The Healthy Pizza Alternative The Food World Is Obsessing Over (It's Super Easy To Make!)

I love cauliflower-crust pizza as much as the next foodie, but sometimes, even if you do everything right, it lacks the certain bready quality that I crave. What's a health-conscious, mostly-gluten-avoiding girl like myself to do?

Meet socca (rhymes with "polka" if you left out the soft L). Socca pizza is officially the non-pizza pizza that's taking over the healthy food world. Made from chickpea flour, it's naturally gluten-free and vegan, but it keeps its nutty chew, making it a far better dupe for a boujis, restaurant-style pizza than the best vegetable-based version. Plus, chickpeas are essentially the world's cheapest superfood, having been shown to lower bad cholesterol levels, decrease risk of heart disease, and contribute to weight loss. The only other ingredients in the crust? Anti-inflammatory olive oil and water.

The traditional version (if you care to go that route) from France is a bit on the thinner side and stacked with crepe-type toppings: fromage, some vegetables, more fromage (it's French), etc., etc.

Recently, though, foodies have embraced a more Italian take, thickening the base and spreading it with decidedly pizza-like sauce, before adding tons of toppings. From there, well—the sky's the limit. "I love it because it's naturally gluten-free, grain-free, vegan friendly, and simple to make," said Lindsay Cotter of Cotter Crunch. "The crust bakes up soft yet crispy on the outside. It's the perfect vessel for piling it up with veggies."

"I just made a breakfast socca that was incredible with arugula pesto, scrambled eggs, radish sprouts, watermelon radish, and almond milk ricotta," said Alison Wu, one of the women leading the seriously photographic trend. And of course, both women noted that it's so, so easy.

How easy?

Makes 1 10-inch pizza, 2 small/medium servings