Thursday, November 15, 2012

Cauliflower Pizza? Yes, please!


Many people love pizza but would like an alternative to the regular flour crust. Some people are gluten-free and others just prefer to not eat flour of any kind. Whatever your reason, here is a great recipe for Cauliflower Crust Pizza that serves 4-6.


photo by Maria Q
Ingredients
  • 1/2-2/3 head cauliflower (about 2 cups riced)
  • 1 clove garlic, crushed
  • 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
  • 1 egg, beaten
  • 1/2 teaspoon of garlic salt
  • 1 teaspoon of dried oregano
  • 2 teaspoons of olive oil (optional)
  • Toppings (baby spinach, grape tomatoes, onions, kale, etc...)
Instructions
Cooked Cauliflower Crust-- photo by Maria Q
  1. Pre-heat oven to 425° F.
  2. Prep a cookie sheet or pizza stone. You can grease the cookie sheet or use parchment paper or use a pizza stone or a greased round pan.
  3. Wash the cauliflower and remove the stems and leaves. Next use a fine cheese grater and grate the cauliflower. You can also use a blender or food processor but be careful not to over chop or the cauliflower will become very liquidy. The cheese grater works best in my opinion.
  4. Next sauté the shredded cauliflower in a non-stick skillet over medium heat and cook until translucent. This takes approximately 5-8 minutes. I am not a fan of the microwave but you can use the microwave instead of the stove. Put the shredded cauliflower in an uncovered microwave-safe bowl and cook for 6 minutes or so depending on your microwave.
  5. Next, in a bowl combine the cooked cauliflower with the cheese, a beaten egg and the spices. Use your hands or a spoon to mix the ingredients. It may look strange at first but keep mixing, the consistency will improve after a couple minutes.
  6. On your pizza stone, cookie sheet or pan, spread dough out asevenly as possible so that it is about ¼ of an inch thick. The pizza should be about 10 inches in diameter. Brush or drizzle the olive oil over the dough. The olive oil is optional but will brown the crust of the pizza nicely.
  7. Bake for about 20 minutes or until the crust is crispy and lightly browned.
  8. Remove the crust from the oven and top with pizza sauce and toppings. Be sure not to add too many fresh tomatoes or heavy ingredients as this will make the pizza soggy.
  9. Broil the pizza for 5 minutes, or until the toppings are hot and the cheese is melted. Allow the pizza to cool for 2-3 minutes then cut and serve immediately.

ENJOY!