Chickpea Crust Sausage and Broccoli Rabe Pizza
5
Points®
Total time: 47 min • Prep: 20 min • Cook: 27 min • Serves: 4 • Difficulty: Easy
Looking for a gluten-free pizza crust that doesn’t require expensive specialty flours? Then this chickpea version is just right for you. It uses canned chickpeas, which are pureed in a food processor and bound with a little cornstarch, egg, and cheese. The thick, hummus-like paste is then spread thin on a piece of parchment paper and baked before being topped with the usual pizza pie goodies. The crust is sturdy and similar in texture to traditional frozen pizza crust. Here we top it with marinara, mozzarella, savory Italian sausage, and broccoli rabe, which has a pleasantly bitter edge. You can always swap to broccolini for a more kid-friendly version.
Ingredients
Canned drained chickpeas
15 oz, drained
Garlic
1 clove(s), large
Cornstarch
2 tbsp(s)
Dried oregano
½ tsp(s)
Black pepper
¼ tsp(s)
Table salt
⅛ tsp(s)
Cayenne pepper
⅛ tsp(s)
Grated Parmesan cheese
¼ cup(s)
Raw egg
1 large
Uncooked broccoli rabe
6 oz, trimmed
Jarred fat-free marinara sauce
½ cup(s)
Part-skim mozzarella cheese
4 oz, shredded
Cooked chicken sausage
3 oz, thinly sliced
Red onion
¼ cup(s), sliced, chopped, thinly sliced
Crushed red pepper flakes
¼ tsp(s)
Instructions
1
Place a pizza stone or heavy baking sheet in oven. Preheat oven to 450°F (leave stone or pan in oven as it heats).
2
Place chickpeas and garlic in a food processor; pulse until finely chopped, about 10 times. Add cornstarch, oregano, salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper; process until smooth, about 1 minute, scraping down sides as needed. Add Parmesan and egg; process until well blended, about 30 seconds. Spoon chickpea puree onto a large piece of parchment paper. Spread with a spatula to a thin 11½-12-inch circle. Slide crust, with parchment, onto hot pizza stone or baking sheet. Bake until lightly browned and crisp around the edges, about 15 minutes.
3
Meanwhile, bring a medium saucepan of water to a boil. Add broccoli rabe; cook 2 minutes. Drain and rinse under cold running water until cool. Drain well and pat dry.
4
Carefully remove crust, with parchment, from oven (leave oven on). Spread marinara sauce over crust, leaving a ½-inch border. Top evenly with mozzarella, sausage, onion, broccoli rabe, and red pepper flakes. Slide pizza, with parchment, onto hot pizza stone or baking sheet. Bake until cheese melts and toppings are heated through, about 10 minutes. Cut pizza into 8 wedges.
5
Serving size: 2 wedges
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