Lahmacun is one of my favorite Turkish recipes. Usually made with meat, this vegan recipe showcases all of the same bold Mediterranean flavors but made with a hearty vegetable mixture, tangy pomegranate molasses and warm spices. Top the vegan Turkish pizza with sumac onions, lemon and fresh herbs for a fresh pop of flavor.
There are a few varieties of Turkish pizza, such as the more traditional lahmacun that is topped with meat or the long boat shaped style called pide, another of of my favs!
Think of lahmacun as a very thin crust pizza. They are sold all over Istanbul and are great for weeknight cooking. I made this even easier with the help of store bought pizza dough, just be sure to roll it as thin as you can.
Vegan Inspired Turkish Pizza
Traditionally, you'll see lahmacun pressed with a spiced meat mixture and then baked. Instead, I took this version and veganized it with robust mushrooms, peppers and tomatoes and included bold Turkish flavors such as paprika, pomegranate molasses and cumin.
Cook the vegetable mixture and once the dough is rolled out thin, press the mixture onto the dough. If you have a pizza stone, get that nice and hot in the oven and cook the lahmacun right on that. Then once done, top with sumac onions, fresh lemon juice and lots of fresh herbs.
More Turkish Recipes to Try
- Turkish Pide with Two Fillings
- Fasulye (Turkish Green Beans and Meat)
- Savory Turkish Zucchini Pie
- Turkish Sumac Onions
Vegan Turkish Pizza (Lahmacun)
LittleFerraroKitchen.com
Equipment
Ingredients
Turkish Pizza
- 1 shallot finely chopped
- 1 red bell pepper seeded and diced
- 2 cloves of garlic finely chopped
- 1 pound button mushrooms or cremini mushrooms finely chopped in a food processor
- 2 vine tomatoes seeded and chopped into ½ inch cubes
- ½ teaspoon Kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon pomegranate molasses
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- ¼ teaspoon sumac
- Flour for dusting
- 1 pound pizza dough room temperature
Instructions
- Bring a skillet to medium heat and drizzle with olive oil. Add chopped shallot, bell pepper and garlic and saute until peppers and shallots have softened, about 5 minutes.
- If you haven't already, finely chop mushrooms in a food processor or you can chop by hand, just be sure there are no large pieces left. Add chopped mushrooms and stir everything together and saute for another 3-4 minutes. The mushrooms should have darkened in color slightly and softened.
- Add chopped tomatoes and stir everything together. Continue cooking for another 4-5 minutes so tomatoes release their juices and have softened. Season with salt and pepper and give it one more stir.
- Add the smoked paprika, tomato paste, pomegranate molasses, cumin and sumac and stir everything together.
- Continue sauteing for another 2 minutes and the mixture reduces and thickens. Once doen, remove from heat and set aside.
- Meanwhile, pre-heat oven to 500 degrees Fahrenheit and if you have a pizza stone, place that in the oven to get hot.
- Lightly flour your work surface and pizza dough and divide dough into quarters. Roll each piece into a 10 inch diameter and as thing as possible.
- Spoon a quarter of the mixture onto the rolled out dough, bringing it close to the edge in a thin layer. Use the back of a spoon to gently press the mixture into the dough. Continue with the rest of the mixture and dough.
- Place pizzas on a baking stone and cook for 4-5 minutes until edges are crisp and lightly golden brown.
- While pizzas cook, make the onion salad. Add red onion, sumac, olive oil, lemon juice and parsley to a bowl and toss to combine.
- Once Turkish pizzas are done, remove from oven and top with sumac onion salad and serve.
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