What is Socca?
Socca is a simple gluten-free flatbread that originates from Nice, the fifth largest city in France. It’s made with just four simple ingredients, including chickpea flour, which you can make at home in just minutes. This chickpea flour pizza crust doesn’t require any yeast, or kneading, so I consider it one of the easier options to make, but it does benefit from soaking for 30 minutes. Let the batter rest after you stir it together, if you can! Note: In a hurry? The socca will still turn out okay if you need to bake it right away. In my experience, soaking the socca batter gives it a slightly smoother texture, but it’s still delicious either way.
How to Make the Pizza
How do you make socca pizza? This Mediterranean-inspired version is easy, because the roasted vegetable toppings cook at the same time as the socca flatbread. (Hello, multi-tasking!) Step #1: Stir together the chickpea flour batter. Set it aside to rest while you chop up the vegetables.
It’s also a good idea to preheat your oven to 450ºF and set a 10-inch cast iron skillet inside, to heat up at the same time. A preheated pan will give you a crispier pizza crust later! Step #2: Time to slice the veggies. You can use any veggies you have on hand, but I’m a big fan of adding roasted tomato and red onion on top. I also love it with zucchini or roasted cauliflower.
Arrange them on a parchment lined pan in a single layer, so they’ll cook evenly. Step #3: Cook the socca & roasted veggies. Use oven mitts to remove the pan from the hot oven, then grease it with olive oil and pour the socca batter inside. Bake the socca on one rack in your oven, and the roasted vegetables on a separate rack, both for about 20 to 25 minutes.
Step #4: Make the white bean spread. While everything else is cooking, you can toss these ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth. Add more water, as needed, to make it spreadable, and adjust any seasoning to your liking.
Step #5: Add it all together. When the socca and veggies are done cooking, you can top the flatbread with the white bean spread, roasted veggies, and any other toppings you like. When I have fresh arugula on hand, I like to add that, and if you like a sprinkling of cheese, a little feta is nice, too!
Meal Prep Tips
If you want to make all of these components ahead of time, this Socca Pizza makes an easy lunch during the week. Simply store the socca, white bean dip, and roasted veggies in separate containers in the fridge for up to 5 days. When you’re ready to assemble your lunch, all you have to do is spread a slice or two of socca with the white bean dip, and pile on the vegetable toppings! It takes me 5 minutes or less to assemble this as a cold, open-faced sandwich, or you can heat it up for a warmer option.
If you try this Socca Pizza, please leave a comment below letting me know how you like it. And if you make any modifications, I’d love to hear about those, too! – Reader Feedback: Have you experimented with chickpea flour yet? Try my chickpea pancakes, if you want another way to use it!
