This quinoa crust pizza with Roasted Lemons and Parsley Thyme Pesto is sure to brighten up any day with it's tangy taste and bold colors.
First, place the quinoa in a large bowl and cover with water. Allow it to stand at room temperature for at least 8 hours, or overnight.
Prepare the pesto, then roast the lemons.
Slice off the green stems and the very tip (root area) of the leeks. Then slice the remaining white part of the leeks in half lengthwise and place them in cool water for about 15 minutes. This will encourage the dirt to come free from inside the crevices of the leeks. Remove from the water, rinse and pat dry. Slice the leeks into thin half moon strips.
Heat 1 tbsp Colavita Olive Oil in a medium sauté pan over low heat.
Add 1 tbsp fresh thyme leaves and sauté until the leeks are wilted and starting to brown, about 7-10 minutes.
After the quinoa is finished soaking, heat up your oven to 450°F.
Rinse and drain the quinoa with a fine mesh sieve or cheesecloth. Place it in a blender with 1 ½ tsp salt and 4 tbsp of the sautéed leeks. You can do this in batches if your blender is small, just split the proportions in half. The resulting mixture should be the consistency of pancake batter.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place a dot of Colavita Olive Oil on the parchment and smooth it over the surface of the paper with your hands. This will make it easier to remove the crust.
Have an extra sheet of parchment paper ready for when you flip the crust.
Pour about ½ to ⅓ of the crust batter onto the prepared baking sheet and smooth out with your hands to an even thickness of about ¼”. Feel free to make any shape you like – the crust will hold! (We tried a rectangle, but circles, triangles, and even heart shapes will work!)
Place the crust in the oven and bake for 20 minutes.
Using oven mitts, remove the baking sheet from the oven and put it in on a heat-safe surface. Scoop the parchment from the bottom with a metal spatula and flip it over onto the other piece of parchment you had waiting.
Place this back onto the baking sheet and bake for another 7-10 minutes until the flip side is set.
Remove from the oven and repeat with the remaining batter until it is finished.
At this point, you can top the pizza OR you can set aside the baked crusts for later
Place the quinoa crust on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper (if you removed it). Drizzle the top of the crust with a little Colavita Olive Oil.
Mix the ricotta and goat cheeses together in a bowl and smooth the mixture over the top of the crust.
Dollop the parsley pesto over the top of the cheese and distribute the roasted lemons on top of this.
Sprinkle as many leftover sautéed leeks for garnish as you would like. Drizzle with a little bit more Colavita Olive Oil and sprinkle with sea salt.
Bake in the oven for about 10 minutes.
Remove and drizzle with a little honey, garnish with more freshly chopped herbs (thyme and parsley) and add some coarsely chopped pistachio nuts for texture.
Serve!