Not gonna lie - I was really nervous about trying this one. I mean, cauliflower crust pizza?? Really? Of course, I had to try this one, since my husband and kids LOVE pizza! But I did have the back up frozen pizza ready to go - just in case ;)
So, to get started, you will need:
- 1 cup cooked, riced cauliflower*
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1 egg, beaten
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1/2 tsp crushed garlic
- 1/2 tsp garlic salt
- sauce, either homemade or store bought
- choice of toppings
- olive oil (optional)
*If you are wondering how to "rice" a cauliflower, so was I! Just remove the leaves and stem from the head of cauliflower so all you have left are the florets. Then using a food processor, pulse the florets until it looks like grain. Don't over-pulse, or it will turn into a puree - you don't want puree. Don't have a food processor? neither do I! Just use a cheese grater to rice the florets instead. Then microwave the riced florets for 8 mins. Don't have a microwave? Neither do I! If you don't have a microwave or do not wish to use one for this recipe, all you need to do is steam the florets on the stove after you cut them away from the leaves and stem - then you can pulse them in the food processor (or rice them using a cheese grater). Sounds backwards, but just go with it. Hope that made some sense :)
Make sure that anything you want to be cooked (meat, certain veggies, etc.), is cooked or sauteed ahead of time, since we are only going to be broiling the toppings.
Now, onto making the crust.
Preheat oven at 450*F. In a medium bowl, mix together the riced cauliflower, mozzarella, and egg. Then add oregano, garlic, and salt. Shape mixture into a flat, 9 inch round onto a lightly greased or sprayed baking sheet or pizza stone. You can brush the top with olive oil using a pastry brush if you wish. It will look like this...
After baking for 15 mins, it will look like this...
Looking more like actual pizza crust!
Change oven setting to broil. Add sauce, cheese, and toppings to the crust. Broil pizza for a couple of mins (3 mins MAX), just to melt the cheese.
Remove from oven. Let cool for about 5 mins. Cut and serve :)
I was pleasantly surprised with this recipe. It was very tasty! My kids and husband also loved it. I was able to make 2 pizza crusts with one head of cauliflower. One for the kids with pepperoni and cheese toppings. And one for me and my husband loaded with all kinds of veggies and several slices from a mozzarella ball. YUM! We each had a small salad with this meal and it was plenty and perfect!
Keep in mind that this is more of a "eat with a fork and knife" type of pizza, as the crust isn't quite as substantial as a flour crust. But I LOVE that this is a flour-free option of enjoying pizza! It felt good to eat pizza without going into a carb coma afterwards :)
P.S. I didn't have to pull out the frozen pizza ;)
Cauliflower Crust Pizza
Adapted from Eat, Drink, Smile.
Ingredients:
- 1 cup cooked, riced cauliflower
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1 egg, beaten
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1/2 tsp crushed garlic
- 1/2 tsp garlic salt
- sauce, either homemade or store bought
- choice of toppings
- olive oil (optional)
Directions:
- "Rice" the cauliflower (see top of post for instructions on how to do that)
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Spray a cookie sheet or pizza stone with non-stick cooking spray.
- In a medium bowl, stir together 1 cup cauliflower, egg and mozzarella. Add oregano, crushed garlic and garlic salt, stir. Transfer to the cookie sheet, and using your hands, pat out into a 9" round. Optional: Brush olive oil over top of mixture to help with browning.
- Bake at 450 degrees for 15 minutes.
- Remove from oven. To the crust, add sauce, toppings and cheese. Place under a broiler at high heat just until cheese is melted.
-Again, toppings need to be pre-cooked since pizza is only going under the broiler for a few mins-
ENJOY!!
~Lovely Fluffy Mama
