I love playing with pizza combinations. I'm fairly certain if I had my own cafe, pizza/flatbreads would have to be on the menu because I have endless combinations to share. They are the perfect base for all seasons and with a little creativity, also for specific diets like gluten-free and vegan. This white bean pizza was born out of a love of this hummus dip. I wasn't a big fan of warm bean dips before but over the years, I turn to them time and again. This pizza takes a similar approach. Instead of using marinara, I use pureed beans. The beans are lovely with the melted cheese and even better with the fresh salad on top. It's a full meal in one bite!
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A hearty cool-weather pizza using pureed white beans as a sauce then baked with mozzarella cheese and topped with a fresh arugula salad.
Tips & Tricks: I like to make up a large batch of pizza dough and freeze for use throughout the month. If making dough isn't your thing, look for fresh dough in the refrigerator or freezer section of your local store. I can usually find a solid wheat crust at the store.
Stock up: get the pantry ingredients you will need: White Beans, Pine Nuts, Arugula
Nutrition: see the information.
This pizza is great for really whatever you might have on hand. My only word of caution- I like to use white beans like navy or cannellini over chickpeas. The white beans puree nicely without any addition work.
Cheese: I like mozzarella for this pizza because it doesn't overwhelm the flavors of the arugula and feta. However, any solid pizza cheese would work. Gouda, havarti, and/or fontina would all be good.
Greens: You could feasibly use spinach, kale, or any other green that makes for a good raw salad topping.
Bean Puree: This is where I like to have fun in this pizza. I went with the chile paste route but you could add a few fresh herbs, steam sweet potatoes or squash, greens, etc. Anything you might add to a bean dip can be used in this puree.
Arugula is my favorite green to use raw. Each type of arugula has a different personality which lends itself well to many different recipes. The peppery bite from arugula is wonderful in salads and can be a great compliment to other seasonal produce. I recommend trying the arugula before buying- some varieties are more peppery than others (which means some taste downright spicy!)
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White Bean and Butternut Squash Salad
Olive Tapenade and Hummus Stuffed Pita
I would eat at that cafe... this is like my dream flatbread!
Flatbreads and pizzas has to be the most versatile food item out there. Love experimenting with that!
This was so good, I really loved the bean purée with the arugula. Thanks for another tasty meal!