Spiced Chickpea Pizza

From Pizzapaloosa
Recipe and photo by Judy Doherty

 

 

A 100% plant-based recipe!

Makes 1 pizza

• 6 tablespoons tomato paste (divided)
• 1 pizza crust (prebaked as below)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 4 cloves garlic, sliced
• 1 15-ounce can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 1 cup diced tomatoes
• ¼ cup sliced olives
• 1 cup spiced baked chickpeas (recipe below)
• 1 teaspoon za’atar seasoning
• Plain Greek or plant-based yogurt for garnish (optional)

Preheat oven to 425°F.

Spread 2 tablespoons tomato paste over the prebaked pizza crust and set aside. Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat and sauté the sliced garlic until soft but not browned. Add remaining 4 tablespoons tomato paste and drained chickpeas. Heat together until excess moisture evaporates, then spread this chickpea mixture over the pizza crust. Top with diced tomatoes and sliced olives. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and top with the spiced baked chickpeas and the za’atar seasoning. Serve with a dollop of yogurt.

 

Roasted Spiced Chickpeas

Use on salads, wraps, pitas, crackers, and pizzas, or just eat plain as a snack.

Makes 1½ cups

• 1 15-ounce can chickpeas
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• Pinch salt
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• ½ teaspoon cumin

Preheat oven to 425°F. Drain the chickpeas, spread them on a towel, and pat dry. Place in a bowl and toss with the oil and seasonings. Feel free to add more seasonings if you like them spicier. Spread the chickpeas evenly over a nonstick or parchment-lined baking pan. Bake in the preheated oven for 18–22 minutes. Stir once or twice to keep them browning evenly. Remove from the oven when they are browned and crisp.

 

Pizza Crust

Makes 3 (9-inch) pizza crusts

• 2 cups water, warmed to 90°F
• 2 teaspoons active dry yeast
• 4½ cups bread flour plus extra as needed for mixing and rolling
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• ½ teaspoon sugar (use agave syrup if making vegan)
• 1 teaspoon sea salt

Mix the water and yeast and let rest until yeast starts to bubble. Add remaining ingredients and mix by hand or with a mixer using the hook or paddle attachment. You want a moist ball of dough, so add more flour or more water as needed to get the right consistency. Mix the dough until you are able to make a smooth “gluten window,” which means the dough doesn’t break when stretched.

Place the dough in an oiled bowl, cover with a clean kitchen towel, and let rest for an hour or until the dough rises to double. (If desired, you can refrigerate dough to use the next day.)

Preheat the oven to 425°F. Set up 3 baking trays and lightly oil and dust each with cornmeal or line with parchment paper.

Sprinkle your work surface with flour and coat your hands with flour as well. Coax the dough out of the bowl onto the floured work surface and divide into 3 portions. Working with 1 portion at a time, roll dough into a ball and then pull or roll into a square or round shape about 9 inches across. Place each on a prepared baking tray and let sit for a few minutes so the dough can relax and rise. Bake pizza crusts for 12 minutes or until golden and then remove from the oven and set aside. The crusts are now ready to be topped and baked again to make pizzas, or they can be wrapped and stored without toppings in the fridge or freezer to be used at a later time.