Description
This socca pizza with pesto is fun and easy to make. The crust is made from chickpea flour; it is naturally gluten free, and yeast free. Delicious, and bursting with fresh ingredients.
Ingredients
Homemade basil pesto (or use store bought. See notes)
- 1 to 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/4 cup roasted almonds (or sub any toasted nuts or seeds you prefer)
- 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
- 1/2 to 3/4 lemon, juiced
- 2 cups fresh basil leaves, packed
- 1/4 cup spinach or arugula (helps to make the pesto a nice bright green color)
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
Socca pizza crust
- 1 cup garbanzo bean flour (AKA chickpea flour)
- 1 cup filtered water
- 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon avocado oil (or other high heat cooking oil)
Options for toppings
- 1/4 to 1/3 cup of basil pesto, as the sauce
- 1 cup (8 ounces) shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1/4 cup spinach, roughly chopped
- 1/4 cup artichoke hearts, patted dry, roughly chopped
- 2 to 3 tablespoons red onion, finely chopped
- 2 to 3 tablespoons black sliced olives, drained
- 5 to 6 grape tomatoes, sliced
- 1 to 2 tablespoons feta cheese, crumbled
- optional: red pepper flakes
- handful of fresh basil leaves, torn
Instructions
- Make the pesto (if making – see notes for options): Keep in mind, the pesto can be made a few days in advance, or frozen, if you have extra, and defrosted – see notes. To the bowl of a food processor, add the minced garlic, and roasted almonds. Pulse until the nuts have broken down a little. Add the grated Parmesan cheese and pulse until small chunks remain (careful not to turn it into a paste). Add the basil, spinach or arugula, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Pulse until the herbs have broken down into small bits, about 1 minute – scrape down sides as needed. Stream in the olive oil while the food processor is running. The pesto should be thick and creamy, yet a little chunky (see photo in post). Either transfer to a bowl to use once the pizza crust is ready. Or transfer the pesto to a jar and add a thin layer of olive oil over the top of the pesto to keep the herbs from turning brown. Store in the fridge for up to 1 week (if making in advance).
- Mix the Socca batter: Preheat your oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit. To a medium bowl add the garbanzo bean flour, filtered water, olive oil, kosher salt, pepper, and garlic powder, whisk until well combined. Set aside and allow the batter to rest for 20 minutes.
- Prepare the toppings: Prepare any of the toppings you want to use and place them in separate bowls. Keep in mind that you don’t need to use all of the toppings I listed, these were just the ones that got me excited. I would highly recommend the pesto as the sauce (see notes), mozzarella cheese, artichoke hearts, black olives, and feta cheese at the very least. I like the spinach because it adds a little extra green veggie to the pizza, yet you can’t taste it at all.
- Bake the socca crust: This works great with a well seasoned cast iron skillet, however, any oven safe pan will work. I use a 10 inch skillet, if you use a 12 inch skillet the crust will be a little thinner, but still good. Heat the pan in the oven for 5 minutes. Remove the pan and swirl the avocado oil around in the pan, until everything is well coated. Pour the socca batter in the center of the pan and swirl it around until it coats the entire pan. The oil may bubble up at the edges of the crust, that’s okay because it makes the edges really crispy. Bake the crust for 10 to 12 minutes or until the crust looks set in the middle.
- Add the toppings: Once the crust has baked add the toppings, starting the pesto (you will need about 1/3 cup of pesto). Spread most of the pesto, almost to the edges of the crust (if your pesto is a little dry, drizzle on a little extra olive oil). Next, sprinkle on the spinach, followed by the mozzarella cheese, artichoke hearts, red onion, black olives, grape tomatoes, sprinkle of red pepper flakes, and the feta cheese. I like to add little dollops of pesto on top, if you have extra. Keep in mind that you mat not use all of the toppings in their full amount depending on how many of them you use. I measured out the toppings as an estimation, but I had a little something of each ingredient left behind except for the cheeses, and the pesto.
- Bake again: bake the pizza for another 10 to 15 minutes, or until the cheese is well melted and the edge of the crust have browned.
- Cool: Allow the pizza to cool in the pan for 3 minutes. Use a spatula (or two) to carefully remove the pizza and place it on a cutting board. Use a large chef’s knife to cut the pizza into 4 triangles.
- Finish and serve: Transfer the pizza to a serving plate, or two individual plates and sprinkle the top with the fresh torn basil. Serve immediately.
Notes
Basil pesto options: If making your own pesto you can make the pesto up to 1 week in advance. Store it in the fridge with a thin layer of olive oil on top to prevent any browning. You can also freeze your pesto, if you have extra for future recipes. I like to freeze mine in ice cube trays, then pop them into a bag. That way I can defrost as much or as little as I want for a recipe.
Store bought basil pesto: Yes, feel free to use store bought pesto if you’d like to take a short cut – totally fine, and totally delicious!
leftovers: We haven’t had any leftovers from this pizza, so I can’t say for sure if it re-heats well or not. I imagine it would still be okay leftover, but not great. From making my rosemary socca, I know that socca is best when it’s fresh.
Nutrition calculation: The nutrition facts are estimated with the toppings as I have written in the recipe. Keep in mind that the nutrition facts can vary greatly depending on if you choose to use all of the toppings or not. And, as I stated in the recipe, you may find that you don’t use the full amount of each topping.
