If you’ve ever been through any Mediterranean French or Italian seaside towns, you may have discovered a delicious chickpea pancake called socca. Gluten-free, vegan, and traditionally cooked on copper discs inside wood ovens , this fabulous flatbread is as versatile as they come. Whether you come across it while cruising Nice or pedaling through Provence (it’s hometown), you’ll generally find socca roughly cut and served hot or warm.
OK, now, how to make socca! While this chickpea pancake recipe takes cues from authentic French socca recipes, I also gave it a spin or two of my own. Hope you enjoy and let me know how your socca-making journey goes.
I often recommend this gluten-free flatbread recipe to my clients (whether they’re gluten-free or not, socca is the best).
Because the options are endless when it comes to deciding what to serve with socca, I thought I’d share a few of my favorite socca toppings to get you started.
Pear, arugula and goat cheese
Fig, onion, and blue cheese
Pesto, ricotta, and tomatoes
Mozzarella and fresh basil
Cranberry, balsamic, and feta
Apple, leek, and chicken sausage
Arugula, hot peppers, and parmesan
Rosemary, garlic, and caramelized onion
I often recommend this gluten-free flatbread recipe to my clients (whether they’re gluten-free or not, socca is the best). No matter your dietary needs, socca can become a staple in your cooking repertoire. It’s delicious, packed with protein (thank you, chickpeas), and made with three main ingredients: chickpea flour, water, and olive oil.
Yields 4 Servings
Socca Recipe
1 cup chickpea flour
½ teaspoon sea salt
⅓ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
1 cup water, filtered
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Preheat oven to 450 and place a 12 inch cast iron skillet on the bottom rack for 30 minutes.
Whisk flour, salt, and pepper in a large bowl.
Whisk in water until nice and smooth.
Allow the socca mixture to settle while the oven preheats.
Cautiously remove pan and add 1 tablespoon of olive oil.
Pour socca batter into the pan and tilt to coat.
Bake until the edges are brown and crispy, about 15-20 minutes.
Remove from the oven and use the remaining olive oil to brush the socca.
Place the oven broiler on high and broil socca for 1-3 minutes or until you see caramelized spots.
Cut roughly into wedges and serve hot.
Serving Size: 1 Slice
Per Serving: 152 calories; protein 5.2g; carbohydrates 13.4g; dietary fiber 2.5g; sugars 2.5g; fat 8.5g; saturated fat 1.1g
Whether this is your first foray into making socca, or you’ve known how to make it for decades, I hope this gluten-free, vegan socca recipe inspires you to throw some olive oil, water, and chickpea flour together and make yourself some socca… right now.
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As a certified integrative and functional dietitian, it’s my job to come up with tasty, healthy recipes and meal plans for individuals (neat, I know). To learn more about how my recipes and meals can best serve you and your specific needs, schedule a 15-minute consultation with Mint Nutrition today.
