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BBQ Sweet Potato Pita Pizza with Caramelized Onions & Kale

February 26, 2018 Leave a Comment

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BBQ Sweet Potato Pita Pizza | chefshiv.com

I didn’t realize how good sweet potatoes are until way too recently. I remember being out to eat when I was about 18 and claiming that I didn’t like sweet potato fries, and my brother Colin was like, what’s wrong with you?! Fast forward a few years and I learned that they’re healthier than regular potatoes and that I actually like them so much more. And now, since I’m making up for lost time, I do potentially weird things like use mashed sweet potato as pizza ‘sauce’…but don’t be weirded out. Topped with caramelized onions, kale, goat cheese and a drizzle of bbq sauce, the flavor in this pizza is so good.

BBQ Sweet Potato Pita Pizza | chefshiv.com
BBQ Sweet Potato Pita Pizza | chefshiv.com
BBQ Sweet Potato Pita Pizza | chefshiv.com

One of the biggest benefits of sweet potatoes is that they’re packed with vitamin A, which is a major antioxidant and is linked to important things like anti-aging and cancer prevention. To up the nutrients even more, I like to add a couple of tablespoons of flaxseed to the sweet potato mash — it blends in nicely and doesn’t affect the flavor.

If you bake the potato and make the caramelized onions a day or two ahead, this pizza can easily be made in 20 minutes. You could also just sauté the onion to save time, but don’t be intimidated by the caramelizing — you have to keep an eye on them but otherwise it’s easy.

BBQ Sweet Potato Pita Pizza | chefshiv.com
BBQ Sweet Potato Pita Pizza | chefshiv.com
BBQ Sweet Potato Pita Pizza | chefshiv.com

Crust Options

The key to making it extra quick, and also the perfect single portion, is to use naan or pocketless pita/flatbread as the crust. If you’re cooking for two or three, you can double up on the pitas, or use a full-sized prepared crust or whatever kind of dough you like. Finding whole-wheat pizza dough at my Trader Joe’s or Whole Foods is hit or miss, but I can always find some kind of naan or pita that will work (really the only requirement is that it’s pocketless). We also really like the frozen Engine 2 100% Whole Wheat Pizza Crust from Whole Foods.

BBQ Sauce

You only need a tablespoon or two of the bbq sauce so if you won’t use it for something else, you can skip it. A lot of store-bought sauces can be full of high-fructose corn syrup, artificial colors, etc., so take a look at the ingredients. Ideally, it won’t have more than about 8 grams of sugar per serving (I don’t mind some added sugar as long as it’s real sugar). Or better yet, it’ll be naturally sweetened with honey or maple syrup, but I haven’t come across that yet — let me know if you have!

BBQ Sweet Potato Pita Pizza | chefshiv.com

Make this pizza and tell me how much you love it in a comment and review 😉

BBQ Sweet Potato Pita Pizza with Caramelized Onions & Kale

I eat sweet potatoes almost every week and I crave this pizza more than anything else. Bake the potato ahead to make this a quick weeknight meal!
Print Recipe
Prep Time 20 mins
Cook Time 1 hr
Total Time 1 hr 20 mins
Course Main Course
Servings 2

Ingredients
  

  • 1 large sweet potato* (about 3/4 lb.)
  • 2 tsp extra-virgin olive oil, divided
  • 1 medium yellow onion
  • fine sea salt
  • Splash of milk (I use unsweetened plain almond)
  • 2 tbsp ground flaxseed, optional
  • freshly ground pepper
  • 1/2 bunch curly kale (about 2 cups packed)
  • 2 pieces of whole-wheat naan or pocketless pita/flatbread (for individual pizzas); OR an 11-12 in pizza crust (store bought or made with your favorite dough)
  • 1-2 ounces goat cheese with garlic & herbs (or plain)
  • 1-2 tbsp bbq sauce**

Instructions
 

Baked Potato (this can be done ahead)

  • Preheat oven to 400 F. Rinse, scrub and dry the potato; pierce it several times with a fork. Place the potato on a small piece of parchment, foil or a Silpat, and bake about 45 mins or until cooked all the way through (easily mashable). Make a long slice down the center and set aside to cool.

Caramelized Onions (can also be done ahead)

  • Thinly slice the onion; this tutorial is helpful! Heat about 1 tsp of olive oil over medium-high heat in a large skillet (I use my 10.25-in cast iron). Once hot, add the onions and stir to coat; cook about 10 mins, stirring occasionally, then sprinkle some salt and stir again.
  • Reduce heat to medium and continue cooking for about 15-20 more mins or until caramelized to your liking, reducing heat to med-low if they’re starting to burn. If they start to dry out, add a splash of water (you can continue doing this as needed - I usually need to 4-5 times). Remove from heat.

Pizza

  • Place a pizza stone (I love my cast iron pizza pan) or cookie sheet in the oven and preheat to 400 F if using naan/pita, or follow the instructions for your crust/dough. 
  • Scoop out about 1 cup of the potato into a bowl; mash with a fork. Add the flaxseed, a splash of milk, and a bit of salt and fresh pepper; mix well. You want it to be spreadable so add more milk if necessary. Set aside. 
  • Rinse and thoroughly dry kale; remove thick ribs and chop into bite-sized pieces. Heat 1 tsp olive oil over medium heat in a large skillet; sauté kale for about 1 min, stirring constantly, until it’s dark green and slightly wilted. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
  • Spread the potato mixture in a thin, even layer on the crust. Sprinkle a layer of cheese, kale, and onions; repeat until you’ve used all of the toppings (they’ll cook down a bit).
  • Carefully move the pizza onto your hot pan/stone and bake for 7-9 minutes, or until cheese is melty and the crust is as crispy as you want. Remove from oven and using a small spoon, drizzle some bbq sauce over the pizza. Slice and serve!

Notes

*you’ll need about 1 cup of mashed potato
**see note above about bbq sauce
The recipe is written for two servings - either two pitas or one 11-12 inch crust - but it’s really filling so it could definitely be stretched for three or even four, especially if you serve it with a salad or another side. When I make it just for myself, I save the leftover baked potato and caramelized onions for something else, and only use about 1 cup of kale.

Filed Under: Mains, Vegetarian Tagged With: kale, pizza, super seeds, sweet potato

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