For many, one of the biggest deterrents to meal prepping is the idea that of eating the same thing for every meal. And while this can certainly be true--and doesn't bother me personally--its not necessarily the case. Meal prepping can simply mean having ingredients on hand that are just more ready to be cooked up into something delicious. A perfect example: this pizza.
Which, let me start by saying, is so absurdly tasty it's hard to believe it was *mostly* the result of standard meal prepped food. And the best part is that regardless of what you've prepped for the week, throwing it all onto a pizza is almost always a guaranteed way to create something delicious.
First, let's start with what I had meal prepped for the week on Sunday that ended up in the pizza:
1. Roasted broccoli - two bunches tossed in ghee, garlic powder, onion powder, s & p, and roasted at 425 for about 30-40 minutes.
2. Shredded broccoli stalks - instead of discarding the large broccoli stalks, I shredded them with a cheese grater and stored them in the fridge, without any plan for them. They were going to end up in a salad or bowl, veggie pancakes, or this pizza crust.
3. Roasted radishes - one bunch sliced into disks and roasted at 425 until browned and soft.
4. Sautéed shiitakes - sautéed in ghee for eating throughout the week in bowls, with eggs, in "stir frys", etc.
5. Vegan dill pesto - I love pesto but it's pretty expensive to make, so I decided to use dill instead of basil, almonds instead of pine nuts, and nutritional yeast instead of parmesan and OMG.
So, with all that in the fridge, along with other things like rice and sweet potatoes, I could have easily just thrown a tasty, nourishing bowl together. But I was feeling inspired to create and craving a freshly cooked meal, so pizza it was.
My crust recipe was modified from this one, but skipped the microwaving step and consisted only of broccoli stalks, eggs, and parmesan - it was great tasting and easily picked up and folded, like New York-style pizza, but wasn't as crispy as I'd like, so feel free to try this one or use your favorite pizza crust recipe if you have one.
After cooking the crust, I spread on a layer of the pesto and topped it with roasted radishes, sautéed shiitakes, and roasted broccoli. I popped it back into the oven at 400 degrees F for about 6 minutes, just until everything was nice and warm and the edges were crispy. While it cooked, I whipped up the quick cashew cream sauce which literally takes minutes to make. I drizzled the pizza with the sauce and finished with some fresh cracked pepper. The whole thing took under 30 minutes and was truly delicious.
Whatever you have meal prepped, a quick pizza is a really effective way to switch things up. And these two sauces--dill pesto and cashew cream--guarantee it will come out tasting amazing. Enjoy!
Vegan Dill Pesto
makes about 1 cup
2 cups fresh dill
1/2 cup almonds, blanched + skinned if desired
1/3 cup olive oil
2 tbsp lemon juice
3-4 cloves garlic
3 tbsp nutritional yeast
1/2 tsp salt
few turns of fresh cracked pepper
Add all ingredients to the bowl of a food processor and pulse until desired consistency. Should be spreadable but still chunky.
Cashew Cream Sauce
makes about 1 cup
1 cup cashews, soaked and drained*
2 tbsp nutritional yeast
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp garlic powder
~1/2 cup water
Combine all ingredients in a blender. Blend until smooth, adding more or less water depending on desired texture. Will keep in fridge for up to 4 days. It will thicken in fridge, so if you want it to be pourable right out of the fridge, I would make it on the thinner side.
*Cashews can be soaked for 2-8 hours, or you can quick soak them by pouring boiling water over them and letting it sit for a few minutes before draining.
