Have you ever been to California Pizza Kitchen? It was a ritual when I was in high school many years ago. There were two pizzas I would order: the Thai Chicken Pizza and the Tostada Pizza. It’s the Tostada pizza that is the inspiration for this black bean pizza. Pizza crust is topped with a creamy black bean spread and lots of cheese. After baking, it is served with crisp lettuce, tomatoes and a drizzle of ranch dressing. I love it.
How to Make Black Bean Pizza
We used Pillsbury pizza dough, but using a pre-baked dough, homemade dough or refrigerated dough from another brand/store are all excellent options. This would also be fantastic if you replaced the pizza dough all together with flour tortillas. If you are using Pillsbury, we found pre-baking for a few minutes before adding our toppings helped with a crispier crust. While the dough pre-bakes, get the black bean spread ready. Add minced garlic to some olive oil and cook until it starts to brown. Add oregano as well as a can of black beans that have been drained and rinsed. When the beans are heated through, add a few dashes of hot sauce and a little water. When the water has reduced by half, use a potato masher to mash the beans into a chunky paste. Spread the black beans all over the pre-baked pizza dough, and then top with cheese. After baking the pizza, top it with lots of crisp lettuce, cherry tomato halves and your favorite salad dressing. I love ranch with this. This recipe was originally developed and shared on Pillsbury.com. Recipe updated, originally posted January 2012. Since posting this in 2012, we have tweaked the recipe to be more clear. – Adam and Joanne 2 tablespoons olive oil 2 garlic cloves, minced 1 teaspoon dried oregano 1 (15-ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed 3 to 4 dashes hot sauce or more to taste 1/4 cup water 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese 2 cups shredded romaine lettuce 8 cherry tomatoes, halved 1/4 cup ranch dressing Salt and fresh ground black pepper 2Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and oregano then cook 30 seconds. Stir in the black beans and hot sauce. Pour in the water and cook until reduced by half. Use a potato masher or fork to mash the black beans into a chunky paste. 3Taste for seasoning, and then add salt or additional hot sauce as necessary. Spread black beans evenly onto the pre-baked pizza crust, top with cheese and bake another 8 to 10 minutes or until the crust is golden brown and the cheese has melted. 4Slice pizza into 12 squares and top with shredded lettuce, tomatoes and a drizzle of ranch dressing.
