Gluten-Free Mini Vegan Pizza Pockets With Spinach & Almond Cheese

Whether it's family game night, you have friends coming over for appetizers, or you just need to prep something fun for workweek lunches, these vegan pizza bites bring the taste and pack some greens. Spinach is my favorite vegetable to cook with as it drastically shrinks in volume making it easy to hide in dishes for the little ones. This vegan pizza recipe is also made easier by starting with a store-bought gluten-free pizza dough if you don't feel like making one from scratch--so you're closer than you think to a plant-based pizza night!

Vegan and Gluten Free Mini Veggie Pizza Bites

Gluten-Free Mini Vegan Pizza Pockets With Spinach & Almond Cheese

Recipe Type: Appetizers

YIELDS 12-16 mini vegan pizza pockets

PREP TIME 01 hour 10 min

COOK TIME 15 min

TOTAL TIME 01 hour 25 min

1 1/2 cups Water
1 cup Almonds
1 cup Shredded Nut Cheese
1 teaspoon Dried Basil
1 teaspoon Dried Oregano
2 minced cloves Garlic
3 Tablespoons Olive Oil
1 1/2-2 cups Marinara Sauce
1 Gluten Free Pizza Dough
2 Generous Handfuls Spinach

Directions

1. Soak the almonds in water for 1 hour.

2. Shortly before the almonds are finished soaking, add 2 tablespoons of olive oil to a skillet on medium heat.

3. Once heated, add the garlic cloves and stir until fragrant, approximately 30-60 seconds.

4. Add the handfuls of spinach and sauté until significantly shrunk in volume, approximately 60-90 seconds. Remove from heat and set aside.

5. Drain the almonds and place in a high powered blender. Add 1/4 cup of water and blend. If the almonds look very crumbly, add another 1/4 cup of water until the almond mixture smooths to a texture similar to ricotta cheese.

6. Place the blended almonds in a bowl and add in the shredded nut cheese, basil, oregano and the spinach and garlic. Be sure to scrape all of the sauté oil from the pan into the bowl. Mix until all ingredients are incorporated.

7. Pre-heat the oven to 475°F (make sure to read the instructions on your store-bought dough in case they should differ). Spray a baking sheet with non-stick cooking spray.

8. Roll out the pizza dough and cut into 12-16 pieces. Don’t worry about the pieces being the same shape and size.

9. Spoon a small amount of marinara sauce onto each individual piece of dough, followed by a spoon of the nut cheese mixture, and fold over the piece of dough to seal each mini pocket. Some sauce and nut cheese mixture may ooze out of the pickets as you close them–no worries!

10. Take the remaining tablespoon of olive oil and brush a small amount on top of each pocket.

11. Bake in the oven for 12-15 minutes (or according to your pizza dough’s baking instructions).

12. Remove from the oven, allow to cool for a few minutes, and serve with extra marinara sauce for dipping. Enjoy vegan pizza night!

Also by Colette: Vegan General Tso’s “Chicken”

Vegan Butternut Squash & Fig Naan Pizza

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Photos: Colette Goguen