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  • Writer's pictureCiara

One Delicious Pizza, Hold the Cheese

Scroll down for the recipe to skip the backstory.


I love pizza. When I was little, it was my go-to "fast food" for lunch. In my town growing up there were 2 "local" options- the spicy peppery one on the main route, or the greasy Greek one in the town center. For Bostonians, Galleria Umberto and Regina Pizzeria in the North End were the #1 and 2. Homemade pizza was always so fun because I could choose which toppings I wanted-but who am I kidding? I was always the plain cheese pizza girl. In college, I had 3 go-to meals that I pretty much ate in rotation in the dining hall- pasta and chicken, pasta and tomato sauce, and you guessed it, pizza.


My pizza-loving years were slowly and painfully coming to an end around that time, however, as I struggled with dairy sensitivity. Asking for "light on the cheese" or eliminating it all together just led to unfulfilling flatbreads with tomato.


Then the idea for this recipe came along: chickpea/garbanzo bean pizza. This was a serious game-changer for me as I stopped feeling like I had to miss out on pizza altogether just because bread and tomatoes seems more like a snack than a protein-filled meal. I hope you enjoy and experiment with all your favorite pizza modifications!


 

Makes 1 pizza that serves 2 very small stomachs or 1 very hungry caterpillar, errr, I mean human.


Ingredients

1 8-10" Naan or other flatbread

dried oregano

7 oz garbanzo beans (drain out the water before measuring)

8 oz fresh tomatoes

baby spinach

kalamata olives

fresh oregano


Another modification: ham or prosciutto

Preheat the oven to 475°F

Prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper, laying the flatbread on top of the parchment paper

Lightly shake the dried oregano over the flatbread

Mash the garbanzo beans with a fork and spread evenly onto the flatbread

Slice tomatoes and place on top of the garbanzo beans

Add spinach, covering the pizza

Top with olives and fresh oregano

Bake for 15 minutes


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