This Feta, Veggie Pizza With Pumpkin Puree was LOVE at first taste.

If you're new to the idea of pizzas with a pumpkin sauce, then you're in for a treat. Because this Feta, Veggie Pizza With Pumpkin Puree will send your taste buds wild. Seriously!

Pumpkins are an excellent source of nutrition, providing fibre, antioxidants - vitamin A and C, potassium and iron.

In this recipe, I've used a jarrahdale pumpkin (grey in colour) to create a creamy, buttery, savoury-sweet flavour, which is intensified by the apple. With warming, sweet spices and fragrant, earthy sage, it's the perfect pizza sauce to add a feta cheese, veggie and tomato topping to.

 

 

The quinoa pizza base adds a lovely, crunchy texture and is a terrific way to avoid gluten and wheat plus, add protein. I used white, black and red quinoa to give the pizza a more wholesome look, but you can use any colour quinoa.

And the optional cauliflower florets in the pizza base help to soak up any excess liquid, if the mixture appears too runny after processing. So I recommend having some cauliflower on hand, just in case :).

 

 

Feta, Veggie Pizza With Pumpkin Puree

Serves 6 (slices)

Ready in 75 minutes

INGREDIENTS

Pizza base:

• 150g quinoa (soaked overnight)
• 275g purified / filtered water
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon Himalayan salt
• 4 large cauliflower florets (optional)
• 1 tablespoon coconut (melted) or olive oil

Pumpkin puree:

• 1/2 medium-sized jarrahdale pumpkin
• 1 large apple (spartan or sweet-tasting)
• 1 pinch of nutmeg
• 1 pinch of cinnamon
• 1 handful of fresh sage or 1 teaspoon dried sage
• salt & pepper seasoning

Pizza topping:

• 100g feta cheese (used organic)
• 10 cherry tomatoes
• 1 small courgette
• fresh basil leaves for decorating

INSTRUCTIONS

Pizza base:

1. Rinse the quinoa very well.
2. Put the rinsed quinoa in a bowl and cover it with water (about one inch above where the quinoa sits).
3. Let the quinoa soak overnight or for at least 8 hours.
4. Cook the quinoa in a pan with 250g of water for the time stated on the packet. Add more water if needed to avoid the quinoa sticking to the pan.
5. Preheat the oven to 220 C.
6. Drain and rinse the quinoa very well again.
7. Put the quinoa, 25g of water, salt and baking powder into a food processor with your washed cauliflower (if using).
8. Process the mix for about 2 minutes until it is smooth in consistency.
9. Line a baking tray or pizza stone with baking paper.
10. Spread the coconut or olive oil evenly over the baking paper.
11. Put the quinoa mix on top of the baking paper, smoothing it out evenly to resemble a pizza base.
12. Bake the pizza base for about 15 minutes until slightly firm to touch.

Pumpkin puree + courgette:

1. Wash and cut the courgette into slices.
2. Scoop out the pumpkin seeds and string before removing the skin and cutting the pumpkin into cubes.
3. Roughly chop the washed apple into slices.
4. Steam the pumpkin, courgette and apple in a basket above a pan of water (a steamer), for about 10 minutes until the pumpkin is slightly soft.
5. Put the courgette to one side.
6. Place the steamed pumpkin and apple into a food processor with the sage, nutmeg and cinnamon.
7. Blend until pureed and layer the pizza base with the pumpkin puree, spreading it evenly across the top.

Pizza topping:

1. Place the slices of steamed courgette on top of the pumpkin puree.
2. Cut the feta cheese into even pieces and add them to the pizza topping, together with the cherry tomatoes.
3. Bake in the oven for 15 minutes until the feta cheese starts to slightly melt.
4. Garnish with fresh basil leaves and season to taste.

Top tips:

1. Pizza bases or crusts cook better on a pizza stone. The ceramic material holds heat more evenly, and the porous surface will draw water out of particularly wet areas of the base, as it cooks. A pizza stone also makes life easier, as they can be used for cooking and serving.
2. I'm sure you won't do what I did, but don't leave the pizza base in the oven while prepping the other ingredients. Otherwise you'll end up with a burnt outer pizza base edge - as in the image. Should this happen, don't be disheartened, just trim away the burnt part before serving and eating.

Whether you're a pumpkin lover or would just like to try more pumpkin recipes, why not give my Healthy Pumpkin Parfait Recipe a go. It's absolutely delicious.