[This post is sponsored by my best foodie friends at Bob’s Red Mill! We’re using their Chickpea Flour for this recipe.]
I’m just a girl. Standing in-front of her invisible internet friends. Asking them to put salad on their pizza.
Welcome to my newest obsession. Salad…on a pizza.
And I KNOW. It sounds insane.
But…hear me out.
Chopped salads are…so very good. Soft lettuce, lots of fresh and crunchy mix-ins, a nice glug of a tangy vinaigrette. Honestly one of my favorite things. Ever.
I love a good chopped salad with some croutons or with a side of pita or something, and that’s kinda what the pizza part of this equation is like! It’s soft, a little chewy, and the perfect vessel upon which you can shove said salad into your mouthhole.
Honestly, this is just one of my favorite recipes at the moment, and you need to try it. Asap.
It all starts with the socca. Are you familiar with this terrific chickpea-based flatbread? If not, allow me to completely and totally blow your mind.
First, watch how it’s made:
Socca is made up of just a few ingredients – chickpea flour and water –, but you know I had to jazz it up a little bit with some flavor like garlic powder and Italian
Developing this recipe was the very first time I ever tried chickpea flour, and I’m now IN LOVE. Apparently you can even make vegan omelettes with the stuff! I used Bob’s Red Mill’s Chickpea Flour here, because, as I’m sure you know, I love Bob’s products and choose them whenever I can!
The best thing about socca is that it takes nearly no effort to make. You mix the batter, you pour it into a hot cast iron skillet, and then bake it for 15 minutes. DONE.
And the salad! Oh, the salad. I’m going to leave your ingredients up to you, but if you want some inspo, I used:
- Butter lettuce, always my #1 choice
- Chickpeas, goes with the socca so well!
- Banana peppers, my love
- Marinated artichokes, always makes a salad better imo
- Carrots, for color and maximum crunch
- Green onion, for that bite
- Cucumbers, for a lil bit of freshness
- Roasted salted sunflower seeds, honestly not a salad without them
I think roasted red peppers, mushrooms, sun-dried tomatoes, and pretty much any traditional (or non-traditional – go crazy!) salad ingredient would be great here! Have fun and make it your own.
You’ll just pile it all on top of your cooked socca that you lightly dressed with your favorite marinara/pizza sauce (it just helps the salad stick). Pile it HIGH, my friend. This is no time for a small salad.
We want an Elaine-sized salad here.
And that’s that! Such an easy, satisfying recipe that me and my taste-testers just loved. The flavors! The textures!
This is the way to eat a veggie pizza, my friend.
PrintSocca Salad Pizza
Ever put salad on a pizza? Now you can! This chickpea flour-based flatbread is topped high with a simple chopped salad, perfect for a light lunch or dinner. Naturally vegan and gluten free!
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 2-4 servings
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
SOCCA:
3 Tbsp. high-heat oil (avocado, grapeseed, etc.), divided
1 cup Bob’s Red Mill Chickpea Flour
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. Italian seasoning
salt + pepper
1 cup water
SALAD*:
6 oz. butter lettuce
2 medium carrots, diced
1/2 english cucumber, diced
6-oz. jar marinated artichokes, drained and chopped
8-oz. banana pepper rings, drained
1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
4 green onions, thinly sliced
A few small handfuls roasted salted sunflower seeds
~1/2 cup your favorite dressing**
TO ASSEMBLE:
1/2 cup marinara/pizza sauce
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450. Put a 10-inch cast icon skillet with 2 Tbsp. of your high-heat oil inside to get hot, about 15 minutes.
- Add chickpea flour, garlic powder, Italian seasoning, salt, pepper, your remaining 1 Tbsp. high-heat oil, and 1 cup water to a bowl. Whisk to combine.
- When the skillet is hot, carefully remove it from the oven and pour your batter in, swirling to coat the bottom. Bake 15 minutes.
- Make the salad by combining all of your ingredients in a large bowl. Pour on your dressing, and mix to combine. I like it when it sits just a little bit so the lettuce softens.
- When the socca is done, carefully remove it from the oven and top with marinara sauce. Top with salad (the entire thing might not fit on top but you can serve it on the slices when you serve). Slice and enjoy!
Notes
*Feel free to change the salad ingredients to fit your tastebuds. This is what worked for us!
**I did 3 Tbsp. white balsamic vinegar, 3 Tbsp. olive oil, 1 tsp. dijon mustard, 1/4 tsp. garlic powder, a drizzle of honey (agave also works), salt, and pepper.
Inspired by Pinch of Yum!
sheer genius!!!!!!
LOL. Enjoy!!
what if no cast iron skillet?
You can probably use a heavy-duty oven-safe pan!
I LOVE the crusty-sort-of-pancake that the socca creates! But I struggle with the toppings. “Pile high” prevents eating like a pizza; the chickpeas just roll off and around (the 2nd time I made this, I mooshed them a bit). The dressing is the best! I’m going to use it on my dinner salads! I’m thinking instead of marinara, I’ll try pesto, and then veggies that are, I don’t know, more flat? What else can be done with this wonderful crust?