Cauliflower Pizza Crust

I am so excited to share this recipe. I was skeptical about it at first but I am very very happy I tried it out. Not only did I end up with a yummy meal, but I managed to get an extra serving of veggies into my day.

Cauliflower in or on a pizza just didn’t sound delicious to me at all. I enjoy cauliflower raw with a side of my ranch spinach dip but I have never cared for cooked cauliflower. There’s something about the flavor that I just don’t like. I saw cauliflower pizza crusts popping up everywhere on Pinterest and I would skip right over them. Finally after a few months I decided to give it a go. The reviews have been great on a variety of recipes and the crust looked easy enough to make.

On a rainy day last week, when the house was a little cooler than normal, I turned my oven on and made pizza for lunch. Cooking the cauliflower before turning it into the crust was very easy since I used the microwave. I was happy that I had the windows open because cooked cauliflower isn’t the nicest smell to have linger indoors. I did have to add a little extra cooking time to the crust because I didn’t feel that it was cooked through. Every oven is different so I’ve kept the original times in the recipe below.

The pizza ended up being very rich and very yummy. I made a basic peperoni pizza because I thought that would be the best way to try it out. I ate a little less than two slices and I was full. Little one happily gobbled up his pizza and I’m sure he thought it was cool that mama let him eat pizza! I did find that this recipe needed to be eaten with a fork. The crust couldn’t be lifted the way a traditional bread crust could be. I’m looking forward to experimenting with other toppings in the future.

Enjoy!

1 cup cauliflower

¼ cup water
¾ mozzarella, shredded
1 egg, beaten
1 teaspoon oregano
½ teaspoon garlic, crushed
½ teaspoon garlic salt
Olive oil

Pizza toppings

To rice your cauliflower, take one head of cauliflower, remove the stems and leaves, and chop the florets into chunks. Add to a food processor and pulse just until it looks like rice.

Place the riced cauliflower in a microwave safe bowl, add water and microwave for six to eight, stirring half-way through.

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Spray a pizza pan or cookie sheet with non-stick cooking spray.

In a medium bowl, combine the cauliflower, mozzarella cheese and egg together and stir until well incorporated. Add the oregano, garlic, and garlic salt. Transfer to the cookie sheet, and shape into a nine inch circle. Brush the crust with olive oil to help it brown in the oven.

Baked at 450 degrees F for 15 minutes, until the crust is browned and cooked through the middle.

Remove the crust from the oven, add your sauce and toppings. Place under a broiler at high heat until the cheese is melted and bubbly. Allow the pizza to cool slightly, then cut into slices and serve.

Adapted from stickafork.net/2012/04/16/cauliflower-crust-pizza/