Pizza with Herbed Almond Ricotta, Kale, and Pumpkin Seed Pesto
Pizza is one of those food that everyone loves, and people are always looking for ways to make it healthier — I've got you!! This vegan pizza is made with a spruced-up Kite Hill ricotta, some crispy kale, and a healthy pumpkin seed pesto. I used a mixed corn/wheat pizza crust because that's all they had at the store, but to maximize the nutritiousness of this pizza, I reccomend using something like a cauliflower crust.
Ingredients (makes 1 pizza/serves about 2)
Pizza
- 1 medium pizza crust
- 3 tablespoons crushed tomatoes/tomato sauce
- 1/2 cup Kite Hill almond milk ricotta
- Juice of 1/2 lemon
- 1 teaspoon chopped fresh oregano
- 3/4 teaspoon dried thyme
- Dash of salt
- 2 medium stalks purple kale, leaves removed and roughly broken up
- Avocado oil spray
Pumpkin Seed Pesto
- 1 tablespoon raw pumpkin seeds
- 1 clove garlic
- 3-4 large basil leaves
- 1 stalk kale, leaves removed and roughly broken up
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 tablespoon nutritional yeast
- Optional: dash of salt
1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees (or look at your box of pizza to determine the best temperature. Place the crust on a baking sheet, and spread the crushed tomatoes/tomato sauce as a thin layer on the crust.
2. In a small bowl, combined ricotta, lemon juice, oregano, thyme, and salt until evenly combined. Add the ricotta to the crust, spreading evenly. Top with kale leaves, and spray the kale and the pizza crust with some avocado oil to get the kale crispy and the pizza crust golden. Bake for about 20 minutes (or look at the directions on your pizza crust). Kale should be crisp and the crust should be golden.
3. While pizza is cooking, prepare the pesto by blending ingredients together in a blender or food processor until smooth. When pizza is finished, drizzle pesto on the top, and serve warm.