This pizza is great cooked on the grill outdoors when it is too hot to turn on the oven. It is filling without the heavy brick-in–the-stomach feeling that most pizzas leave you with. For a quick alternative to homemade polenta, buy premade polenta available in most grocery stores. It comes in a log shape and can be sliced and topped to make individual pizzettes.

Makes two 9-inch pizzas

Ingredients 

4 cups cold water

1 cup cornmeal or polenta *

2 large Yukon Gold potatoes, thinly sliced  

2 medium yellow onions, peeled and diced  

1 cup Basil Pesto, recipe follows  

¼ cup nutritional yeast, optional  

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste  

*You can use masa harina to make polenta. It acts in much the same way as instant polenta. You will need to use 2 cups of masa instead of 1 cup called for above., and you only need to cook it for a minute until it thickens.

Instructions

1. Add the water and cornmeal to a saucepan and bring to a gentle boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally.
2. Once the mixture starts to boil, cook, stirring frequently, until it thickens. Season with salt and divide the polenta between two non-stick pizza pans.
3. Place the two polenta crusts in the refrigerator and chill until set.
4. While the crusts chill, steam the potatoes in a double boiler or steamer basket over medium heat until tender. Set aside and let cool.
5.  Place the onions in a medium saucepan and sauté over medium heat for 15 minutes, or until well browned. Add water 1 to 2 tablespoons at a time, as needed to keep the onions from sticking to the pan. Remove from the heat and set aside.  
6. Preheat the oven to 425°F.  
7. Divide the pesto in half and spread over each of the two pans of polenta. 
8. Arrange the potatoes over the pesto, top with the caramelized onions, and sprinkle with the nutritional yeast if desired. Season with salt and pepper. 
9. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes. Let sit for 10 minutes before serving. 

Basil Pesto 

Makes about 1 cup

Ingredients

2 cups packed basil or arugula 

¼ cup pine nuts, toasted  

4 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped 

2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice 

Salt to taste 

½ package extra firm silken tofu (about 6 ounces), drained 

3 tablespoons nutritional yeast, optional 

Directions

Combine the basil, pine nuts, garlic, lemon juice, salt, tofu, and nutritional yeast (if using) in the bowl of a food processor and puree until smooth and creamy.