Name: Chipotle Cauliflower Pizza with Cilantro Lime Pesto
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 40 min
Ingredients: Double batch of sweet potato pizza crusts (for a total of four crusts); 1 medium/large head of cauliflower, chopped into florets; 1 1/2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil; 1 chipotle in adobo sauce + 1 tablespoon of adobo sauce; 1 large garlic clove, minced; 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice; 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt; 1/2 cup pepitas; 2 lightly packed cups cilantro, roughly chopped; 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice, or to taste; 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil; 2 large garlic cloves, minced; 1/4 cup nutritional yeast; 1/4 + 1/8 teaspoon fine sea salt; Freshly ground black pepper, to taste; 2 cups cooked black beans; 1 large red bell pepper, diced; 2 cups grated Monterey Jack cheese; Quick pickled red onions or pickled jalapeños

Description

This chipotle roasted cauliflower pizza with cilantro lime pesto, black beans, and cheese is a fun way to inject some spice and variety into your pizza recipe repertoire.

Ingredients

Scale

Double batch of sweet potato pizza crusts (for a total of four crusts)

Chipotle Cauliflower

1 medium/large head of cauliflower, chopped into florets
1 1/2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 chipotle in adobo sauce + 1 tablespoon of adobo sauce
1 large garlic clove, minced
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt

Cilantro Lime Pepita Pesto

1/2 cup pepitas
2 lightly packed cups cilantro, roughly chopped
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice, or to taste
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 large garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
1/4 + 1/8 teaspoon fine sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Additional Toppings

2 cups cooked black beans
1 large red bell pepper, diced
2 cups grated Monterey Jack cheese

Garnish

Quick pickled red onions or pickled jalapeños

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Instructions

First, make the sweet potato pizza crusts. I usually make these in the morning and loosely cover them with parchment paper once they’ve cooled, until I’m ready to make the pizzas later in the day.
Next, prepare the cauliflower. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F and place the cauliflower on a baking sheet. In a food processor fitted with the ‘S’ blade, blend together the olive oil, chipotle, adobo sauce, garlic, lime juice, and salt until mostly smooth; small pieces of chipotle are okay. Add the chipotle sauce to the cauliflower and toss to coat. Roast for 25 minutes, stirring halfway through.
Meanwhile, make the pesto. Wash out the food processor bowl and fit it with the ‘S’ blade again. Add the pepitas and process until coarsely ground. Add the cilantro, lime juice, olive oil, garlic, nutritional yeast, salt, and pepper. Process until smooth, pausing to scrape down the sides as necessary. Add a tablespoon or two of water to thin out, if needed. Transfer into a jar.
Now it’s time to assemble the pizzas. Increase the oven temperature to 450 degrees F. Place your pre-baked sweet potato pizza crust on a pizza stone or sheet pan. Alternatively, if using store-bought pizza dough or crusts, follow the directions on the package. On each crust, spread 1/4 cup of the pesto, followed by a heaping 1/2 cup of the chipotle roasted cauliflower, 1/2 cup of black beans, a quarter of the red pepper, and 1/2 cup of grated cheese. Repeat with the remaining pizza crusts for a total of four pizzas. If you only have one or two pizza stones or sheet pans, simply assemble and bake one or two pizzas at a time.
Bake the pizzas two at a time (since that’s all that will fit in most standard ovens) for 7-8 minutes, until the cheese has melted and browned to your liking. Broil for 1 minute, if desired to brown the cheese even more. Repeat with the remaining two pizzas. Slice each pizza into six slices and enjoy!

Notes

If you end up with leftover roasted cauliflower, enjoy it on the side. 🙂

Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Category: Main Course

Keywords: chipotle roasted cauliflower pizza