Who says that pizza is all about melting mozzarella and decadent toppings? Why wouldn’t it be about a healthy and tasty meal your body will actually enjoy? I love pizza in every way, but to have it as often as I want, I’m always experimenting with lighter versions and healthier toppings. And since my fridge is stuffed with spring produce, today’s pizza couldn’t be anything but green.
I don’t advocate taking classic recipes and veganizing them by all means, but we need to pay attention to what we eat. Sticking to a healthy diet doesn’t mean cooking boring meals, but actually changing your perspective. If you crave pizza, why not adjust the ingredients to offer yourself a nourishing treat? You can replace the plain flour with a whole wheat one or even make a cauliflower crust pizza. You can replace the tomato sauce with a delicious, homemade greens pesto.
You can add different nuts and seeds for texture and flavor, reduce the mozzarella quantity and add a lighter cheese instead or simply eliminate it. I like to keep my eyes open for options and see beyond the classic combinations, so rather than thinking about the melting mozzarella and plain flour crust and feeling frustrated that it always gives me stomach burns, why not have a green pizza for dinner and actually enjoy its delicious taste?
This pizza is all about green and fresh and tastes amazing! It combines a thin and crunchy whole wheat flatbread crust with the combined magic powers of different members of the cruciferous family. I used kale to create that glowing green pesto, broccoli to add texture and cress for decoration. Fiber, minerals, calcium, antioxidants, cancer-protective and anti-inflammatory ingredients—all their exceptional nutrients and properties are cumulated in this pizza to ease digestion and make my body feel great. I added pine nuts and hemp hearts for a lighter version of the mozzarella fat, and to insure better absorption of the vegetables’ nutrients, especially the antioxidants.
If you feel like adding mozzarella, go for it, but only use a small quantity, just to bring the ingredients together. The kale pesto was creamy enough for me, I didn’t miss the cheese, and I also wanted to keep it vegan. Adjust the ingredients as you prefer—every little step is a fantastic one for your healthy lifestyle journey!
Very Green Vegan Flatbread Pizza
Ingredients
- For the crust
- 1 &1/2 cups whole wheat flour plus extra for dusting
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tsp nigella seeds
- 1/2 cup warm purified water
- Kale pesto
- 1 cup fresh kale chopped
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 cup sunflower seeds
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- Freshly ground black pepper
- A pinch sea salt
- Topping
- 1 cup fresh kale leaves stems removed
- 1/2 cup cooked garbanzo beans
- 1/2 cup broccoli cut into small florets
- 1 small onion cut into thin rings
- 10 kalamata olives pitted and halved
- 4-5 artichoke hearts halved (I used canned)
- 1 tsp hemp hearts
- 1/4 cup pine nuts
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Fresh basil and mint leaves to garnish
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 220°C/428°F.
- In a large bowl add the crust ingredients and mix with a fork.
- Use your hands to create a dough and knead it for five minutes, until it becomes elastic.
- Cover with a clean towel, and let it rest for 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, prepare the kale pesto: all the ingredients into a blender and pulse to obtain a creamy paste.
- Roll the dough on a floured surface, then transfer it onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake for three minutes.
- Remove from the oven and flip upside down.
- Spread it with kale pesto leaving a 1 inch border round the edge, then add the kale leaves, broccoli florets, artichoke hearts and kalamata olives.
- Top with onion rings, and pine nuts, drizzle with olive oil, season with black pepper and bake for seven minutes, until the crust becomes golden.
- Garnish with fresh basil and mint leaves and hemp hearts, and serve.
Notes
Now this is MY kind of pizza! I love all the spring-y goodness you have on top of this pizza, it looks absolutely delicious! 😀
Yesss, it’s my favorite too and I’m totally in love with the kale pesto! 🙂
Looks amazing!
Thank you 🙂
Your words in this post are so perfectly said! Food is the best nourishment there is <3 It's all about a healthy balance! .. So pizza! My mom makes a Mediterranean veggie pizza and can honestly say I like it 10 times better than the average cheese pizza. This flatbread looks AMAZING! It is loaded with all the goods. And that pesto looks incredible! Pinning xx
Mediterranean veggie pizza – this sounds so delicious and I’m sure it tastes amazing! I can already think about fresh summer ingredients, thin crust, al fresco dining – lovely! Thanks so much 🙂 xx
Hi,
I am 100% italian and this is not a pizza.
Pizza ingrédients are protected by a sort of law in Italy called “disciplinare”.
So yes, to reply your question “who says that pizza is all about melting mozzarella and decadent toppings?”
Italian “disciplinare” says that. 🙂
This dish can be called a “focaccia” in Italy and I will surely try it because it looks delicious.
Nice day 🙂
Definitely, this is what pizza is about and every time I visit Italy I am all into melting mozzarella and decadent toppings. But this is a holiday diet, while the rest of the time I adapt its “disciplinaire” to my daily diet, and actually enjoying every piece of this vegan one too! (while dreaming of my next trip to Italy 🙂 )
Also 100% Italian and this is 100% false.
Have you not heard of pizza marinara? AKA pizza without cheese?
Wow! I love this pizza <3 this is definitely my type of pizza – that kale pesto sounds amazing, and I love the chickpeas on top too!
The chickpeas make this pizza really satisfying as they’re loaded with fiber and protein. Thanks so much for sharing and adding to your meal plan, which actually sounds great! 🙂
A greenalious pizza! Do you home deliver? 😉
Thanks, Jennifer :))
Hi, just a question about the pesto, does it keep well in the fridge if I make a bigger batch or can it be frozen? This looks amazing, Thanks
If you add a 1/2 inch layer of extra virgin olive oil on top it will keep just fine in the fridge. I didn’t try yet to freeze it.
I absolutely love all of the healthy ingredients inthis pizza. I’m constantly hunting for healthier pizza ideas, thanks for sharing!
Thank you, Hayley, healthy pizza hunting on Pinterest is also hobby of mine too 🙂
This looks amazing! Could other types of flours be substituted for the whole wheat, i.e. buckwheat, chickpea, sprouted, flax?
Thanks so much! Chickpea would definitely work (it’s actually called socca and it’s oftenly used as a base for different toppings) and I would also try a mix of flax, buckwheat and psyllium, but I can’t bet on this one as it’s not tested yet 🙂
Beautiful post and delicious as well.
I made this tonight ( I had a bread dough I make and keep in fridge and used it for the crust) and added mushrooms to the mix. I look forward to trying more of your recipes 🙂
Lovely, I have to try adding mushrooms too! Thanks so much for the feedback