I don’t believe in counting calories but I do always try to make healthy choices. And this is why I originally came to try a cauliflower pizza crust. Usually when you substitute a healthy alternative to the standard ingredients you expect to have to compromise a little, but not this time. For me there will be no turning back, not only is this crust so much tastier than a normal dough base, but it feels so much better for you too.
I had seen a few different variations online using cauliflower as the main ingredient but to be honest I thought it might taste a bit strange. But encouraged by the appetising photos and an ingenious way to pack more veggie (low-carb) goodness into an every day dish, I decided to give it a go.
Update: We’ve recently had a huge crop of courgettes and yellow squash, so I mixed a grated yellow squash in with a grated medium cauliflower in this recipe. The result was a really delicious pizza base! I am so pleased, that I’m going to make a batch of bases to freeze, as this seems an excellent solution to my courgette glut!
- The florets of a medium cauliflower
- 1 egg, beaten
- 1 cup of grated mozzarella
- ½ cup grated parmesan
- ½ tsp garlic salt or dried garlic( you could add a few chilli flakes or ground mustard seeds.)
- These ingredients make 2 x 8' pizzas which I found easier to handle than a large base.
- To prepare the cauliflower, strip the outer leaves and remove the florets from the centre stalk rinse and allow to dry off.
- If you have a food processor then pulse until it resembles crumbly rice, if you don't, then cheese grater works perfectly well - just a bit tedious!
- Place the dry cauliflower in a bowl in the microwave for 6 - 8 mins depending on your microwave power (better to under cook than over-do it and make it mushy)
- Turn the softened cauliflower into a sieve that is lined with a clean tea-towel or muslin cloth and allow to cool down. After a few minutes, gather up the cloth and twist it so that it squeezes the cauliflower - a surprising amount of liquid drains away.
- Mix together in a large bowl with the beaten egg, cheeses and seasonings.
- Spoon out the mixture on to a baking sheet lined with parchment.
- Shape it into a disc and flatten and press it together with the back of a spoon.
- Bake in a medium hot oven for 15 minutes until it feels firm and starts to go golden brown.
- Remove from the oven, allow to cool a little before adding toppings of your choice.
- I made a basic Italian tomato sauce and topped it with a little parma ham, mozzarella and olives.
- Thats where the fun starts!
- Put the finished pizza back into the top of a hot oven for only 10 minutes, just long enough for the cheese to melt and golden.
I think that looks even better than a normal pizza crust, I must say! Thanks so much for taking the time to link up with us over at the #HomeMattersParty – we hope to see you again next week!
It’s delicious too! Thanks for hosting 🙂
I´ve never heard of a cauliflower pizza crust. I have to, have to try this!!