Trade your greasy $1 slice for this deep-dish falafel pizza

At Well+Good, we’re constantly coming across genius recipes—whether it’s on Instagram, in soon-to-be published cookbooks, or directly from buzzy food bloggers themselves. And we’re sharing, by spotlighting the most awesome recipe we’ve come across each week. Ready to get cooking? Check out this week’s pick, below!

From cauliflower crust ‘za to the emergence of veggie-loaded pie joints, it’s easier than ever to get your hands on a healthy slice. But if you’re used to deep-dish, Chicago-style pizza, you’re usually out of luck—virtually all the recipes pegged as good-for-you feature crust as thin as a paper plate. (And hey, that’s good too, but sometimes a girl wants something she can sink her teeth into.)

Enter deep-dish falafel pizza. Falafel dough is a seriously nutritious take on traditional crust (it’s made with chickpeas and chia seeds), while beetroot hummus gets the MVP award for best pizza sauce ever. And since this pie is topped with fresh veggies and vegan tahini cheese sauce, it’s time to start texting all your friends—pizza party, stat!

This recipe comes from Anthea Cheng, the Australia-based food blogger behind Rainbow Nourishments, whose vegan recipes are inspiringly colorful. It’s easy to mistake her food for art, but you won’t want to pass up digging in.

Keep scrolling for her falafel pizza recipe—and toss all those takeout menus, while you’re at it.

Rainbow Nourishments’ Deep Dish Falafel Pizza

Serves 6 to 8

Ingredients

Falafel Crust
3/4 cup chickpeas (either canned or pre-soaked dry)1/3 cup gluten-free flour (you can also use millet)1 small red onion1 cup fresh mint1 cup fresh coriander2 cloves garlic3 Tbsp tahini
3 Tbsp ground chia or flax seeds
2 Tbsp cumin
2 Tbsp coriander powder

Beetroot hummus layer
1 cup cooked chickpeas
1 small beet, boiled2 Tbsp tahini
1 clove garlicOregano, basil, and other herbs as desired

Sliced vegetables, as desired

Tahini Cheese sauce

2 Tbsp tahini
As much nutritional yeast as you want

1. Preheat the oven to 350° F. Line a cake tin or a deep dish pie pan with parchment paper.

2. For the crust: Put all crust ingredients in a food processor and whizz until ingredients have combined. Spread mixture in a cake tin to form a pie crust. Bake for 10 minutes to half-cook.

3. For the beetroot hummus, mix all ingredients in a food processor until smooth.

4. When the falafel crust is dry to the touch, remove from oven.

5. Layer the beetroot hummus with sliced vegetables in the pizza crust. Return the pizza to the oven for about 30 minutes or until the vegetables have cooked.

6. For the cheese sauce, mix ingredients together adding water until desired consistency. Drizzle on pizza and enjoy!

All those chickpeas make for a protein-packed pizza. Curious as to other ways to fuel your workouts? These five plant-based protein sources may surprise you. And while falafel crust sets the stage for a deliciously healthy dinner, granola crust makes for an on-the-go friendly take on yogurt and granola.