Vegan Broccoli Pizza Crust with Spring Vegetables

Vegan broccoli pizza crust, made with "riced" broccoli and chickpea flour (no eggs!), and topped with spring green vegetables for a very plant forward pizza. The base can be made as smaller flatbreads instead of a pizza base and used for sandwiches, sides, and snacks.

Ingredients

Broccoli Pizza Crust

▢ 1 head broccoli 400 grams/14 oz
▢ 150 grams (1 cup) chickpea flour
▢ 60 ml (¼ cup) water
▢ 2 tablespoons olive oil
▢ 1 teaspoon sea salt to taste
▢ 1 teaspoon pepper to taste

Toppings

▢ 2 big handfuls hardy greens spinach, rucola, chard (~60 grams/2.1 oz)
▢ 1 handful asparagus halved lengthwise (~300 grams/10.6 oz)
▢ 1 handful radishes thinly sliced (~50 grams/1.8 oz)
▢ 1 small zucchini thinly sliced
▢ 1 green onion thinly sliced

Metric - Cups

Instructions

Broccoli Pizza Crust

Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F) and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
Break the broccoli into florets. Peel the stalk and cut into chunks. Place the broccoli into a food processor* fitted with the blade attachment and pulse until it's broken into very small pieces, like rice.
1 head broccoli
Add the remaining ingredients to the food processor and pulse until combined. The dough should be easy to form into a ball. If it's too dry, add water a tablespoon at a time until a malleable dough forms.
150 grams (1 cup) chickpea flour, 60 ml (¼ cup) water, 2 tablespoons olive oil, 1 teaspoon sea salt, 1 teaspoon pepper
Place the dough onto the prepared baking sheet and use your hands to press it into a roughly oval shape, about 1cm thick. Bake for 8-10 minutes, or until lightly golden. If you want the flatbread without the pizza, bake for an additional 3-5 minutes to allow it to firm up a bit more.
Remove from the oven and cool slightly before topping and baking again. Don't remove the flatbread from the baking sheet.

Pesto

Add the basil, garlic, salt, pepper, and lemon juice to a narrow bowl or container and use an immersion blender to mix until almost smooth, then add the olive oil in a slow stream while blending. Alternatively, use a small food processor or blender.
60 grams (1 ½ cup) basil, 1 clove garlic, ½ teaspoon sea salt, ½ teaspoon pepper, Juice of a lemon, 2 tablespoons olive oil

Toppings

Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F).
Spread the pesto onto the pre-baked flatbread, then top with the greens, followed by the remaining toppings. Bake for 13-15 minutes, or until the asparagus is just tender. Serve hot.
2 big handfuls hardy greens, 1 handful asparagus, 1 handful radishes, 1 small zucchini, 1 green onion

Notes

• The instructions offer an option to add more water if needed because chickpea flour can vary quite a lot depending on how finely milled it is.

* If you don't have a food processor, grate the broccoli with a box grater, then mix the flatbread ingredients in a large bowl until combined.

Nutrition is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate. If this information is important to you, please have it verified independently.