Pizza - Mozzarella Mac Deep Dish Pizza

By blum099

Author: Jackie of Vegan Yack Attack
Recipe type: Entree, Dinner Cuisine: American, Italian, Fusion
Prep time: 45 mins Cook time: 25 mins Total time: 1 hour 10 mins
Serves: 8 Slices

Creamy mozzarella mac 'n' cheese in a delicious, homemade deep dish crust with easy toppings and flavorful marinara.

Ingredients

• Pizza Crust
• 1/2 C. Warm Water
• 1 tsp. Sugar
• 1 T. Active Dry Yeast
• 1 C. Unbleached All-Purpose Flour (You may need to add more in while kneading)
• 1/2 C. Whole Wheat Flour
• 1 tsp. Dried Italian Seasoning
• 1/2 tsp. Garlic Powder
• 1/2 tsp. Italian Seasoning
• Corn Meal for Dusting
• 2 T. Olive Oil + Extra for Brushing
• Mozzarella Mac
• 2 C. Dried Pasta (I used Shells and they worked perfectly!)
• 1 1/2 C. Daiya Mozzarella Shreds
• 1/2 C. Raw Cashews, Soaked for at least 30 minutes
• 1/2 C. Vegetable Broth or Water
• Marinara
• 1 1/2 C. Tomato Sauce
• 1 T. Tomato Paste
• 1/2 tsp. Dried Italian Seasoning
• 1/2 tsp. Garlic Powder
• Salt to taste
• Toppings (Optional and Interchangeable)
• 1-2 C. Baby Kale or Whatever Greens you prefer
• 1/2 C. Quartered Artichoke Hearts
• 1/4 C. Pitted and Sliced Black Olives
• 3 T. Sun-dried Tomatoes, Julienne-Cut

Details

Adapted from veganyackattack.com

Preparation

Step 1

Instructions
Pizza Crust & Assembly
Stir the sugar and active dry yeast into the warm water until it dissolves. Set aside and let it rise for 12-25 minutes.
Sift the dry ingredients together in a large bowl. Once the yeast is ready, pour it into the bowl, along with the olive oil. Knead the dough on a surface dusted with flour, for 3 minutes.
Place the dough ball in an oiled bowl, cover with a damp cloth, for 30 minutes.
(Start on the mac 'n' cheese and marinara)
Preheat oven for 425ºF.
Take the raised dough and knead for another 1-2 minutes. Roll out flat, to about ¼” thick; then carefully stretch the dough out with your hands until it is about 14″ wide.
Press the dough into a 9" springform pan that has a light coating of oil, and bake for 5 minutes. Keep an eye on the crust to make sure that no large air bubbles form. If they do, carefully poke them with a knife.
Take the crust out of the oven, spread the mozzarella mac out over the bottom, layer the toppings and end with the marinara sauce and brush a little olive oil onto the crust. Bake for an additional 18-20 minutes.
Once the crust is nice and golden, let the pizza cool for a couple of minutes and take off the springform wall.
Slice with a sharp knife and serve!
Mozzarella Mac
Cook the pasta according to the package instructions, drain and then rinse in cool water.
Puree the Daiya shreds, cashews, and vegetable broth in a blender until completely smooth. Seriously, suuuper smooth.
Place the pasta back in a pot over low-medium heat and stir in the mozzarella mixture. Cook for 5 minutes, then set aside until the crust is baked.
Marinara
Place all of the ingredients into a small pan over medium heat. Stir until evenly combined and simmer for 3-5 minutes to thicken slightly.
Take off of heat and set aside until ready to use.