Friends, today we are going to talk about one of my favorite things, vegetarian cheeseburger pizza! The fresh toppings and ketchup-mustard drizzle make this pizza a fun eating experience!
The question you are asking yourself right now, is what do I use to make the vegetarian burger topping? Lentils! They may seem like a unusual pizza topping, but they work fantastically!
I saute the lentils in some steak seasoning, vegan Worcestershire sauce, and soy sauce and they don’t taste a thing like lentils. Instead they taste a bit like a veggie burger, and make a great burger crumble for this pizza.
I have been perfecting this recipe for a while, trying to find the best combination of healthy ingredients while keeping the flavors spot on. The real issue for this recipe was sodium content.
When I finally decided to skip putting a sauce on the crust, and use tomato slices instead, I reduced the sodium level to something acceptable for a pizza.
Variations to the Vegetarian Cheeseburger Pizza recipe:
- Swap lentils out for another burger topping. Other vegetarian recipes I’ve seen use crumbled tempeh. I decided against using tempeh because you will only need half of the package, and tempeh doesn’t keep well once opened. I’m certain tempeh will still make a tasty alternative if you have a use for that extra half a block.
- Change the toppings to suit your taste buds! Red onion and jalapenos would be excellent additions. Don’t like pickles? Leave them off. The possibilities are endless!
- Check out my whole wheat pizza dough recipe to make your crust!
- ¼ cup brown lentils
- 1 TBS butter
- 1 TBS soy sauce
- ½ TBS vegetarian Worcestershire sauce
- ½ tsp steak seasoning
- 1 whole wheat pizza dough recipe
- 2 tsp olive oil
- 2 medium tomatoes
- 1 large garlic clove, minced
- 1 cup shredded cheddar
- ½ cup shredded mozzarella
- 1 TBS each: ketchup, yellow mustard, and mayo
- ½ cup shredded lettuce
- ¼ cup pickles, diced (from 2 spears)
- Cover the lentils with water in a small pan and bring to a boil on the stove top. Simmer for 15 minutes. Drain.
- Place lentils back in the pan and coarsely mash with the back of a spoon. Add the butter and place the pan over low heat. Stir until the butter is melted, then mix in soy sauce, vegetarian Worcestershire, and steak seasoning. Cook, stirring constantly, until the liquid is absorbed. Set lentils aside.
- Preheat oven with a pizza stone to 450 F.
- Slice both tomatoes into thin ⅛ inch thick pieces. Take half of one tomato and dice. Set the diced tomato aside for the topping.
- Press the pizza dough out into a 12 inch circle on a piece of parchment paper. Brush the dough with olive oil and top with tomato slices and minced garlic. Sprinkle with cheeses and then top with the lentil mixture.
- Transfer to the pizza stone. (The dough can stay on the parchment, and 4 hands will make this easier to stretch the parchment so the pizza doesn't flop. A pizza peel is also an option.)
- Bake on the stone in the preheated oven for 12 minutes. Remove and let cool for 5 minutes.
- Meanwhile, mix together ketchup, mustard, and mayo.
- Sprinkle lettuce, pickles, and reserved tomato over the pizza. Drizzle with the ketchup mixture and slice into 6 or 8 pieces.
Inspired by Cooking Light.
