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    Oh My Veggies » Vegetarian Recipes » Vegetarian Main Dishes

    BBQ Chickpea Deep Dish Pizza

    Published: Feb 22, 2016 · by Joanne · Updated: Feb 15, 2021 · This post may contain affiliate links.

    Jump to Recipe - Print Recipe

     

    Sometimes I think I might have missed my life's calling, which was obviously to be a pizza-topping-thinker-upper. The options are ENDLESS! And somehow always tasty. Funny how that works.

    Maybe it's because I come from a long lineage of pizza bakers, but I've never felt particularly tied down by the traditional tomato sauce + mozzarella + basil combo. There are just too many other flavors out there that need to be piled on top of a disc of dough for me to stick with just one for the rest of my life...instead I want to try them ALL. And I'm taking you along with me.

    BBQ Chickpea Pizza

    This BBQ sauce and chickpea medley has actually been lurking around my brain for a while as a potential pizza topper. It's modeled after a BBQ chicken pizza from California Pizza Kitchen that I ate way too much of in college and have been jonesing to vegetarianize ever since! Barbecue sauce serves as the sauce and it's topped with layers of gooey gouda, caramelized onions and peppers, and chickpeas. I highly recommend going spicy with the barbecue sauce that you use for this, otherwise it comes off as a little bit too sweet with the sweet caramelized onions and the sweet peppers.

    Because I love a good thick crust, I made this deep dish style. The advantage of this is that deep dish dough only takes about a half hour to rise instead of the two hours required for thin crust dough. However, if you're using storebought dough (which is totally fine!), you can go either way as long as you adjust the baking time and temperature accordingly (see instructions in the recipe below).

    Recipe

    BBQ Chickpea Pizza

    BBQ Chickpea Pizza

    A vegetarian version of barbecue chicken pizza, made with chickpeas!
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe Email Recipe
    Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 45 minutes minutes
    Total Time: 1 hour hour
    Course: Main Course, Side Dish
    Cuisine: American
    Diet: Vegan, Vegetarian
    Keyword: BBQ Chickpea Pizza, vegetarian pizza, vegetarian pizza recipe
    Servings: 4 servings
    Calories: 753kcal
    Author: Oh My Veggies

    Ingredients

    For the pizza crust:

    • 2 ¼ teaspoons yeast
    • 1 cup lukewarm water divided
    • A pinch of sugar
    • 2 ½ cups bread flour divided
    • 2 tablespoons olive oil
    • 1 teaspoon salt

    For the pizza toppings:

    • 2 tablespoons olive oil
    • 1 large yellow onion thinly sliced
    • Salt and black pepper to taste
    • 1 tablespoon water
    • 1 red bell pepper seeded and thinly sliced
    • 1 14.5-ounce can chickpeas, drained, rinsed, and dried
    • ⅓ - ½ cup barbecue sauce
    • 8 ounces gouda grated
    US Customary - Metric

    Instructions

    • For the crust, in a small bowl whisk together the yeast, ¼ cup of water, and a pinch of sugar. Let the mixture sit while you prepare the rest of the dough. Meanwhile, in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the bread hook attachment, combine 2 cups of bread flour, olive oil, salt, and remaining water. When the yeast becomes foamy, add it into the bowl with the flour. (If the yeast doesn't become foamy, it may be dead and you'll have to start over with new yeast.)
    • Mix the dough on medium speed until well-combined. If the dough is still sticking to the sides of the bowl after a minute or mixing, then add in more flour. Mix on medium-high speed for 4 minutes. Cover lightly with plastic wrap and let the dough rise in a warm, draft-free place until doubled in size, about 30 minutes.
    • Meanwhile, heat the oven to 425ºF.
    • In a large skillet, heat the remaining olive oil over medium heat. Add the onions to the pan along with a sprinkle of salt. Saute for 8-10 minutes, stirring every 2 minutes, until starting to caramelize and brown. Add a tablespoon of water to the pan and saute for another 3-4 minutes. Stir in the bell pepper slices and saute until tender and starting to brown, about 3-4 minutes. Stir in the chickpeas. Season to taste with salt and black pepper.
    • Grease a 12-inch oven-proof pan or cast-iron skillet. Spread the dough in the skillet so that it reaches the sides. Top with ⅓ cup of the barbecue sauce, spreading it around the dough and leaving a ½-inch edge for the crust. Top with the grated cheese and the vegetable chickpea mixture. Drizzle with 1-2 tablespoons of additional barbecue sauce, or to taste.
    • Put the pan in the oven and bake for 15 minutes or until the cheese is bubbling and the bottom of the dough is golden brown. Let cool for 5 minutes, then slice and serve.

    Notes

    To save time, you can always use storebought pizza dough to make this recipe! Just make sure it comes to room temperature before using it.
    Additionally, this pizza can be made thin crust instead of deep dish by making it on a 14-inch pizza pan. In that case, bake at 500ºF for 10 minutes.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 753kcalCarbohydrates: 89gProtein: 27gFat: 32gSaturated Fat: 12gPolyunsaturated Fat: 3gMonounsaturated Fat: 15gCholesterol: 65mgSodium: 1669mgPotassium: 453mgFiber: 5gSugar: 24gVitamin A: 1386IUVitamin C: 40mgCalcium: 441mgIron: 2mg
    Craving more veg-friendly recipes? Shop our collection of vegetarian and vegan cookbooks, including our new Vegan Thanksgiving and Vegan Christmas cookbooks!
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    Vegetarian Main Dishes, Vegetarian Recipes chickpeas, main dishes, pizza

    Joanne Bruno from Eats Well With Others

    About Joanne

    Joanne Bruno is the blogger, recipe developer, and photographer behind the mostly ridiculous and always delicious vegetarian food blog Eats Well With Others. She likes her vegetables with a side of cupcakes and takes a highly hyperbolic approach to most things in life.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Kelley says

      February 22, 2016 at 2:23 pm

      This is definitely going on my meal list for the week. If it encourages the toddler to eat beans, I'll make it EVERY week.

      Reply
    2. Fox Kitchen says

      February 22, 2016 at 3:52 pm

      Amazing! I've never thought of adding chickpeas to a pizza, this is genius!

      Reply
    3. Kate says

      March 02, 2016 at 1:46 pm

      I agree! You've missed your career mark by a mile. 🙂 But seriously, this is genius!!

      Reply
    4. Mary @ Fit and Fed says

      March 04, 2016 at 1:08 am

      Wow, Joanne, I've put a lot things on a pizza but have never thought of using chickpeas! Trying to re-create that college pizza flavor led to something very creative that looks darned good!

      Reply
    5. Sarah says

      January 16, 2022 at 3:19 pm

      5 stars
      Very, very good! And I rarely leave reviews. Exactly what I was craving. Thank you for the recipe!

      Reply
    5 from 2 votes (1 rating without comment)

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    Nicole is a life long vegetarian and the author of the popular vegan cookbook, Weeknight One Pot Vegan Cooking. She loves sharing her recipes and showing the world just how easy and delicious meatless meals can be!
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