Tuscan Style Pizza

According to The Mediterranean Vegan Kitchen cookbook, Tuscan style pizza means a pizza made with beans.  I had never heard of anything like this and researched if this is really a traditional dish of the Tuscany region of Italy.  I wanted it to be true since this pizza was so good, but, alas, I found no recipes involving bean spread on pizza.  Oh well.  This was still a really good recipe and I will definitely try it again.  I am just going to assume that cannellini beans are what makes it Tuscan Style.

I have to admit I didn't make the pizza dough from scratch or even pounded out a pie from a pre-made dough.  Nope, I have bad luck with dough.  I'm just gonna stick with my Pizza Parlor Crusts that advertise "5 Pizzas in 5 Minutes!"

Anyway, here's the recipe as I made it:

2 Pizza Parlor Crusts
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 large cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
6 tablespoons vegetable broth
Salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh basil
3-4 ripe Roma tomatoes, cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices

Preheat over to 450.

In a saucepan, heat 1 1/2 tablespoons of the oil over medium-low heat.  Add the garlic and cook, stirring for two minutes.  Add the beans, brother, salt and pepper.  Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat.  Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally until mixture is thickened and very creamy, about 10 minutes.  Stir in half of the basil and take off heat.

Carefully spoon the bean mixture into a food processor or Tupperware Chop N Prep.  Blend together for just a few seconds so that the beans are mushed but not completely soupy.  You want them to form a thick, lumpy paste.

Spread the bean paste evenly on the pizza dough.  Place the tomato slices on top of the bean mixture, sprinkle with salt and pepper and drizzle the remaining oil over everything.

Bake for about 7 minutes.

This pizza is so good you don't even miss the cheese!  Especially when you eat the Tuscan Pizzas outside in what some people have called the Mediterranean of California.  (By some people, I mean me.)