This vegetarian pizza is quick, simple and delicious, and it’s really easy to adapt for those with dietary restrictions: leave the cheese out for a vegan version (or use vegan cheese) or make it with a gluten free crust for a gluten free pizza.
As I mentioned in my Vegan Chickpea Cauliflower Ajvar Stew post, Ajvar (or Ayvar) relish is a condiment from the Balkans, made from mainly red bell and hot peppers. It is a really versatile ingredient, and we use it in tons of ways – one new favorite is this pizza that I came up with when we were in Sweden last summer.
I chose to add cheese to this particular pizza because we had some in the fridge that my brother had left after a visit, and I thought it would be really good on it (it was), but it’s just as delicious without it.
As I also mentioned in the Ajvar Stew post, I am allergic to eggplant and can’t eat the Ajvar they sell at my Whole Foods. But the Ajvar from my new favorite brand, Granny’s Secret, is eggplant-free (and delicious!) and so far, the only place I have found that sells it here in the US is Parthenon Foods.
I used pre-made crusts to make things easier and faster, but you could of course make this with homemade or bought pizza dough as well.
Ingredients
- 1 large or 2 individual pizza crusts
- 2-3 Tomatoes
- ¼ cup Black olives
- ½ jar Ajvar hot
- ½ jar Ajvar mild
- Cheese (if using)
- Fresh basil
- Salt
- Black pepper
- Lettuce
Instructions
- Slice the tomatoes semi-thinly. If they are very watery or have a lot of seeds, get rid of some of that so that the pizza doesn’t get soggy.*
- Cut the olives in half.
- Mix the mild and hot Ajvar together and spread all over the pizza crust (like pizza sauce).
- Add tomatoes and olives (and cheese if using).
- Bake the pizza according to the instructions for the crust.
- When ready, cut into slices, top with lots of fresh basil and serve with lettuce on the side.
- Put out salt and pepper for those who like to add that (I added lots of fresh ground black pepper to mine).
Notes
*If you’re shopping specifically for this recipe, you might want to buy Roma or other low-seed tomatoes - that saves you the step of having to cut out the middles of the slices.
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