Garlicky goodness of roasted garlic in a vegan parmesan bechamel sauce topped with vegan mozzarella, sautéed spinach, plant-based and chick'n makes for a decadent pizza night. Usually I use soy curls as chick'n but recently found Abott's plant-based chopped chick'n and decided to try it. *If you don't want to make roasted garlic, just use 3 cloves of fresh minced garlic instead.
INGREDIENTS
Premade pizza dough or homemade pizza dough
Olive oil
1 small bulb of garlic
6 cups baby spinach
2 Tbsp plant-based butter
1 Tbsp all-purpose flour
1 1/4 cup plant-based milk, hot
1 cup vegan parmesan cheese, shredded
5 oz plant-based chick'n
7 oz vegan mozzarella cheese, shredded
1/4 tsp red chili flakes
DIRECTIONS
1. Prepare the dough or use store bought dough. If using Roasting Pan method add 2 Tbsp olive oil to a roasting pan. Place dough into pan and turn over to coat evenly with oil. Press dough flattening it slightly. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and let dough sit at room temperature for 2 hours to rise.
2. Prepare roasted garlic by preheating oven to 400°F. Peel and discard the papery outer layers of the whole garlic bulb. Slice 1/4 to a 1/2 inch from the top of cloves to expose individual garlic cloves. Place bulb onto a piece of foil paper then drizzle 1-2 tsp of olive oil over bulb. Fold foil paper over garlic bulb to seal. Bake for 35-40 minutes. Once cooled to touch, squeeze the roasted garlic cloves out of their skins then chop. Increase oven temp to 500°F.
3. While garlic is roasting, place a large skillet over medium-high heat with 2 tsp olive oil. Sauté spinach until wilted, approximately4 to 5 minutes. Place spinach in a colander, pressing liquid out then wrap in a towel to squeeze as much liquid out as possible.
4. Once roasted garlic is ready, melt 2 Tbsp vegan butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add chopped roasted garlic; cook 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Add flour, stirring with a whisk; cook for 1 minute. Gradually add milk, stirring constantly with a whisk. Cook until thick and bubbly. Wisk in vegan parmesan cheese until melted and smooth. Remove from heat and set aside.
5. Toss plant-based chick'n with 1 tsp oil and season with salt and pepper. *or use soy curls directions if preferred.
6.Press dough around pan until it fills in every corner, popping any large bubbles that appear. Lift edge of the dough to let any air bubbles underneath escape if needed, then repeat until there are no air bubbles left and dough is evenly spread around the pan.
7.Assemble pizza by spreading white sauce over pizza dough. Top with shredded vegan mozzarella followed by spinach and plant-based chick'n. Sprinkle red chili flakes and a pinch of salt over pizza.
8. Bake 15 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before using spatula to remove to cutting board.
