Pesto + Pizza = the perfect combo. There’s probably no better way to enjoy the weekend than with a homemade AND healthy pizza. And while the normal tomato and cheese sounds okay, we promise that you will love this vegan friendly spin on pizza. With spinach as the ultimate star of this dish, you are sure to reap some amazing benefits from this powerful leafy green that is now reaching it’s peak season.
For one, adding spinach into your daily diet helps you to get excellent amounts of key vitamins and minerals such as Vitamins B, E, K and A, manganese and folate. Spinach is also a great vegetable to protect against inflammation since it aids support within your digestive system. Spinach also helps in regulating your overall hunger, satiety and blood sugar levels – making you feel full longer and have increased energy to help you power through the day.
We have doubled up on the spinach for this recipe. Combining our spinach pesto and topping with fresh spinach mean that this pizza is a 1 – 2 – punch in healthy eating.
In addition to the plentiful health benefits, this recipe will help you gain some amazing skin benefits too! The bounty of vitamins and minerals in spinach help to relieve dry, itchy skin and helps you to have a radiant complexion. Eating spinach regularly will help you to improve your health and skin, all at the same time!
Ingredients
1 frozen pizza crust, completely thawed
2 tbsp. spinach pesto
1 package of almond-based ricotta cheese
2 handfuls fresh spinach
1/4 cup sprouted chickpeas
1 clove garlic, minced
oil, for drizzling
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 500 degrees F.
- Toss chickpeas with a dash of paprika and toast for 5 minutes while the oven is warming up.
- After you crust has completely thawed, drizzle a little oil (we love avocado) on the entire crust. Add your minced garlic.
- Spread spinach pesto onto the crust, leaving a little bit left untouched to be your “crust”.
- Add ricotta in dollops and bake for 5 – 8 minutes. You want the crust to be browned and crispy.
- Top cooked pizza with spinach and chickpeas. Add a little more ricotta if you’d like. ENJOY!
Recipe via Balanced Beet
