One of the reasons I love New York is the amount of options you have when looking for pizza. Living here the past ten years has allowed me to really hone my “spidey sense” to sniff out a good slice. I mean, let’s get real-who doesn’t love pizza?!
There’s deep dish and thin crust.
There’s Sicilian style and pizza with the cheese stuffed into the crust.
Strombolis.
There’s even pizza rolls if you’re a frozen food fan (I’m not).
My favorite is a margherita pizza—not a ton of ingredients—but DE-LISH if prepared well. I recently came across a recipe for pizza using a cauliflower based crust. It intrigued me not only because my waistline betrays me when I consume any bread products, but it also gave me my daily recommended vegetable intake in just one meal! So with all of these other types of pizza I thought, why not?
Although I love most vegetables, cauliflower has never been #1 on my list. (Actually it was only recently when I became able to tolerate the taste of it.) So, I was interested to see how this turned out.
I can honestly say I am now an expert at cauliflower pizza.
As I always am in all my posts, I want to be completely transparent. Anyone who knows me can vouch that I went through MULTIPLE failed attempts at making this crust (and when I say multiple what I really mean is thirteen). The first time I made it, I ended up eating it with a fork because the crust fell apart in my hands. Because I’m stubborn and refuse to let something get the best of me, I tried another dozen times. It wasn’t until the day before I was supposed to present this dish at a dinner party that I finally got it right (thank God!).
Precooked 
After coming out of the oven.
Not only was I excited that my dinner party wouldn’t be a flop, but I had also secretly vowed to myself that if it didn’t work this 13th (and final) attempt that it would be coming OFF the menu. (Not to mention that I no longer had to buy six cauliflower heads at a time, causing the grocery store cashier to furrow her brow at me every week.)
Actually, lucky attempt number thirteen came by accident. I was making this dish one night and realized I didn’t have any eggs. I decided I would put the cauliflower “dough” in the refrigerator on a paper towel and make it the next night. This, as it turns out, was the key.
This means it’s a great make ahead meal! If you’re like me and have time one day, and none at all the next, this is the perfect dish for you. You can do all the hard work the day before, refrigerate it overnight, then pop it in the oven to cook after a long day of work.
Prep Time: 15 minutes +1 day | Cook Time: 55 minutes | Total Time: 70 minutes +1 day refrigeration
Yields: 1 pizza
Ingredients:
1 medium cauliflower head
¼ cup fat free shredded mozzarella
¼ cup shredded parmesan
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp basil
1 egg
pinch of red pepper flakes
1 tsp garlic powder
Toppings:
½ cup pizza sauce
5 slices fresh mozzarella
5 thin slices tomato
5 leaves fresh basil, torn
Equipment needed:
Wire mesh strainer
Pizza stone
Food processor
1. Remove stem and leaves from cauliflower and place florets in a food processor. Process until it resembles a rice like texture.
2. Place in a bowl and cover with saran wrap. Microwave X 5 minutes. Let cool.
3. Place approximately ½ cup at a time in a wire mesh strainer and with a rubber spatula press out any liquid. Place strained cauliflower in a dish towel/tea towel. Wring out any excess liquid.
4. Place dried cauliflower in a paper towel lined bowl and refrigerate overnight.
After it’s dried out in the refrigerator:
5. Preheat oven to 400.
6. Mix cauliflower, shredded mozzarella, parmesan, oregano, basil, garlic powder, red pepper flakes, and egg together.
7. Place parchment paper on pizza stone and spray with nonstick spray. Pour cauliflower mixture on parchment paper and form the shape of the crust you want with your hands approximately ½ inch thick.
8. Bake crust only (without toppings) X ~45 minutes.
9. Add pizza sauce and toppings of your choice and bake an additional 10 minutes.
10. Let cool prior to cutting.
The Cook’s 2 cents
· Being someone with a healthy appetite, I always think “the pizza looks a little small- I can eat this by myself.” No. One pizza = two servings. Trust me—I’m doing you a service. It’s very filling, much more so than bread.
· Cauliflower has a very high water content. If you don’t dry it out properly, the crust will be too moist and fall apart in your hands. I speak from experience! Seriously, you have to get all of that water out-very crucial step! You’ll be surprised at how much water comes out when wringing it with a paper towel even after you’ve already strained it.
· If you end up making the margherita type with this crust (using the toppings I suggested), slice the tomatoes really thin so they cook appropriately.
· I found out the hard way that wax paper and parchment paper are two VERY different things. Wax paper will start a fire in your oven…. Parchment paper will not.
Nutrition facts:
Servings per recipe: 2 Serving size: 3 slices
Calories: 550 Fat: 30g Sodium: 1520mg Carbs: 26g Fiber: 10g Sugars: 11g Protein: 46g
