The healthiest twist on pizza ever! These sweet potato pizza bites are perfectly roasted, then topped with a lentil bolognese for the tastiest little appetizer!
Whoever decided to turn roasted sweet potatoes rounds into little pizzas is a genius.
I'm always on the hunt for healthy swaps for some of my favorite comfort foods and using sweet potatoes instead of traditional pizza crust is just the kind of trend I can get behind. That, and the fact that I've been craving pizza pretty much non-stop for the past three weeks.
So today we are making little bitty healthy pizza crusts without any flour, yeast, or grains at all. And yet still, amazingly enough, it tastes like a freakin' pizza!
The base like I said is just simple roasted sweet potato rounds. You'll want to slice them about 1/2″ thick, toss them in a little olive oil, season with salt and pepper, then roast until they're soft, tender and golden brown.
And while your potatoes are doing their thing in the oven, we turn to the sauce: a quick lentil bolognese that is just the creamiest, dreamiest pizza topping ever.
I made this on the fly and was blown away by how good it tasted. So much so, I feel like I'm having a hard time even explaining it!
I guess I'll start from the beginning: Pizza craving. No pizza sauce in the house. But diced tomatoes. But no protein.
Dilemma? Yes. Solvable? Absolutely.
The secret? Sabra's Toasted Pine Nut hummus and red lentils!
I know, I know. We're putting hummus AND red lentils in our pizza sauce. It sounds insane, but trust me, it's incredible!
It's thick, creamy and has a surprisingly robust flavor. By stirring in the hummus, we get the creaminess from the chickpeas, the nuttiness from the tahini, undertones of garlic and a hint of Italian flare from Sabra's pine nut garnish.
And then we layer that with red lentils and the sauce turns into this hearty, meat-like stew that really does resemble a classic bolognese sauce. It's seriously dreamy! (<– and yes, I have tried it on pasta and it's equally as yum)
Once we've got our sauce, it's time to assemble the sweet potato pizza bites.
Sweet Potato
Lentil Bolognese
Shredded Cheese (I used vegan cheese)
Then we just pop it in a super hot oven, broil until the cheese is melted and your pizza is ready to serve!
Here's the scoop on these pizzas: they're a cinch to whip up, clock in at around 35 minutes total to make, are packed with plant-based protein annnnd they're the perfect way to celebrate National Hummus Day (May 13th)!
I'm celebrating National Hummus Day, which falls on a Saturday this year, with my friends at Sabra. I've celebrated with them for the last two years (2015 we had the Mediterranean Quinoa Hummus Bowls and in 2016 we had the Toasted Pine Nut + Basil Quinoa Crackers) and I honestly believe it makes the perfect excuse to get a group of your friends together to celebrate all things healthy. Hummus has always been my staple party food, but now you can bring hummus to the party in a whole new way!
These little sweet potato pizza bites are a fun appetizer that you can feel great about serving to adults and kids alike. They're a total crowd-pleaser and I promise, everyone will gobble these little babies up!
So whether you're looking for an easy app, a healthy snack, or just want some delicious comfort food, you've GOT to try these mini pizzas. It's going to make you fall in love with sweet potatoes all over again! ❤????
More Delicious Appetizers to Try:
- Vegan Sweet Potato Tots
- The Ultimate Summer Hummus Board
- Vegan Buffalo Quinoa Bites with Vegan Ranch Dip
- Mini Quinoa Pizza Bites with Hummus + Crispy Chickpeas
- Baked Grain-Free Falafel Bites
- Vegan Quinoa Broccoli Tots
Sweet Potato Pizza Bites with Lentil Bolognese
Ingredients
- 1 large sweet potato
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 15 oz can diced tomatoes
- 1/4 cup Toasted Pine Nut Hummus
- 1/4 cup red lentils
- 1/4 - 1/2 cup water
- 2 teaspoons italian seasoning
- 1/2 cup shredded cheese vegan if needed
- Salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425ºF. Grease a baking sheet and set aside.
- Cut the sweet potato into 1/2" rounds, then add them to a large bowl and drizzle with olive oil. Toss to coat, then season with salt and pepper. Place the rounds on the baking sheet and roast for 25 minutes, flipping halfway through.
- While the sweet potatoes are roasting, add the tomatoes, hummus, lentils, 1/4 cup of water, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper into a small saucepan. Bring the mixture to a bowl and stir until everything is combined. Turn down to a simmer and let cook for 10 - 15 minutes, until the lentils are soft. Stir in additional water as needed if the sauce gets too thick.
- When the sweet potatoes have softened, spoon 1 - 2 tablespoons of sauce onto each round (depending on their size) and top with shredded cheese (use vegan if needed).
- Place baking sheet back in the oven and broil until cheese has melted.
- Garnish with fresh herbs and pepper flakes (if desired) and serve immediately.
Nutrition
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This recipe is brought to you in partnership with Sabra Dipping Company. As always, all opinions are my own. I only share companies I love and trust, so thank you for continuing to support Simply Quinoa!
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