Broccoli Rabe Pesto Pizza (Paleo & Gluten-free)
For those of us that are living a Paleo lifestyle that is grain-free, this is the perfect pizza crust– a little crispy on the edges and just the right amount of softness in the dough. For many of us, the broccoli rabe pesto is deliciously bitter with a little sweetness from the basil and honey and optionally added sun-dried tomatoes. For those of you that really don’t like any bitter flavor, you can omit the broccoli rabe and increase the basil. Enjoy returning to the world of pizza!
Ingredients
Crust Ingredients:
  • 1+1/2cup cassava flour
  • 1cup arrowroot powder
  • 1+1/2tsp sea salt
  • 1+1/2tsp Italian seasoning
  • 1tsp onion powder
  • 2 eggs
  • 1cup water
  • 1/2cup extra virgin olive oil
Pesto Ingredients:
  • 1bunch broccoli rabetough stems removed
  • 2cup packed fresh basil leaves
  • juice of whole lemon
  • 1tsp honey
  • 1/2tsp sea salt
  • 1/4cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 1/4cup sun-dried tomatoes, choppedOPTIONAL
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Place baking sheet in oven while preheating.
  2. Make crust: In mixing bowl, add cassava flour, arrowroot, sea salt, Italian seasoning, and onion powder and mix well. In separate bowl, whisk together eggs, water, and olive oil. Pour liquid mixture into dry mixture and mix well. Let rest for 5-10 minutes.
  3. Pour dough onto parchment paper and spread out in even thin layer. You can use oiled fingers to help smooth out rough parts or cover dough with saran wrap and use rolling pin gently to spread out dough evenly.
  4. Remove hot baking sheet from oven carefully and place parchment with dough on baking sheet and return to oven for 14 minutes.
  5. While crust bakes, prepare pesto. Add broccoli rabe to boiling water for 2-3 minutes and then remove and add to large bowl of ice water to shock/blanch broccoli rabe.
  6. To food processor, add broccoli rabe, basil leaves, lemon juice, honey, nutritional yeast, sea salt, and ¼ cup sun-dried tomatoes (optional) and pulse until coarsely chopped and mixed.
  7. Slowly pour extra virgin olive oil into pouring spout of food processor while food processor is on and leave on to mix well. Open food processor and scrape down sides and then run again for another minute or so until fully incorporated. Taste test pesto to see if it needs more olive oil.
  8. When crust is cooked and removed from oven, you can spread pesto evenly on crust and then return to oven for 5-10 minutes to heat throughout.
Recipe Notes

Notes & Variations:

  • I am a huge fan of bitter greens, for flavor and health benefits (great for the liver and detoxification!!!), but for some people, bitter greens like broccoli rabe are just too bitter. If that is the case, you can remove the broccoli rabe from the pesto recipe and increase the basil to 4 cups plus add 1/3 cup raw pine nuts. You may find that without the bitter broccoli rabe, you don’t need the honey either.
  • Another way to help temper the broccoli rabe pesto flavor to be a little less bitter is by adding chopped sun-dried tomatoes to the food processor.