Gluten-free sweet potato pizza

With the arrival of cooler months comes cosy nights under the doona, the generosity of more clothing coverage and, of equal importance to The Life Holistic, the start of the sweet potato (otherwise known as kumara) season. This recipe combines the deliciously nutritious vegetable with a dish that no one needs convincing of… pizza! Yes – a gluten-free pizza with a vegetable-based base!

Credit: Nikki To

• serves

  4-6

• prep

  1:25 hour

• cook

  1:30 hour

• difficulty

  Mid

Ingredients

Sweet potato base

• 400 g sweet potato, skin removed and cut into rough chunks
• 140 g buckwheat flour
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp salt
• ½ tsp pepper
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp dried basil
• 40 g Parmesan, grated

Pizza sauce

• 3 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 dried bird’s eye chilli (optional – if you like it spicy)
• 1 tsp organic, cultured butter
• 400 g tomatoes, or 400 g tin whole Australian tomatoes
• 1 tsp salt
• ½ tsp fresh ground black pepper

Garlic sauce

• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 4 olives, pitted and chopped
• 1 tomato, finely diced
• 1 tsp chilli flakes

Pizza topping

• 4 tbsp goat's or feta cheese
• handful baby spinach leaves
• 6 semi sun-dried tomatoes
• 6 olives
• 1 tbsp lemon juice

Instructions

To make the base, preheat the oven to 110ºC (see Note).

Steam the sweet potato using a sieve placed over boiling water, covered, until a knife goes through with ease. Drain the water, mash the potato lightly and allow to cool. Transfer to a food processor.

Add all other ingredients and process. The mixture should be very sticky.

Use a spatula to spread the mixture carefully onto a large baking tray lined with baking paper (baking paper is a must, the mixture will stick to the tray without it). You can make it as thick or thin as you like.

Cook the base for an hour, or until the base starts to brown slightly.

Meanwhile, to make the sauce, fry the garlic, chilli and butter in a saucepan on a medium-low heat for about 2 minutes, until fragrant. Add the tomatoes, salt and pepper, reduce heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 20-30 minutes, or until about half of the moisture has evaporated and the consistency becomes more paste-like. If you use whole Australian tinned tomatoes, break them up with a spoon while they are in the pot.

Remove the base from the oven and lather pizza sauce on top with a wide knife. Stir the garlic sauce ingredients together and sprinkle on top with remaining toppings (except lemon) and return to the oven for 5-10 minutes.

Remove the pizza from the oven, squeeze with lemon and serve. 

Note

• The base can be cooked two ways. If you prefer a crisper base, cook on 110ºC for an hour. For the more time pressed, cook at 175ºC for 15-20 minutes or until the base starts to brown slightly.

• Sweet potato is a great pantry staple and one that we at The Life Holistic use regularly in a variety of dishes (even desserts!), as it can be stored for several weeks in cool, dry and dark conditions and can be frozen when cooked. However, do not refrigerate while fresh as this accelerates their decline.

Recipe from The Life Holistic by Georgia Wall, with photographs by Nikki To.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.