Spoonful of Sugar Free

Registered Dietitian

Your Dinner Tonight

By

Have you tried Socca?

I have made it a few times thanks to the Pure2Raw Twins, and have loved it plain and as a sandwich. Then one night I wondered, “Why not make it into a pizza?”

Oh my goodness! I am so glad I did! It was the best dinner I had all month! The pizza was extremely filling, but oh so satisfying. I only had one slice, and I was stuffed!

 

Pesto Socca Pizza with Grilled Veggies and Chicken Sausages

~The pizza can be made vegan/vegetarian by simply omitting the sausage. Dairy-free, gluten-free, ย and of course, sugar-free!

Serves 6

Ingredients

Socca:

  • 1 cup garbanzo bean flour
  • 1 cup water
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 Tablespoon olive oil

Preheat oven to 425*. Mix all ingredients together except the olive oil. Batter will be thin. Spread the olive oil on a 10-12 inch round pan (I used a cast iron) and place in hot oven for a few minutes. Then pour the batter into the pan and bake for 15-20 minutes or until the socca is brown on the underside. Flip the socca carefully onto a dish you can put back into the oven (you will be broiling it later).

NOTE: I’ve seen socca made many ways. Some bake it, some broil it, some flip it half way through. This is up to you! If you like it extra crispy-try broiling it. If you like it soft-bake it. Pure2Twins have many different recipes HERE.

 

Vegan Pesto

~This pesto is vegan, raw, dairy-free, gluten-free, and of course, sugar-free!

  • 1 large bunch of basil (about 2 cups loosely packed)
  • 1 clove garlic
  • 1/2 cup walnuts
  • 1/2 tsp salt, or to taste
  • 4 Tablespoons of olive oil
  • 2 Tablespoons Nutritional Yeast

Place all ingredients except olive oil in a food processor or strong blender (I used my magic bullet). Process until finely ground. Then add the olive oil a tablespoon at a time until desired consistency is reached.

The nutritional yeast and walnuts give it a creamy taste without the dairy. It keeps in the fridge for 5 days. I didn’t use quite all of it on my pizza. You can use the leftovers on sandwiches, pasta, and as a dip for crackers.

Pizza Toppings

~You can use whatever topping you like! Omit the sausage for a vegan/vegetarian pizza.

  • 2 cups spinach
  • 1/2 green bell pepper
  • 1/4 onion
  • 5 artichoke hearts
  • 2 Tablespoons capers
  • 2 chicken sausages
  • 1 clove garlic

First, boil the sausages in a pan for about 10 minutes, covered. Then, slice them and brown them on a pan slightly coated in olive oil. Remove. Chop the onions, bell pepper, and garlic and saute in olive oil. Add the spinach and cook until slightly wilted.

 

Assemble Pizza

Spread the pesto on the socca in an even layer. Then add the sauteed veggies and the artichoke hearts, capers, and sausages. Broil on High for 3 minutes or until the tips of the veggie and socca brown.

Let cool for a couple minutes and serve hot! Bon Appetit!

 

 

 

Health Benefts

  • Garbanzo Bean Flour: Also known as chickpeas, these beans are protein power houses with 10g per 1/4 cup. They contain an amazing amount of fiber with 8g per 1/4 cup.ย An excellent source of the trace mineral molybdenum, garbanzo beans help in the process of detoxification of sulfites. This mineral is an important component of the enzyme sulfite oxidase, which is involved in this detoxification process.
  • Leafy Greens: Our parents always told us to “eat our greens,” and for good reason, too! Leafy greens contain a lot of Vitamin K which protect our bones, regulate blood-clotting, and help prevent diabetes.ย Lutein and zeaxanthin are carotenoids found in dark-green leafy vegetables that are concentrated in the eye lens and macular region of the retina. The carotenoids play a protective role in the eye.
  • Basil: This herb has been used for centuries to help cure colds, coughs, and sore throats. It is also known as an anti-stress agent, and can help reduce blood cholesterol.
  • Nutritional Yeast: Nutritional yeast is full of nutrients (hence the name). It contains 18 amino acids and 15 minerals that are all good for you. Especially known for its vitamin B content, it helps maintain ideal intestine ecology, improve blood production, maintain cholesterol levels, and improve liver function.

 

 

Thought-provoking, mind-prodding question of the day:

What is your favorite meal of the day?

Mine is Breakfast. I could seriously eat “breakfast food” all day long! Sometimes I do…

 

Reader Interactions

Comments

  4. question- can i make my own garbonzo bean flour with canned garbonzo beans?
    thanks for the help!

    katie

    • Hey Katie!!

      You can’t use the canned kind because it is cooked (If you process those it will turn into hummus-yum!). However, you can grind the dried chickpeas in a strong blender or food processor to make flour. Dried beans are usually found by the can aisle, or in the bulk section.

      Hope this helps! Let me know if you decide to make it and how it turns out!

      Alex

  5. ive had this recipe in my head for i feel like weeks now, been seeing it everywhere! yours looks SO delicious alex! i love artichokes.. and homemade pizza is the best. excited to try it with a socca crust! have a great day ๐Ÿ™‚

  6. Oh. My. Gosh. This looks SO good! I Wonder if I Can make it into a smaller personal size pizza ,if I made it in a smaller pan. I’m definitely going to try it! I’ve been looking for a use for the rest of my garbanzo bean flour. YAY!

    • Hi Liz!! I actually did make it in a smaller pan the other day…I took my 5 or 6″ cast iron and only used 1/4 cup garbanzo bean flour (that’s a regular serving). So yumm! A perfect lunch or dinner (or breakfast! I had it cold for bfast once…YUM!)

  8. SO Bizarre! I in the Twins website yesterday reading about Socca and was intrigued…maybe we got linked through the same link. Anyways…Have you ever tried getting the dried beans and just processingh them into the flour? I read that somewhere….

  12. YUMMMMMMMMM
    Can I come over?
    Socca pizza looks great!!! And that pesto sounds delicious.

    Tough question: I like all meals ๐Ÿ˜‰ I guess dinner or dessert would be my choice.

  16. I’ve been meaning to try socca for a while. Does it have to be made with garbanzo bean flour or would it work with whole wheat?

  20. Your socca pizza is BEAUTIFUL! My first socca pizza was a flop, although it made for a tasty pizza-casserole! I can’t wait to give it another try and this time I’m spraying the heck out of the pan first!

  22. Okay reporting back to tell you I made this recipe for dinner…and it was awesome! The socca pizza crust couldn’t have been easier and the pesto was spot on. This will be a repeat in my house from now on…thanks lady!! ๐Ÿ™‚

  23. I used to watch this vegetarian cooking show and Christina used semolina flour alot because it lightened things up. I used half garbanzo flour and half semolina flour. I liked it alot better, it was not as beany. This is genius though.

  25. Hi – Iโ€™ve only just found your website and have already tried the bittersweet chocolate cake, smacaroons and this amazing pizza. This turned out to be one of the best savory things Iโ€™ve eaten in a LONG time! Thank you!

    Also, I discovered the bittersweet chocolate cake is amazing topped with a sugar-free avocado chocolate mousse. I just blended avocado, chocolate powder, coconut milk, vanilla, some applesauce, and a bit of arrowroot powder. Delicious. Iโ€™d love to see more chocolate recipes in the future if you have time.

    • Hi Britta,

      So glad you are enjoying my recipes!! And thanks for the tip with the avocado cream-sounds divine!

      Don’t worry, I am always creating more chocolate recipes ๐Ÿ˜€

  26. Made a vegan version of this tonight with veg sausage and it was amazing! Thanks for sharing. ๐Ÿ™‚

Trackbacks

  1. […] and made it into a pizza crust! I added some Italian spices to the socca, and it was a fabulous crust. I topped my pizza with a plethora of veggies, tomato sauce and daiya cheese. Picture it in your head, or check out Alexโ€™s blog where she has a pretty picture of her socca pizza. […]