Chickpea and Arugula ‘Pizza’ Recipe

The Digest Diet Cookbook recipe love just keeps going with today’s Chickpea and Arugula “Pizza” recipe! (You didn’t miss the Chicken Piccata recipe yesterday, did ya?) Author of the recipe and book Liz Vaccariello calls it “pizza” because it’s more pancake and crispy than your traditional Italian pie. We love that it’s gluten-free, high in the veggie-intake department and is oh-so delicious. Enjoy—and a big thanks to The Digest Diet Cookbook for letting us feature the recipe!

 

Chickpea & Arugula “Pizza” Recipe

Hands-On Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes + standing time
Makes: 4 servings
Fat Releasers: Chickpea flour, rosemary, olive oil, chickpeas, sun-dried tomatoes, cheese
This dish, known as socca in France and farinata in Italy, is a cross between a pancake and a pizza. Chickpea flour (also called besan or gram flour) gives it a mildly nutty flavor. If you have a cast-iron skillet, use it here; it will produce an especially crispy crust.
Ingredients
2/3 c chickpea flour
½ tsp salt
½ tsp crumbled dried rosemary
1 c water, room temperature
4 tsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 c no-salt-added canned chickpeas
½ c sun-dried tomatoes, slivered
4 ounces reduced-fat goat cheese, crumbled
1½ c (1½ ounces) baby arugula

SAVE FOR A SNACK: This is great for a snack; simply cut into six portions. Or, if you have some left over, slices can be reheated in a 350°F oven for about 10 minutes or in a covered pan sprayed with nonstick cooking spray for 5 minutes on top of the stove.
Directions
1. In a large bowl, whisk together the chickpea flour, salt and rosemary. Gradually whisk in the water until smooth. Stir in 2 teaspoons of the oil. Let stand 30 minutes or up to several hours at room temperature.
2. Preheat the oven to 450°F. Brush a large ovenproof skillet with the remaining 2 teaspoons oil and place in the oven for 5 minutes to heat up. Pour the chickpea flour mixture into the hot pan, scatter the chickpeas over the top, and bake until the top is set and starting to brown, 10 to 12 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, in a small pot of boiling water, cook the sun-dried tomatoes for 2 minutes to soften. Drain.
4. Scatter the cheese and sun-dried tomatoes on top of the pizza and bake until the cheese has melted somewhat, about 3 minutes. Remove from the oven and scatter the arugula over the top. Cut into wedges.
Per serving: 230 calories, 12 g protein, 9.5 g fat (2.5 g saturated), 5 g fiber, 104 mg calcium, 4 mg vitamin C, 26 g carbohydrate, 436 mg sodium
Seriously, we can’t recommend this cookbook enough. Gorgeous homemade pizza in less than an hour? Sign us up! —Jenn