Recipe: Cauliflower Crust Veggie Pizza

Overloaded vegetable pizza that is carb free? Yep, yep. Right here.

When it comes to cauliflower crust pizza, been there, done that.

And after that recipe, which was good, you wouldn’t think I would need another.

And you would mostly be right.

Until I spied a picture for a new version in a recent issue of Cooking Light magazine.

You know how they say “a picture is worth a thousand words?”

They would be right, because I ended up making the recipe the next night.

The power of persuasion and all.

This recipe was very similar, but just different enough to yield a slightly new result. I’m not going to lie, it’s slightly time consuming, as is the one I originally made two years ago. The major difference between the two recipes is that this one from Cooking Light calls for baking the “riced” cauliflower before making your crusts. A teensy new step, but one that resulted in pizza that was … dare I say it … foldable. Not completely foldable like a traditional slice of pizza, but enough so that it was possible. And because of that slight difference, I think it’s worth having this recipe in your repertoire as well.

And besides, who can go wrong with all those loaded veggie toppings?

For that part, I added extra mushrooms (and skipped their suggested peppers), and the whole thing resulted in one delicious dinner.

It makes two decent size pizzas, so I had one for dinner, and had the second one for lunch the next day.

side note: it does lose a bit of its foldability and crispness the next day, but still tastes just as awesome.

If you’re avoiding (or going light) on carbs, or just want to take your pizza in a completely different direction, make this.

PS If you haven’t picked up the August issue of Cooking Light magazine, get it! Filled will all sorts of clean eating recipes, it’s my favorite issue in a long time.

Veggie Pizza with Cauliflower Crust
Recipe courtesy of Cooking Light Magazine, August 2015

Ingredients
1 cauliflower head, roughly chopped (about 3 pounds)
Cooking spray
2 teaspoons olive oil, divided
1/2 cup pre-sliced cremini mushrooms (I used more)
1/2 cup sliced red bell pepper (I skipped)
1/2 cup thinly sliced fresh basil, divided
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
3 garlic cloves, minced
2.5 ounces shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese (about 2/3 cup), divided (I used Cabot)
2 large egg whites
0.5 ounces grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup thinly sliced seeded tomatoes
2/3 cup fresh baby spinach

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 375°.

2. Place half of cauliflower in a food processor; pulse 10 to 15 times or until finely chopped (like rice). Transfer cauliflower to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Repeat procedure with remaining cauliflower. Coat cauliflower with cooking spray. Bake at 375° for 25 minutes, stirring once. Cool.

3. Increase oven temp to 450°.

4. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 teaspoon oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add mushrooms and bell pepper; sauté 5 minutes or until tender. Set aside.

5. Place cauliflower in a clean kitchen towel. Squeeze until very dry. Combine cauliflower, remaining 1 teaspoon oil, 1/4 cup basil, 1/8 teaspoon black pepper, salt, garlic, 2 ounces mozzarella cheese, egg whites, and Parmesan cheese in a bowl. Press cauliflower mixture into 2 (8-inch) circles on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Coat crusts with cooking spray.

6. Bake crusts at 450° for 22 minutes or until browned. Remove pan from oven; top crusts evenly with mushroom mixture, tomatoes, spinach, remaining 1/4 cup basil, remaining 1/8 teaspoon black pepper, and remaining mozzarella cheese. Bake an additional 7 minutes or until cheese melts.

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