Red Onion, Mushroom, and Baby Kale Pizza

Filling and flavorful, this red onion, mushroom, and baby kale pizza departs only slightly from tradition with a companionable trio of vegetable toppings. Satisfying and full of flavor, this vegan pizza goes down easy, so double the recipe if you’re feeding a hungry group.

Baby kale is one of the more recent entries into the array of convenient baby greens — you’ll find it shelved with baby spinach and mixed salad greens.

Or, swap in regular kale: Of course, feel free to substitute curly or lacinato kale (stemmed and chopped into bite-sized pieces) if that’s what you’ve got on hand.

Because the raw kale gets tossed onto the hot pizza at the last minute, you  may want to massage it with a little olive oil to break it down a bit.

Ingredients for this pizza

• Extra-virgin olive oil
• Red onion
• Garlic
• Cremini (baby bella) mushrooms
• Marinara or pizza sauce
• Pizza crust or two large flatbread pizza crusts (see note on crust options, following)
• Vegan mozzarella or pepper jack shreds (or a combination)
• Baby kale leaves (or lacinato or curly kale if unavailable)
  Dried hot pepper flakes for topping (optional)

Pizza crust options

If, like me, you go for the convenience rather than making it from scratch, use your favorite prepared crust. If you’re less lazy than I, your favorite made-from-scratch crust. Here’s our Whole Wheat or Spelt Pizza Crust.

For this recipe, you can use one 12- to 14-inch round crust or two large rectangular flatbread crusts (about 12 by 6 inches each). A whole-grain of either variety is a nice option. If you’re doubling the recipe, double the crust as well, of course.

Explore more …

• Creative Vegan Pizza Recipes
• Caramelized Onion Pizza with Shiitake “Bacon”
• Cremini Mushroom Recipes
•  Vegan Kale Recipes

Photos by Hannah Kaminsky, BittersweetBlog.com.

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Yield: 6

Red Onion, Mushroom, and Kale Pizza

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Filling and flavorful, this red onion, mushroom, and kale pizza departs only slightly from tradition with a companionable trio of vegetable toppings. Double the recipe for a hungry crowd!

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

Total Time 25 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 medium red onion, quartered and thinly sliced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced, optional
• 1 cup cremini (baby bella) mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
• 1/2 cup marinara or pizza sauce, more or less as needed
• One 12-to 14-inch pizza crust or two large flatbread pizza crusts (see Notes following recipe box)
• 1 to 1 1/2 cups vegan mozzarella or pepper jack shreds, or a combination

• A big handful or two of rinsed and dried baby kale leaves (see Note)
• Dried hot pepper flakes for topping, optional

Instructions

1. Begin to heat the oven to the temperature suggested on the packaging of the crust you’re using. Usually, it’s 425º F or 450º F.
2. Heat the oil or broth in a medium skillet. Add the onion and optional garlic and sauté over medium-low heat until golden. 
3. Add the mushrooms and continue to sauté until they wilt slightly.
4. Spread the marinara or pizza sauce over the surface of the crust (use a little less if using a thin crust, and a bit more if using a thicker crust. Sprinkle the vegan cheese on evenly (using more or less cheese, depending on how cheesy you like your pizza), followed by the onion-mushroom mixture.
5. Refer to the packaging from the crust to see what the recommended baking method is — on a pan, a pizza stone, or right on the oven’s shelves. 
6. Bake in the fully heated oven until the cheese is well melted and crust is golden brown on the bottom. Once again, refer to the packaging from the crust to get a sense of recommended time. Remember that each oven is a bit different so keep your eyes on out don’t let it burn! 
7. Once the pizza is just about done, take it out of the oven and spread a handful or two of baby kale over the surface. Return to the oven for just a minute or so, until it wilts.
8. Remove from the oven, let stand for a minute or two, then cut into 6 wedges or sections to serve.

Notes

As mentioned in the headnote, feel free to use curly or lacinato kale if you already have some on hand or baby kale is unavailable. Two to four leaves, depending on their size (and how much you love kale!) will do. Stem and chop into bite-sized pieces; rinse and dry. With a little olive oil on your palms, massage the kale for about 30 seconds.

See more delicious vegan pizzas.