Well today is Day 7 of VeganMoFo and the prompt is to make a vegan quiche. However, I’m not a big fan of quiche and haven’t ever found a vegan one that worked all that well (I’m looking forward to seeing what everyone else shares so maybe that statement will be a thing of the past!), so I don’t have a quiche recipe for you. Instead, I have an alternative, a veganized recipe of something from my childhood that was crusted, “eggy,” and cheesy, much like a quiche—Pasta Pizza!

I’ve been having a blast veganizing old family recipes, it’s bringing back so many memories and it’s exciting to have foods from my childhood again. Pasta Pizza has been eluding me, however, until now! I’m so excited to share this recipe with you as it was one of our favorites growing up!

And it’s really special, as it was a recipe from my aunt, Diana Thompson, who passed away from breast cancer. She was an absolutely wonderful person, so thoughtful and kind. Before I retired from the fire service, I used to wear a pink Nomex firefighting hood in honor of my aunt.

So, with all the cauliflower and mashed potato crusted pizzas out there, I bring you, Pasta Pizza, the pizza with a cheesy macaroni crust! This isn’t a casserole, no—not pizza mac—it’s pizza!

Here’s how it’s done:

Cook 2 cups of macaroni pasta as directed on the package and drain well. You could use whole grain or gluten-free pasta for this too. The macaroni shape is nice because it isn’t too big and kind of interlocks together.

While your pasta is cooking, you’ll make a custard of sorts, which substitutes for the eggs used in the original recipe. In a blender, combine silken tofu, chickpea (garbanzo bean) flour, nutritional yeast, cornstarch, kala namak (Indian black salt), and turmeric. Kala namak is a sulfur salt which gives things an eggy taste and smell. It’s not Hawaiian black salt, but Indian black salt that you can find at Indian markets or online.

Note, if you have trouble finding garbanzo bean flour, you can actually make it in your Vitamix by blending dried garbanzo beans on high until they are pulverized into flour! It’s a great way to get garbanzo bean flour without plastic packaging.

Mix the drained pasta, some grated vegan cheese (I use Chao Original Creamy because it melts well. It only comes in slices, but I keep the slices all together in a stack and grate it with a grater.), and finely chopped sweet onion and then pour onto a cooking sheet or pizza pan lined with a silicone baking sheet or parchment paper. The liner is important so that it doesn’t stick to the pan! Spread the crust mixture evenly, about a half-inch thick, without any gaps. It doesn’t fill my whole baking sheet, which is okay, because it keeps to together while baking just fine and makes it easy to lift piece of pizza out with a spatula later.

Bake this on the lowest rack of your oven, at 375˚F for 25 minutes. Baking this low helps brown up the bottom of the crust and hold everything together. You’ll actually be able to eat slices of this pizza with your hands!

Here is the par-cooked crust after 25 minutes.

Next spread pizza sauce over the top.

Add grated cheese, if you want cheese, and your favorite pizza toppings (I used mushrooms, yellow summer squash, green bell peppers, and sweet onion),  and top with a little more cheese. Olives and cooked vegan sausage would be superb as well. Pop this back into the oven for 12-15 minutes until bubbly. If you’re having trouble getting your vegan cheese to melt, you can put the finished pizza under the broiler to help it along.

Cut your finished pizza into squares. Be careful not to cut your silicone baking mat, I use a spatula or bench scraper, which cuts it just fine without damaging the mat. Sprinkle with red pepper flake, if desired, and devour!

It. Is. So. Good!

I think my mom nearly cried when I sent this veganized Pasta Pizza recipe to her! We all really loved this dish and have missed it. I’m excited to make it with the grandkids, as they love to make pizza and this is a super recipe to make with kids. Give it a try and let me know what you think!

And a reminder of my giveaway!

Fast & Easy Vegan Cookbook Giveaway

I’ll draw one winner August 21, 2019 for JL Fields’ new , before you can even buy it online or in stores!

You want this cookbook! It brings a new selection of fresh meals to your table, pronto! From one-pot to pressure cooker, choose your favorite cooking method―without being held hostage for hours in your kitchen. It includes 100 quick and tasty vegan recipes, plus tips for ingredient substitution and other easy customizations, and handy labels for gluten-free, nut-free, oil-free, or soy-free diets.

So hurry and enter by August 20th. Open to U.S. residents only.

JL Fields Fast and Easy Cookbook Giveaway

You can also pre-order the book or order it after the contest is over on Amazon.