Cauliflower Pizza Crust

Pizza w/ Cauliflower Crust We…LOVE…Pizza! There have been a few kitchen adventures making regular pizza and I’ve got that queued up so in the next week so you’ll just have to stay tuned! In the course of my many Pinterest adventures I found quite a few recipes for Cauliflower pizza crust which intrigued me! I like pizza, I like cauliflower…sounds like a win/win situation! Less bread and more veggies and an alternative spin “cooking adventure” to try!? Count me in!
My mister is pretty adventurous  but when I start to mess with the crust of his pizza he’s not as excited as I am SO, I monopolized on the few days at home with my family for the holiday and mum and I ventured into bread free pizza world!

IMG_0405While the flavor of the cauliflower was DELICIOUS with the other italian pizza deliciousness, the texture of the crust wasn’t as “bread alternative” option as I would have hoped. It would make a great quiche or casserole, which is usually a swear word to me, but with the melty top and the crumbly bottom that word just seemed appropriate. So, in short I give you a “DELICIOUS work in progress, the Cauliflower crust”! Play, alternate toppings, crust consistency and leave your comments below! We’re in this together and we MUSt find the perfect Cauliflower crust!

Bon Appetit!!

Cauliflower Crust Pizza (Toppings of your choice)

Crust Ingredients
3 cups cauliflower “meal”
1 cup grated low-fat mozzarella cheese
5 T  corn meal
3 T finely grated Parmesan cheese
2 tsp. dried oregano
1 tsp. garlic powder
pinch of salt
2 eggs, beaten (*make that three, one egg fore each cup of cauliflower “meal”)

Pizza Toppings
pizza sauce (we used store bought!)
grated mozzarella cheese
sautéed red onion, black olives, artichoke hearts, mushrooms
arugula

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 460F

Chop cauliflower into chunks and place in food processor (or a larger cheese grater) until it resembles a coarse “meal” texture then microwave covered in a bowl for 8-9 minutes or until it’s soft and cooked. (The Cauliflower will release natural moisture, so don’t add any when you microwave it). In the mean time, slice and sauté the red onion, black olives and artichoke hearts then place on a paper towel to dry. You don’t want extra moisture. Saute the mushrooms, flash saute some arugula with the mushrooms then add the other veggies and saute.
cooked crust
In a medium bowl mix the mozzarella, corn meal,  parmesan, spices and eggs and add the cauliflower when it’s done, mixing well. Coat a pizza pan with non-stick spray and transfer the “dough” to the pan then Use your fingers to spread out onto the pan, getting it as thin as you can. Cook in the pre-heated oven for 17-18 minutes until the crust is golden brown.

photo

Remove from the oven and coat with pizza sauce, a layer of mozzarella cheese, veggies and a light top layer of cheese then put back in the oven to melt the cheese for 5 minutes.  Remove and serve!

*Note: The flavors were PERFECT, but the crust was crumbly and we think it needed more moisture so I made the notation to add another egg into the mixture. The ratio should be one egg to every cup of cauliflower “meal”. I’ll update this post on the next “go around”!