Pass the Pizza, No Cheese, Please

We've been wanting to make the leap to cheese-free pizza for awhile, but whenever we go out, it irritates us to be charged the full price if we ask for no cheese. So...I decided to make it myself. I started with a whole wheat crust recipe that's quick enough for a week night. I followed that with a pizza sauce that comes together in minutes. While this recipe does contain some grated Parmesan cheese, it could be left out without sacrificing any flavor. While the sauce sits to meld the flavors, I sauteed some sliced mushrooms so they would retain their meaty texture and sliced up some bell peppers and onions. About an hour after I walked in the door (with most of it spent doing other activities, I slid the pizza into the oven on the hot pizza stone. 15 minutes later--dinner was ready.

I was pleasantly surprised that I did not miss the cheese. This was good, and almost as fast as waiting at the pizza shop for them to bake us up a pie. If you are feeding more than two fairly light eaters, I'd suggest doubling the crust, as it only makes one 12-inch pie.

Exquisite Pizza Sauce

6 ounces tomato paste
6 ounces warm water
3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon minced garlic
2 tablespoons honey (I find it too sweet and would suggest cutting this in half--at least.)
1 teaspoon anchovy paste (optional)
3/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon dried marjoram
1/4 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon dried red pepper flakes
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Salt to taste

In a small bowl, combine tomato paste, water, Parmesan cheese, garlic, honey, anchovy paste, onion powder, oregano, marjoram, basil, ground black pepper, cayenne pepper, red pepper flakes and salt; mix together, breaking up any clumps of cheese.

Sauce should sit for 30 minutes to blend flavors; spread over pizza dough and prepare pizza as desired.