cups mixed lettuce, chopped (I used arugula, green leaf and romaine)
lemon wedges for serving (I added zest on top of my pizza too!)
Instructions
To make life easiest, make the cashew caesar and pickled vegetables ahead of time.
You can make the cashew caesar this up to 3 days in advance. Alternatively, you can make it while the chickpeas are baking (see instructions below).
For the cashew caesar:
If not using a high speed blender (like a Vitamix), soak your cashews for at least 3 hours or boil for 10 minutes (draining and rinsing afterwards) prior to blending.
Add all ingredients to the blender, and blend the dressing on high speed for around 5 minutes until it is completely smooth.
You can make the pickled vegetables the day ahead or the morning of.
For the pickled veg:
Slice all vegetables into thin matchsticks and place into a small bowl with a lid or a jar with a lid.
Heat up the red wine vinegar in the microwave or in a saucepan until it is hot and steaming.
Add the red wine vinegar, salt, pepper and red pepper flakes to the vegetables, then let it cool down to room temperature.
Once cool, seal and let sit in the refrigerator until ready for use.
Next, make your chickpeas. You can do this before you bake your pizza crust, especially if the oven temperatures are different.
For the chickpeas:
Preheat your oven to 425F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a small bowl, toss the chickpeas with the olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic powder and onion powder then place on the baking sheet. Bake in the oven for 10 minutes, then toss them around and place back into the oven for another 7-10 minutes until golden brown.
While the chickpeas are baking, make the cashew caesar now if you didn’t do it in advance and get your desired pizza dough ready. Roll or spread it out into a 12-inch round.
When the chickpeas are done, adjust the oven temperature if necessary.
Place your crust in the oven, and just before 10 minutes are left, spread the 1/3 cup of pesto on, leaving the edges bare, and place the pizza back into the oven for the remaining 10 minutes.
Remove the pizza from the oven and let it cool down slightly. Toss the lettuce with a tablespoon or two of the caesar dressing, then pile it onto the pizza. Drizzle the 1 tbsp of pesto and more caesar dressing on top, then sprinkle the chickpeas and some of the pickled vegetables on.
Slice and serve immediately!
