sweet potato crust pizza with shaved brussels sprouts and arugula
Who doesn’t love pizza? The ‘Za is an American favorite and while there’s a pizza joint on every corner that offers cheap, greasy pizza, why not try to make one a home with healthy, seasonal ingredients. This is a great recipe for a cool Saturday night. You can enjoy this around a fire pit or while playing a game around the kitchen table. Adventurous dishes are always more fun when the family gets involved!
I’ve been experimenting with pizza crusts lately. The first veggie to make its debut into the pizza crust world was cauliflower; while I didn’t have much luck with that, I’ve had much better luck using winter squashes and sweet potatoes as my pizza crust base. Caveat: This is not gluten-free. My goal was not gluten-free, but to incorporate healthy, seasonal ingredients into a fan-favorite meal.
This pizza dough is not the easiest to work with. It is very sticky at first, so don’t be afraid to keep adding flour as you roll it out. I was frustrated the first time I made this, but after a couple of tries and realizing that adding more flour for dusting doesn’t detract from the crust’s flavor, it became a lot easier.
I added a hint of maple syrup to this crust which paired well with the sweet potato. Prosciutto would be a lovely additional topping to this as would figs. As with all of my recipes, I encourage you to experiment with toppings and seasonings. This recipe is vegan, but if you’re a cheese lover, please add it! I would suggest a mixture of mild and pungent cheeses, like mozzarella and gorgonzola. But of course, go with what you like!
I really hope you enjoy this lovely Fall pizza!
Ingredients:
1/2 lb shaved Brussels Sprouts
1/2 Tbs olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp ground black pepper
1 medium roasted, steamed or baked sweet potato, skinned and mashed
1 beaten egg
1/2 tsp each salt and baking soda
1 Tbs maple syrup
2 tsp coarsely ground flax seeds
1 cup organic, unbleached all-purpose flour + more for dusting
1/2 cup prepared Bruschetta toping
2 cups loosely packed arugula leaves
2 Tbs pine nuts
Instructions:
Heat oven to 400 degrees.
For the crust: Combine the mashed sweet potato, egg, 1/2 tsp salt and baking soda, maple syrup, flour and flax seeds in a large bowl. Mix using fork, pastry blender or hands. Set aside.
Combine olive oil, shaved sprouts, 1/2 tsp salt and pepper in a bowl. Mix thoroughly. Turn out onto a foil lined baking sheet. Bake in oven 15-20 min until sprout shavings are golden brown and crispy. Remove from oven.
Turn pizza dough out on lightly greased and floured pizza pan or stone or cookie sheet. Dust both sides of dough ball with flour. Begin to roll out, adding more flour to keep dough from sticking to rolling pin or hands. Don’t worry about adding too much flour. Roll out to desired thickness, about 1/8 - 1/4 in. You want the crust thin enough to crisp, but not so thin as to create holes.
Bake crust in hot oven 7-12 min until edges are brown and crisp.
Remove pizza crust from oven. Top with roasted, sprout shavings, Bruschetta topping and arugula. Pop back in oven for ~5 min so that flavors meld. The arugula will wilt.
Toast pine nuts in a toaster oven or small skillet.
Remove pizza from oven and top with toasted pine nuts before serving.