Almond pesto pizza with balsamic-glazed portobellos and cherry tomatoes

Rich, homemade pesto, with sweet and tangy balsamic-glazed portobellos are definitely one of my new favourite pizza topping combos. This dish really proves that all you need are a few quality ingredients to make an incredibly fresh and feel-good meal. Serve this with an arugula salad and something sparkling, and you're all set for a simple and delicious summertime bite!
This recipe is vegan, refined sugar free, and can be made gluten free.
If you make this recipe and want to show off on IG, you can tag me, @gardentotableblog.ca!
Serves 2
Ready in 45 minutes
Ingredients
Almond pesto
1/4 cup raw almonds
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 clove garlic
1 cup fresh basil, loosely packed
1 cup fresh spinach, loosely packed
juice of 1/2 a lemon
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon cracked black pepper
Balsamic-glazed portobellos
2 large portobello mushroom caps, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon avocado oil
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
& 2 personal sized pre-baked pizza crusts (GF if desired)
& 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
& 1/4 cup fresh basil
& 1 tablespoon hemp hearts
Instructions
Preheat oven to 400 F
In a large frying pan, heat avocado oil over medium heat. Add the mushrooms and cook for a few minutes on each side, until they brown and gain colour. Add salt after they have browned. Then, add the balsamic, and continuously toss to coat, for about 2 minutes. Take the pan off the heat and set it aside
Prepare the pesto by pulsing all pesto ingredients together in the food processor, until mostly smooth, and even in texture
Once mushrooms have slightly cooled, assemble the pizza by spreading 3/4 of the pesto onto the crusts in an even layer. Then, add mushrooms, and cherry tomatoes. Bake for 12-15 minutes, until crust is golden
Serve with remaining 1/4 of the pesto scattered on top
Garnish with fresh basil and a sprinkle of hemp hearts
Remember
I recommend reserving 1/4 of the pesto to serve fresh because it adds extra fresh flavour. But, you can add it all to the crust to bake if you like
I used naan bread as my pizza crust. You could use a sprouted grain pita, or a gluten free crust if you like!