Look carefully at the pictures… can you spot what’s ‘missing’ from the pizza? That’s right – this is a cheese-less pizza, but an extremely tasty one! I posted pictures on my Instagram feed of a couple of pizzas I made during Veganuary and had requests for recipes, so, (two months later), here you go.

The key to a perfect pizza without cheese is to pack it with flavour and texture. I steer clear of soft toppings like mushrooms, grilled peppers, artichokes etc which melt in the mouth, (a mushy-topped pizza won’t cut the mustard), and instead go for crispy and crunchy toppings which will do the same job as a crispy cheese crust.

Similarly, it is really important to pack flavours on to the pizza, so I usually add sun-dried tomatoes which replace the saltiness of cheese, along with plenty of fresh chillis, (seeds and all, though how spicy you go is up to you!), oregano, black pepper and extra virgin olive oil.

For toppings, I’ve used curly kale, (which has just enough time to roast and crisp up in the oven), as does purple sprouting broccoli, then roughly chopped hazelnuts, (which add both crunch and protein), and chilli. For the base I usually use passata with added garlic, (see below), with sliced red onion scattered over, but if you don’t have any to hand either plain passata or even a jar of pasta sauce would also do a great job.

Print Broccoli, Kale, Chilli & Hazelnut Pizza (Vegan) Prep Time 1 hr Cook Time 12 mins Total Time 1 hr 12 mins Course: Main Cuisine: Italian Servings : 2 large pizzas Author : Kate Ford | The Veg Space Ingredients 500 g Wholemeal Bread Mix

200 ml Passata with Garlic

1 red onion, peeled and finely sliced

6 sun-dried tomatoes, roughly chopped

75 g fresh curly kale, woody stalks removed and leaves roughly chopped

6-8 stalks purple sprouting broccoli, lower half of stalks removed

1 red chilli, finely sliced

handful hazelnuts, roughly chopped

dried oregano

black pepper

extra virgin olive oil Instructions Make up the bread mix according to packet instructions. Knead and leave to rise in a warm place for c.45 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare the toppings and preheat the oven to 200°C / 400°F / Gas Mark 6. If you are using a pizza stone, put it in the oven now. (Check whether your oven has a special pizza setting - many do, and it makes a huge difference). Turn the dough out onto a floured surface, and divide into two. Knead each section into a round-ish ball, then roll out into a 30cm circle with a rolling pin. When all the toppings are ready, and the oven has reached full temperature, remove the pizza stone from the oven, (or lightly oil a baking tray), place the dough on the stone/tray, top with half the passata, then onion, kale, broccoli, chilli and hazelnuts, then sprinkle with oregano and black pepper, and finally drizzle with olive oil. Repeat for the second pizza. Bake for 8-10 minutes until toppings are turning brown and the base is cooked throughout.

Products Featured in this Post:

Pizza Stone from Judge Cookware Using a good quality pizza stone has made such a huge difference to my homemade pizzas, compared to my old perforated pizza baking tray. A pizza stone heats up as you warm the oven, so by the time you put the dough on it is really hot and starts to cook the base immediately – no more soggy bottoms! Perfect pizza every time, and if you bring it to the table on the wire rack included, it keeps the pizza hot whilst you’re serving and eating. Can’t recommend these highly enough. £19.89 from Amazon Pizza Wheel from Stellar Cookware As mentioned in my February Review Roundup, I’m a sucker for copper kitchenware, and this gorgeous pizza wheel from Stellar is no exception. Pleasingly heavy, this feels really sturdy and good quality, and glides through even the toughest pizza crust like a knife through butter. £7.99 from Amazon Pizza Slice Plates from Harbour Living I love these plates, perfect for sharing a large pizza, (and making sure everyone takes just one slice at a time!!)

I’m linking this post with a few blogging challenges:

Disclosure: I was sent these products to review. There was no expectation of a positive review – all opinions are my own. Amazon links above are affiliate links – I will earn a small commission if you order the products via these links, at no extra cost to you. Thanks for your support!