Chickpea + Veggie Gluten-Free Pesto Pizza
This Chickpea + Veggie Gluten-Free Pesto Pizza is sure staple for any gluten-free kitchen. This recipe is an easy, no-knead pizza recipe that comes with bold flavors and heavily topped with roasted chickpeas, tomatoes, and broccoli. Perfect for the entire family for weeknights or weekends.
Servings: 8 servings
Calories: 665kcal
Ingredients
- 1 (15 oz.) can chickpeas, drained + rinsed
- 2 cups chopped broccoli
- 1 cup grape tomatoes, halved
- 2 Tbsps Extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon sea salt + black pepper
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 cup grated parmesan
- 2 cups shredded Mild cheddar cheese or mozzarella
GLUTEN-FREE CRUST:
- 4 cups Bob's Red Mill Gluten-Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour
- 1 packet active dry yeast (See Notes)
- 1 tablespoon organic cane sugar (See Notes)
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 teaspoon Cajun seasoning (optional; See Notes)
- 1 ½ cups warm water
PESTO SAUCE:
- 1 cup organic spinach (You can sub w/ kale or arugula)
- 1 cup basil leaves
- 1 cup walnuts
- ¼ cup Extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon juice of a lemon
- 6 garlic cloves
- ¼ cup grated parmesan cheese
- 1 teaspoon sea salt + black pepper
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika (optional)
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
Instructions
ROASTED VEGGIES:
- Begin by preheating your oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit and adding the chickpeas, broccoli, and tomatoes to a bowl and drizzle with olive oil and season until well coated. Place coated veggies onto a large baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake for 10-15 minutes or until veggies have shrunk a bit, become fragrant, and browned on the edges. Once done, remove from oven and set aside.
GLUTEN-FREE CRUST:
- In a large bowl, add together the yeast, sugar, and warm water, allowing it to sit to dissolve and become foamy, about 5 minutes.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and cajun seasoning, and create a medium-sized well in the center of the dry ingredients.
- Pour in the yeast mixture and stir using a wooden spoon until the dough is smooth and together, about 5-6 minutes. NOTE: The dough might look a bit rough and not as smooth as regular pizza dough----that's fine!
- To allow the dough to 'rest', formulate the dough into a ball and add it to a lightly greased bowl and covered, letting it sit and slightly rise for 20-25 minutes.
- In the meantime, make your pesto sauce.
PESTO SAUCE:
- Add all ingredients into a food processor and process until well blended and broken down. NOTE: If needed, add a bit of water (1 Tbsp), if too thick.
ASSEMBLY:
- Once done, lightly grease a pizza pan with olive oil and place dough ball on one end of pan, evenly pressing it and flattening it out with your fingers to fit the entire pan. Gently use your finger to stretch dough until pan is fully covered and gently pinch the edges of the dough together to form the crust.
- Brush a generous amount of the pesto sauce unto pizza crust and evenly spread it to cover the top.
- Sprinkle on the cheeses followed by the roasted veggies.
- Lightly brush the tops of the crust with the olive oil mixture to ensure that it becomes a nice golden brown.
- Gently transfer the pizza pie to the hot oven and bake for 15-20 minutes or so, until the cheese has melted (and becomes bubbly) and the crust is crispy and golden brown.
- Once done, allow pizza to rest/cool for a few minutes (about 5 minutes!) so that the cheese sets before cutting into generous slices, using a pizza cutter.
- Bon Appetit!
Notes
- PIZZA CRUST: For a crispy pizza (especially on the bottom), I suggest using a pizza pan with holes to allow the crust to bake through nicely. I used the AirBake Pizza Pan, which can be found at Target! See GF Pizza Crust recipe for awesome tips.
- STORAGE: Leftover pizza is best kept tightly wrapped in foil paper, refrigerated for 3-4 days for optimal freshness.
- CAJUN SEASONING: To make your own homemade cajun seasoning, see my recipe. Any leftover cajun seasoning mix can be stored in a ziplock bag for later use or used as garnish.
- SWEETENER: Instead of cane sugar, you can substitute with brown sugar, Agave, or honey.
- RESTING TIME: You can always skip this step if needed. It isn't a requirement at all. Just substitute active dry yeast with rapid rise yeast.
Nutrition
Calories: 665kcal | Carbohydrates: 69g | Protein: 28g | Fat: 37g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 9g | Monounsaturated Fat: 13g | Cholesterol: 42mg | Sodium: 1532mg | Potassium: 1076mg | Fiber: 20g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 1674IU | Vitamin C: 25mg | Calcium: 1170mg | Iron: 30mg