This vegan Mexican pizza is loaded with refried beans, tempeh taco “meat,” salsa, sweet potato queso, avocado, tomato, and lettuce! It’s a fun way to combine your love of Italian and Mexican cuisines.

Who’s happy that September is here? Pandemic stresses notwithstanding (I can only imagine how challenging the start of the school year must be), September is my favourite month. For me, this quote by Eleanor Perenyi sums it up quite well: “September is the time to begin again. On that first autumn evening, I always felt that my season of good luck had come.” I think a lot of it has to do with how much I loved school as a kid, and September brings up that familiar nostalgic feeling of the excitement of the first day of school.

Cooler days and longer nights also bring a general sense of peace and balance to my being, so it goes without saying that I adore the autumn months. Add to the shift in weather and day length the fall harvest and the desire to spend more time gathered in our kitchens and around our tables, and I am one happy gal.

For as long as I can remember, we have had a Friday night pizza tradition in our house. When my brother and I were in elementary school, we had a weekly paper route. We would hurry home from school on Friday and get the paper route done as quickly as possible, then settle in for an evening of homemade pizza and The Red Green Show.

While I can’t say that I continued that tradition while I was living away from home, we’ve revived our weekly pizza nights since I’ve been back. This vegan Mexican pizza is a recent creation, inspired by the ‘A Toda Madre’ pizza in the Earls Restaurant Cookbook. I never would have thought to make this kind of a pizza without that inspiration, so I want to give a big thank you to the chefs at Earls for the idea!

This pizza consists of a layer of refried beans; tempeh “meat,” salsa, avocado, lettuce, tomato, and sweet potato tahini queso sauce. All in all, it’s a delicious fusion of pizza and nachos!

INGREDIENTS YOU NEED FOR THIS PIZZA

FOR THE PIZZA DOUGH: Dry active yeast, water, maple syrup, olive oil, spelt flour, and sea salt.
FOR THE REFRIED BEANS: Olive oil, onion, garlic, sea salt, pepper, cumin, coriander, cayenne, black beans, lime juice, tamari, and cilantro.
FOR THE TEMPEH “MEAT”: Olive oil, crumbled tempeh, cumin, chili powder, oregano, smoked paprika, Worcestershire sauce, and barbecue sauce.
FOR THE SWEET POTATO TAHINI SAUCE: Sweet potatoes, water, tahini, nutritional yeast, lemon juice, dijon mustard, garlic, sea salt, and pepper.
FOR EVERYTHING ELSE: Diced avocado, shredded romaine lettuce, cherry tomatoes, and salsa.

STEP BY STEP INSTRUCTIONS

MAKE THE PIZZA DOUGH: Pour hot water into a bowl. Add maple syrup and yeast. Once the mixture develops a frothy layer, it’s ready. In a large bowl, mix together the flour and salt. Make a well in the centre and pour the yeast mixture in, followed by the olive oil. Stir to incorporate, then turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for a few minutes, adding more water as needed, to form an elastic, springy dough. Place in a clean, lightly greased bowl and cover with a towel. Let the dough rise for one hour, or until doubled in bulk.
MAKE THE REFRIED BEANS: Warm the oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, and a pinch of salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, for five minutes, until lightly browned. Mix in the pepper, cumin, coriander, cayenne, and another pinch of salt. Cook for a couple more minutes. Next, add the black beans. Using a potato masher, mash the beans into a coarse paste. Finally, stir in the lime juice, tamari, and cilantro. Cook, stirring often, for about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.
MAKE THE TEMPEH “MEAT”: Warm the oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the crumbled tempeh, cumin, chili powder, oregano, smoked paprika, Worcestershire sauce, and barbecue sauce. Cook until all of the liquid has been absorbed and the tempeh is evenly browned. Remove from the heat and set aside.
MAKE THE SWEET POTATO TAHINI CHEESE SAUCE: Steam the sweet potatoes until tender. In an upright blender, combine the sweet potatoes, water, tahini, nutritional yeast, lemon juice, dijon mustard, garlic, sea salt, and pepper. Blend until smooth and transfer to a jar or container.
Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F. If using pizza stones, place the stones in the oven as it’s heating up.
Punch down the dough and knead it a few times on a lightly floured surface. Divide it into two equal balls. On a lightly floured sheet of parchment paper, roll or stretch each ball out into a 12-inch circle or oval depending on the shape of your pans and transfer, parchment paper and all, to the hot stones. Spread the refried beans out in an even layer over the dough, leaving a small border around the edges. Sprinkle the tempeh over top.
Bake the pizzas for 10-15 minutes, or until the crust is browned and crispy.
Let the pizzas cool slightly before topping with avocado, lettuce, tomato, salsa, and sweet potato cheese sauce. Slice and serve.

MORE HEALTHY PIZZA RECIPES!

I hope you get a chance to try this vegan Mexican pizza soon! It’s definitely a project, but a rewarding one at that. 🙂 If you make it, let me know how you enjoyed it by leaving a comment and rating below the post. And if you post a photo to Instagram, tag @upbeet.kitchen and #upbeetkitchen so that I can see your amazing creations!

Enjoy!!