It’s National Pizza day! In our opinion this is the best national day there is, so to celebrate we’ve collected our favourite pizza recipes for you to recreate! There’s nothing better than a hand made, artisan baked pizza. And the process is pretty fun too - stick on your favourite songs, light a few candles and pour yourself a glass of wine and enjoy creating something incredibly yummy! Happy cooking!

Caramelized Onion, Bacon and Spinach Pizza

Ingredients

• 1 lb pizza dough homemade or store bought

• 7 slices bacon (7 oz), cooked and chopped

• 3 Tbsp olive oil , divided

• 8 oz baby spinach

• 1 large red onion , sliced 1/4-inch thick slices

• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

• 1 tsp granulated sugar

• 1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar

• 2 Tbsp butter

• 1 large clove garlic

• 2 Tbsp flour

• 3/4 cup milk

• 6 oz low-moisture mozzarella cheese , shredded

• 2 oz parmesan cheese , finely shredded

Instructions

1. Place a pizza stone in oven and preheat oven to 475 degrees.

2. Heat 1 Tbsp olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add spinach and saute just until wilted. Transfer to several layers of paper towels and squeeze some of the excess liquid from spinach, set aside.

3. Add another 1 Tbsp olive oil to skillet and set over medium heat. Add onions, season lightly with salt and saute 10 minutes. Add sugar and cook until they begin to caramelize, about 5 - 10 minutes longer, adding a few tbsp water as needed to prevent them from drying and burning. Stir in balsamic vinegar and cook 1 minute longer, set aside.

4. Shape pizza dough into a 12-inch round over a lightly floured surface, leaving a larger rim around edge of dough for crust. Brush top with remaining 1 Tbsp olive oil and let rest 10 minutes.

5. In a small saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Add flour and garlic and cook, stirring constantly, 1 minute. While whisking, slowly pour milk into flour mixture. Season with salt and pepper to taste and bring mixture just to a boil stirring constantly then remove from heat.

6. Spread white sauce evenly over pizza, leaving crust uncoated. Top with half of the mozzarella and half of the parmesan, then add spinach, bacon and onions. Top with remaining half of the mozzarella and parmesan. Using a pizza peel, transfer pizza to preheated pizza stone and bake in preheated oven 8 - 12 minutes until cheese is melted and crust is golden.

VEGAN CAPRESE PIZZA

Ingredients

• 1 pound multigrain pizza dough (allow it sit at room temperature for 30 minutes before rolling)

• ⅔ cup filtered water

• ½ cup raw cashews*

• 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast

• 1 tablespoon arrowroot powder

• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

• ½ teaspoon sea salt, plus more for seasoning

• 2 tablespoons olive oil

• 2 to 3 cloves garlic, minced (to taste)

• 2 to 3 ripe Roma tomatoes, thinly sliced

• Alessi Balsamic Reduction or Alessi White Balsamic Reduction

• Handful fresh basil leaves, very thinly sliced

• Crushed red pepper flakes (optional)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400F. Line a round, vented pizza pan with parchment paper.

2. Lightly dust a clean work surface with flour, and roll the pizza dough out into a 15-inch circle. Transfer to the lined pizza pan and bake for 7 minutes, or until the bottom is just beginning to set.

3. While the pizza bakes, prepare the cashew mozzarella by adding the filtered water, cashews, nutritional yeast, arrowroot powder, apple cider vinegar, and sea salt to a high-speed blender. Blend on high for 2 minutes, or until completely smooth. Pour the mixture into a saucepan. Turn the heat on medium and whisk constantly for 3 to 5 minutes, or until it just begins to thicken. Do not overheat. Set aside to cool slightly.

4. Brush the top of the par-baked pizza dough with the olive oil and sprinkle with the garlic. Use a tablespoon to drop spoonfuls of the cashew mozzarella across the surface of the pizza. Top with the sliced tomatoes.

5. Return the pizza to the oven and bake for another 8 to 14 minutes, or until desired doneness is reached.

6. Remove from the oven and let cool slightly. Generously drizzle with the Alessi Balsamic Reduction and sprinkle with the fresh basil. If desired, season with sea salt and crushed red pepper flakes.

7. Serve immediately.

balsamic mushroom and goats cheese

INGREDIENTS

• 1/2 pound pizza dough

• 2 tablespoons olive oil

• 8 ounces mixed mushrooms halved if large

• kosher salt and pepper

• 1 tablespoon butter

• 2 cloves garlic minced or grated

• 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

• 1/2 inch of a delicata squash seeded and thinly sliced (about 1/8 thick)

• 4 ounces truffled or regular goat cheese

• 1/2 cup grated fontina cheese

• 1 tablespoon fresh chopped thyme

• flaky sea salt and black pepper

• truffle oil for serving (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Grease a large baking sheet with olive oil.

2. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over high heat. When the oil shimmers, add the mushrooms and season with salt and pepper. Cook until softened, 5 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium. Add the butter and garlic, cook 30 second until fragrant. Add the balsamic and continue cooking 1 minute more or until the balsamic glazes the mushrooms.

3. On a lightly floured surface, push/roll the dough out until it is very thin. Transfer the dough to the prepared baking sheet.

4. Layer the squash rounds in and even layer. Add the mushrooms. Sprinkle over the cheese. Finish with a sprinkle of fresh thyme and salt. Drizzle lightly with truffle oil, if using.

5. Transfer to the oven and bake 10-15 minutes or until the crust is golden, the cheese has melted. Remove the pizza from the oven. Slice and serve!