Vegan pizza is the best type of pizza! With toppings like meatless meatballs, roasted red peppers, pepperoncini, spinach, and dairy-free mozzarella, The Vegan Metro is the ultimate pie for pizza night! Grab a slice and chow down. This recipe is easy to make and it'll please even the pickiest of eaters.
Vegan Pizza (Or is it?)
Years ago I used to frequent a restaurant call Café Metro at lunchtime. It was near the company I worked for at the time, and they had vegan, vegetarian, and omnivore dishes, so there was something for everyone.
Dennis and I had our second date there, and since we worked near each other, we would often meet for lunch dates, too. I loved the Hummus Veggie Wrap and the Vegetable Stir-Fry made with tofu, while his favorite was the Meatless Meatball Hero. One of our shared favorite dishes was the Metro Vegetarian Pizza, which was made with vegetarian meatballs, roasted red peppers, hot peppers, and mozzarella. Vegan mozzarella could be substituted for dairy cheese at no extra charge.
One day we were dining at Café Metro for dinner, and we decided to split a salad and our favorite pizza. The waitress asked if we were vegan, since were ordering the dairy-free cheese. She said she was vegan, too, and she wanted to let us know that the meatless meatballs contained dairy. Why had no one else told us that all of the previous times we had ordered it?! We settled on a pizza topped with vegetables, and we found ourselves frequenting the restaurant less and less. I can’t remember the last time I ate there.
Homemade Vegan Metro Pizza
We started making our own version of the Metro Pizza, adding spinach and olives, and using meatballs that we know are truly vegan. With the combination of creamy dairy-free mozzarella, hearty meatless meatballs, and veggies, this is one of my favorite pizzas. We make it often, and we occasionally vary the toppings slightly, but always with the Metro as our inspiration.
How to Make Vegan Pizza
This pizza is so easy to make!
- First you preheat your oven to 450°, and youplace the prepared pizza crust on a pizza pan or pizza stone.
- Next you cut each vegan meatball into 3 or 4 slices. If you’re making homemade meatballs, shape them into flat disks rather than round balls.
- Now you add one teaspoon of oil to a pan over medium-high heat and cook the meatballs until they’ve browned on each side, about 2 minutes each side. Remove them from the heat and set aside.
- Then you add the remaining teaspoon of oil to the same pan, and add the spinach and garlic. You cook them until the garlic wilts, about 2 more minutes.
- To prepare your pizza, spread the tomato sauce on the crust, and then distribute the spinach evenly top of it. Then add the cheese, meatball slices, roasted red peppers, olives, and pepperoncini peppers, distributing everything evenly.
- You cook your pizza for 12-15 minutes, until the crust is golden and the cheese has melted.
- Finally, you slice your pizza into 8 equal pieces.
Pizza Dough
Although I do have a pizza dough recipe in my cookbook Eating Vegan, I rarely make my own crust. Most grocery stores have premade whole grain dough, so I just pick up with I'm shopping. A lot of pizzerias will sell their dough if you ask.
You can also use a pre-made crust if you don't want to deal with dough. I've made with with Trader Joe's cauliflower crust and Whole Foods' 365 Thin and Crispy Rustic Wheat Crust.
Meatless Meatballs
I often make this pie with Gardein’s Meatless Meatballs or Trader Joe's Meatless Meatballs. I also like to use Upton's Italian Seitan.
If you’d like to make you own meatballs, give Laura Theodore’s Wheatballs a try. I also have a beanball recipe in my book The Truly Healthy Vegan Cookbook.
Dairy-Free Mozzarella Cheese
Myioko’s Kitchen’s Fresh VeganMozz is my favorite vegan mozzarella, but Follow Your Heart, Daiya, and Violife also have great cheeses.
If you want to try your hand at making your own vegan cheese, try Somer McCowan’s Moxarella Cheese. I also have a vegan Mozzarella recipe in my cookbook Eating Vegan.
The Vegan Metro Pizza
Ingredients
- 1 15-inch prepared pizza crust
- 2 cups vegan meatballs (about 5 or 6)
- 2 teaspoons neutral-flavored vegetable oil
- 5 ounces baby spinach, arugula, or baby kale coarsely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 cup tomato sauce or more to taste
- ½ cup dairy-free mozzarella cheese sliced or shredded
- ½ cup roasted red peppers chopped
- ¼ cup olives sliced
- ¼ cup pepperoncini peppers chopped
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 450°. Place the prepared pizza crust on a pizza pan or pizza stone.
- Cut each vegan meatball into 3 or 4 slices. If you’re making homemade meatballs, shape them into flat disks rather than round balls.
- Add one teaspoon of oil to a pan over medium-high heat and cook the meatballs until they’ve browned on each side, about 2 minutes each side. Remove them from the heat and set aside.
- Add the remaining teaspoon of oil to the same pan, and add the spinach and garlic. Cook until the garlic wilts, about 2 more minutes.
- To prepare the pizza, spread the tomato sauce on the crust, and then distribute the spinach evenly top of it. Then add the cheese, meatball slices, roasted red peppers, olives, and pepperoncini peppers, distributing everything evenly.
- Cook for 12-15 minutes, until the crust is golden and the cheese has melted. Be careful not to burn the crust.
- Slice into 8 equal pieces.
Originally posted June 8, 2016. Updated March 23, 2022.
More vegan pizza recipes you might enjoy include:
- Brussels Sprouts Pizza
- Peaceful Potato, Pesto, and Arugula Pizza
- Kale and Sweet Potato Pizza
- Green and White Pizza
Becky Striepe
Oh my goodness, this looks like my kind of pizza!
Dianne
Thank you, Becky!
Cadry
Oh, it's such a bummer when it happens that you've eaten something again and again at a restaurant and only find out later that the servers either didn't know or weren't being upfront with you that it wasn't vegan. I've had that happen a couple of times at Thai restaurants where I later learned than they always use pre-made chili pastes that include fish. I'm glad someone finally told me, but it's very annoying since I always tell them, "No fish sauce, no oyster sauce." Obviously that means I don't want it anywhere in the dish. Like you, I inevitably frequent those places less and less, because I no longer have faith that I can believe them.
At any rate, that looks like one delicious pizza! I would be all over that. 🙂
Dianne
Ugh. I'm pretty sure all vegans have a story like that. So frustrating!