Kale & Leek Pizza with Carmelized Onions over Cannelini Bean Spread

I have recently been on a kale kick, and saw this recipe for Braised Greens and Cannellini Bean Paninis. It reminded me of a Caramelized Onion & White Bean Flatbread recipe we tried a couple years ago and really enjoyed. On a whim, we tried combining them with awesome results.

Note that this can be made vegan by leaving out the cheese, or substituting with nutritional yeast or other vegan cheese options.

One of the best parts of this recipe is the slow cooked caramelized onions. Definitely take the time to do this right. Here is a tutorial!

Ingredients

Store bought pizza crust (we used Rustic Crust Organic Origniale)..or make your own...
1 cup Italian blend cheese (we used Whole foods brand)

Caramelized Onions

     1 large yellow onion diced
     1/2 tsp course sea salt
     1 tsp olive oil

Greens

     1 bunch (1 lb) kale, separate stalks and leaves
     1.5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
     3 large leeks, julienned, white and light green parts only
     1/4 teaspoon salt
     1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
     1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
     1 cup vegetable broth

White Bean Spread

     1 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
     3 shallots, minced
     2 cloves garlic, minced
     1/2 cup dry white wine
     1 15-ounce can cannellini beans, rinsed
     1/8 teaspoon salt
     1/8 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Instructions

Generally, the kale and caramelized onions will take the longest to cook, and so these should be cooking simultaneously. Get those started and then work on the bean spread. Just remember to occasionally pause bean prep to stir the greens and onions!

Onions: Following the recipe, heat oil in large flat bottomed pan (medium-medium low), add onions. Stir occasionally and adjust heat if necessary to prevent the onions from burning. After ~10 minutes, sprinkle salt over onions. Cook another 20-40 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Greens, Step 1: Chop the stalks of the kale and combine with the julienned leeks in a colander. Wash under cool water to removed any remaining dirt. Heat olive oil over medium heat in a large saute pan or wok with lid. Add in the leeks and stalks, and saute until softened (~5 minutes). Meanwhile chop the kale leaves. Add salt and peppers to the sauteing greens, stir to evenly coat. Continue cooking additional 1 minute. Add in the kale leaves and vegetable broth, reduce heat to low, stir, and cover. Cook for ~25 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Bean Spread, Step 1: Heat olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add shallots and garlic, stirring occasionally ~ 3 minutes. Add wine and continue cooking until most liquid is evaporated, ~5 minutes. Stir in beans. Add salt and pepper; cook additional 2 minutes. Taste and adjust spices if necessary.

Pre-heat oven to 400. Take out pizza stone.

Greens, Step 2: The leeks and kale should be fairly soft, and most of the broth should remain. Uncover and turn the heat up to medium high. Boil off some of the broth for ~5-10 minutes. Then using a spoon, collect as much of the remaining broth as possible into a cup (I collected about 1/2 cup). Boil off the remaining liquid, stirring occasionally, and set aside.

Bean Spread, Step 2: Add bean mixture to a blender. Puree. Slowly add the collected vegetable broth from above to adjust bean mix consistency (it should be a thick hummus type consistency).

Pizza: brush olive oil over store bought crust. Spread bean mixture over the crust. Evenly spread greens on top of the beans. Add cheese blend if desired. Top with caramelized onions. Bake 12-14 minutes, or until the cheese/crust starts to brown.

Enjoy.