Winter Ingredient Twist: Sweet Potato and Leek Pizza Recipe

pizza

This winter, try your hand at a different kind of homemade pizza. Add some seasonal vegetables to the mix and you’ll bring more excitement and diverse flavors to pizza night. This sweet potato and leek pizza recipe is just one way you can mix it up. Enjoy!

The stars of this pizza recipe are the leeks and sweet potatoes. As spring approaches, I’m trying to get the most out of my sweet potato kick and one of the ways I like to do that is to pair it with unlikely vegetables, such as leeks, and in unique ways, such as in a pizza. This recipe makes me appreciate the sweet potato — and pizza! — in an entirely different way.

Leeks reduce LDL (bad) cholesterol and are helpful in fighting certain cancers, such as colon and prostate cancer, with their carcinogen-fighting quercetin content. They also contain protective antioxidants, inlcuding the carotenoids lutein and zeaxanthin, which help to prevent aging, lower high blood pressure, cleanse the blood, and heal wounds.

The sweet potato also offers incredible health benefits. It is packed with vitamins B6, C and D, contributing to healthy bones and nerves, clear skin and strong teeth. The sweet potato is also helpful in reducing stress and boosting the immune system. It is the better alternative to a white potato because it has sugars that are slowly released into the bloodstream and thus won’t cause sugar spikes. Like leeks, the sweet potato also wards off cancer.

This recipe makes enough for one typical pizza pie. You can split up the toppings among as many smaller pizzas as you like. Bon Appetit!

Sweet Potato & Leek Winter Pizza

Makes one 10-inch pie

pizza

Ingredients

  • 1 10-inch pizza crust (preferably whole-wheat)
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil (for brushing the crust)
  • 2 leeks
  • 1 medium white onion
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 cup cherry tomatoes, stemmed and halved
  • 1 sweet potato (baked at 400 degrees F for 40 minutes)
  • 1 teaspoon chives, chopped
  • Salt and pepper to taste
Directions
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Slice the leeks into 1-inch thick slices, chop the onion and spread them over a baking dish greased with the olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Bake in the oven for approximately 20 minutes or until the leeks are cooked through.

leek

Brush both sides of the crust with olive oil and place on a baking dish.

pizza dough

Spread the sweet potato over the crust so that it is evenly distributed.

sweet potato

Top the sweet potato with the leeks, onions, cherry tomatoes and chives.

done pizza

Bake in the oven at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for about 10-12 minutes, or until the crust browns slightly and the tomatoes cook to a withered look. Serve and enjoy!

pizza

Photo Credit: GlowKitchen

Aylin Erman