Black Bean Crust Pizza

I admit it.

I am getting a little bit addicted to making funky pizza crusts. First there was our Cauliflower Crust Pizza, then we moved on to a Meat Crust Pizza, and then a Spinach Crust Pizza, then Spaghetti Squash Crust Pizza, and, just a little while ago, our Carrot Crust Pizza.

Crazy, right?

Well, Kenzie gave me an idea the other day while we were shopping. She said, "What about a black bean crust for a pizza?"

Interesting, right?

I knew I had to give it a whirl.

It turned out a lot more stable than I figured it would. It is a little bit fragile but, if you let it cool for a few minutes, you can pick it up and eat it with your hand.

It tastes great. Not quite as flavorful as the spaghetti squash or carrot crust but still very unique in it's own way. PLUS, this has so much protein and fiber and vitamins and blah-de-blah-blah that it is uber healthy. You could easily spice this up a bit more by adding some hot sauce or a jalapeno into the crust. 

Black Bean Crust Pizza

Ingredients

2 cups canned black beans, rinsed & drained

1 tsp Italian seasoning

1 tsp dried chives

2 cloves garlic

1 egg

1/4 cup quinoa flakes

1/4 cup shredded, cheddar/mozza cheese mix

1 tsp coconut oil

Toppings

2 - 3 tbsp pizza sauce

1/2 chicken breast, cooked & diced

1 small tomato, sliced

1 green onion, diced

1/2 red pepper, sliced

2 Tbsp Parmesan cheese, shredded

Directions

Preheat oven to 400. Line 2 pizza pans or cookie sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.

In a food processor, blend black beans until smooth. Add in seasoning, chives, garlic, egg, quinoa flakes, cheese, and coconut oil. Process until smooth.

Scoop mixture onto prepared pan.

Spread out to about a 10 - 11 inch circle.

Bake at 400 for 15 minutes. Remove from heat. Invert crust from the pan it is on to the other prepared pan. Peel off the parchment paper from the crust. Return to oven for another 5 - 7 minutes, until brown around the edges and looks dry.

Remove from heat.

Spread with the pizza sauce.

Sprinkle your toppings on top, placing the Parmesan cheese on last.

Return to oven for 5 minutes.

After 5 minutes, turn on broiler and broil for 1-2 minutes more to brown things up.

Remove from oven and let sit on pan for 2 - 3 minutes. Use parchment paper to slide off of pan. Cut and serve.

It gets a bit more stable as it cools.

If you wait a little bit, you will be able to pick it up in your hands.

Okay, definitely not the prettiest color as far as crusts go...but...it is tasty, the texture is great, and it is really good for you. I prettied it up with red pepper, orange & yellow tomatoes, and green onion.

According to Myfitnesspal, for HALF OF THE ENTIRE PIZZA:

Calories: 585

Carbs 63

Fat 17

Protein 51

That's WITH THE TOPPINGS!

So, yeah, not too shabby, right?

(For JUST the crust, no toppings, it is 418 calories, 55 carbs, 12 fat, and 27 protein)

There was no way I could eat more than half of this. In fact, I didn't even make it through an entire half. It is very filling.

I have already come up with a few more, different vegetable crust pizzas to experiment with. Be sure to keep checking back to our blog for more new and exciting pizza crust recipes. :)

Be sure to visit: Kitchen Fun With My 3 Sons and My Turn (for us) and The Velvet Moon Baker and The Rustic Pig and Carole's Chatter for some great links!!