I've never met a person who didn't like pizza. It's basically the great uniter as far as food is concerned.
Oddly, some of my most vivid childhood memories revolve around it: saving up my "Book-It" reading coupons to earn a free personal pan from Pizza Hut (cheese and sausage!); visiting the mall with my family, specifically to devour delicious pizza-by-the-slice at Luca's (from the guy who always pretended to add anchovies - ick!); and drooling over "pizza night," when we made individual pizzas on Pillsbury dough crust (cheese, sausage, black olives!), just they way we liked 'em.
Ahhh... pizza. The perfect food.
But what's a good pizza without a good sauce? For this girl, nothin'. Especially since becoming a vegan, I've noticed that sauce is immensely important on a pizza - even more so if you forego vegan cheese all together, as I do.
That's where my Super Easy No-Cook Pizza Sauce comes in. Yea, you could reach for the jarred stuff, but who wants all of that high fructose corn syrup? On the other hand, who wants to stand over a hot stove for 3 hours, cooking an elaborate sauce from scratch?
Problem solved: make this recipe. It's surprisingly tasty considering the minimal amount of work that goes into it, and you can obviously doctor it up (more garlic, less thyme, etc.) any way you want.
Now, go forth and enjoy creating your own pizza memories...
Recipe: Super Easy No-Cook Pizza Sauce
1 14oz. can diced tomatoes
1 6oz. can tomato paste
1 clove garlic
2 Tbsp. olive oil
2 tsp. sugar
1 1/2 tsp. dried oregano
1 tsp. thyme
1/2 tsp. salt
8 basil leaves, fresh
1.) Add ingredients to a food processor & process until smooth. Use immediately, or store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
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Yes! I have fond memories of going to Pizza Hut with my "Book It" coupons too. The sauce sounds yummy.
ReplyDelete@Laura That's so awesome! I'm glad I'm not the only one old enough to remember the "Book-It" program. Thanks for making my day :)
DeleteThat does sound easy! I guess it makes sense that you don't need to cook it beforehand- you are just about to stick it in the oven after all. This pizza looks so good!
ReplyDelete@T Thanks, girlie! The pizza was definitely delicious. For me, the trick is to restrain yourself a bit & not go too crazy w/ the amount of toppings (which is often easier said than done!)... And you're completely right about the sauce; the oven cooks it up just fine :)
DeleteI have a lot of childhood memories around pizza, too. Good stuff, it is! Thanks for your sauce recipe, I make a similar no cook one, but I just use tomato sauce, instead of paste and diced tomatoes, plus I add nooch and fresh parsley. I'll have to give yours a go next time.
ReplyDeleteThanks for posting on my blog, too. I just now discovered yours and will be following you.
xo
kittee
I love the idea of tomato paste, nooch, and fresh parsley! It couldn't get easier, which is definitely a good thing in my book. Plus, nutritional yeast is always a fantastic addition. To just about anything... :)
DeleteI never liked Pizza Hut's super greasy pizza, but I LOVED Book It! This life-long bookworm preferred Round Table as a child (too bad it's not vegan). I don't often make pizza at home, but I do love having the option and appreciate your lovely sauce for when my next homemade vegan pizza craving hits!
ReplyDeleteYou're completely right about Pizza Hut's pizza being super-greasy, but it still didn't stop me! Ick. Anyway, I'm so glad to hear that you loved Book It, too! It was such a great program. Sometimes I wish I still received a tiny little sticker each time I completed a book. Those were the days... Hope you enjoy the pizza sauce if/when you try it!
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