Pesto and White Bean Protein Pizza
While pizza often has the connotation of being an unhealthy dinner option, this Pesto and White Bean Protein Pizza defies the norm. Packed with 25 grams of protein (despite being vegetarian) and 10 grams of fiber per serving, you won’t feel bad eating this pizza cold from the fridge the next morning! Featured in my back-to-school budget dinner plan, this pizza is perfect for busy school nights when you want to skip the takeout, but still enjoy a favorite comfort food.
Pesto and White Bean Protein Pizza Ingredient Notes:
Pesto: You can make your own homemade pesto in a food processor combining basil, olive oil, pine nuts, and parm or nutritional yeast, but I like to opt for a store-bought option to save time. This one from Trader Joe’s uses cashews and is dairy-free!
Navy/Cannellini Beans: White beans make for a creamy texture to our beans and greens pizza base They provide plant-based protein and fiber, making the pizza hearty and nutritious. Sauteed with garlic and olive oil, they add richness without additional dairy.
Full-Fat Plain Greek Yogurt: Greek yogurt gives the gluten-free pizza dough tenderness and moisture while boosting protein content. A hidden protein element that takes this dough to the next level! Depending on the brand and type of yogurt you use, just 1 1/4 cups adds about 20 additional grams of protein to our flatbread!
Mozzarella: I like to use shredded, low-moisture mozzarella to get the ultimate cheese pull every pizza deserves. For a dairy-free option, use shredded non-dairy cheese or omit.
Pesto and White Bean Protein Pizza
4
servings15
minutes25
minutesWhile pizza often has the connotation of being an unhealthy dinner option, this Pesto and White Bean Protein Pizza defies the norm. Packed with 25 grams of protein (despite being vegetarian) and 10 grams of fiber per serving, you won’t feel bad eating this pizza cold from the fridge the next morning! Featured in my back-to-school budget dinner plan, this pizza is perfect for busy school nights when you want to skip the takeout, but still enjoy a favorite comfort food.
Keep the screen of your device on
Ingredients
- FOR THE PIZZA DOUGH
1 3/4 cups 1:1 gluten-free baking flour or all-purpose flour, plus more for shaping
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 1/4 cups whole-milk or low-fat Greek yogurt
- FOR THE PIZZA TOPPINGS
2 teaspoons olive oil
15 -ounce can white navy or cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
3 grated garlic cloves
kosher salt
juice of 1 lemon (about 2 tablespoons)
6 ounces jarred basil pesto, divided
2 1/2 cups shredded curly kale (about 4 ounces)
1 1/2 cups baby spinach, roughly chopped (about 2 ounces)
4 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese
red pepper flakes, for topping (optional)
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 425ºF. Line a large sheet pan with parchment paper and position an oven rack in the lower third of the oven.
- Make the dough: In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, garlic powder, and salt. Fold in the yogurt with a rubber spatula until just combined. Knead the dough on a lightly floured surface with clean, lightly floured hands until the yogurt is fully incorporated and the dough is soft but not sticky, 2 to 3 minutes. If the dough feels too sticky to handle, add more flour by the tablespoon until you can form a ball.
- To roll the dough, place the parchment paper on the counter and lightly sprinkle with flour. With a lightly floured rolling pin or floured hands, roll or press the dough on the parchment into a thin 13×10-inch rectangle, adding a bit more flour if the dough is still sticky. Transfer the parchment to the sheet pan. Bake until the top is lightly browned, 15 to 17 minutes. Remove from the oven, but leave the oven on.
- While the flatbread bakes, sauté the beans and greens: Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add the beans and cook, stirring often, until lightly crisped. Stir in the spinach, kale, and garlic and continue cooking and stirring until the greens are completely wilted, about 3 minutes, stirring to not burn the garlic. Season with a few big pinches of salt and mix in the lemon juice. *Note: if the beans break up a bit as you stir, don’t stress!* Set aside off heat.
- Top the pizza: Spread about two-thirds of the pesto evenly over the dough, leaving a 1/2- to 1-inch border on all sides. Top with the garlicky beans and greens and mozzarella cheese, evenly distributing throughout. Add small spoonfuls of pesto on top, using up the rest of the jar.
- Return to the oven and bake until the cheese has melted, about 10 minutes. Cool on the sheet pan for about 5 minutes, and sprinkle with red pepper flakes (if using). Slice into four or eight even pieces to serve.
Notes
- Store it: Refrigerate in a sealed container for up to 4 days.
- Reheat it: From the refrigerator, microwave until warm, about 2 minutes, or heat in the oven at 400°F until warm.
- Mozzarella: Swap for cheddar, provolone, or parmesan.
- White beans: Swap for chickpeas.
- Dairy-Free: For a dairy-free option, swap the Greek yogurt for plain dairy-free yogurt and add additional yogurt or flour as needed to get the dough consistency. Omit the cheese or use vegan cheese.
- Crust: Use this crust recipe as a base and build your own sheetpan pizza using your favorite sauce, veggies, and meat!
Did you make this recipe?
Snap a photo & tag @jenneatsgoood on INSTAGRAM
If you try out this recipe, I want to know!
Leave a comment with a star rating below if you love it.
I was worried a couple of times in the process as this is a little outside my comfort zone but both my hubby and I enjoyed it and will enjoy leftovers tomorrow.
I think next time I’ll make sure to make the base as thin as possible as mine was a bit too thick but that’s ok me and not the recipe.
I saw this and wanted to try it but I was nervous because it’s not something I would generally like or enjoy. But I’m so happy I tried it the food came out delicious and everything paired so nicely! I’m glad I have a lot of left overs to save for lunch!
I tried it tonight and it was really great! The dough was a bit heavier than I was expecting, so I think I’ll make less dough next time. That being said, it tasted wonderful, I changed out some of the toppings to use what I had and it was still fabulous. Will 100% make and enjoy again!
A tip: invest in good pesto. It’s a star of this dish so I recommend purchasing a good quality one! 🙂
As an Italian-American from the Boston area I was leery about the dough. Pleasantly surprised!!! Despite it being sticky to manage, I did place parchment on top and a rolling pin thinned it out perfectly. We used nut-free Bear Pond Farm basil pesto. Great job Jenn! It was delicious!!
As an Italian-American from the Boston area I was leery about the dough. Pleasantly surprised!!! Despite it being sticky to manage, I did place parchment on top and a rolling pin thinned it out perfectly. We used nut-free Bear Pond Farm basil pesto. Great job Jenn! It was delicious!! Please keep the Grocery Series coming.
This is delicious! i subbed kefir because i didn’t have yogurt, added some peas, and used mozarella slices. I didn’t return pizza to oven because heat from greens melted cheese immediately. YUM! The only thing is i didn’t see any instruction on was greasing parchment paper. I added a few drops of oil, but paper still stuck to the bottom of pizza and was really hard to get off! Small and easily remedied detail! Will make again!
Absolutely delicious and such a fun pizza variation! I added feta to mine and used half whole wheat and half all purpose flour for the crust and it worked great. Will be adding to the dinner rotation!
I loved the flavor of this recipe, and it seems like a great source of fiber as well! The dough was very sticky, though, and I had issues with the crust sticking to the parchment behavior.
I won’t lie, my husband and I were definitely skeptics when it came to beans and kale on a pizza. He ended up really liking the lightness of the crust and we were both pleasantly surprised to enjoy this healthy take on pizza. I lost some of my crust though as it stuck to the parchment when rolling it out. I think I could add more flour next time to avoid the issue.
The pizza dough was a little tough to work with and roll out for me but now I know to thin it out a bit! The toppings were delicious and I’m even thinking about adding ranch seasoning to the dough next time… 👀 Excited to make again!
Do you have nutrition facts available for your recipes?
This pizza is sooooo good! I love all of the ingredients, it’s relatively easy to make, is light but filling, and is really good as leftovers. I’ve made this about once a week for the last 4 weeks now.