Write this down in your book of No Joke: Cauliflower Crust Pizza is AWESOME!!! Cauliflower is my new favorite vegetable! As I mentioned in the cauliflower cheese-y bread post, I used to think cauliflower was broccoli’s nasty cousin. Now, I think cauliflower is broccoli’s cool cousin from out-of-town. Needless to say, lately, cauliflower recipes have been catching my attention.
So, I was cruising Pinterest when I came across a pin detailing cauliflower crust pizza from Recipe Girl. I had seen something similar before but dismissed it because at the time I was not down with cauliflower. This time, I took note of it and got the chance to test it just a few days after I pinned it to my Slim and Trim board.
The recipe only calls for a few ingredients: cauliflower, eggs, mozzarella cheese, oregano, garlic, and onion salt. I doubled the recipe from the original pin because I had faith that I would like the outcome. The first step is to shred the cauliflower. The recipe on Recipe Girl suggests you use a cheese grater or a food processor being careful not to produce pureed cauliflower but rather crumbled cauliflower. I went with the food processor.
In order not to puree the cauliflower I did several small batches in the food processor. I emptied each batch into a microwave safe bowl. Because the next step is to microwave the shredded cauliflower which I did for 8 minutes, stirred it and microwaved it for 4 minutes more.
While all this microwaving was going on, I got the other ingredients for the crust together: 2 eggs, 1 1/2 cups of mozzarella cheese, 2 teaspoons of dried oregano, 1 (heaping) teaspoon of minced garlic, 1 teaspoon of onion salt. I only had onion powder so, I used 1/2 teaspoon of onion powder and 1/2 teaspoon of salt.
After the shredded cauliflower came out of the microwave I had to let it cool otherwise the eggs would have cooked too quick. However, once the cauliflower cooled considerably, maybe 20 minutes I combined all the ingredients and spread the mixture on a greased tin foil lined pizza pan. I cooked the crust on 450 F for 15 minutes until it was just starting to turn nice and brown.
As you can see from the top right photo using my hand as a reference, this made a fairly large pizza. The bottom right photo is the crust fresh out of the oven. Yes, it’s a little burnt around the edges- but, I like a little burn. You can certainly make your own marinara but, I went with Victoria Trading Company Marinara mixed with Classico’s Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto. Spread which ever marinara you use on your crust, sprinkle 1/2 cup- 1 cup of mozzarella cheese on top of the marinara and finally top it with whatever toppings you want on your pizza. Put it back in the oven on broil for 3-4 minutes or until the cheese is melted and nice and bubbly.
I did have a little help in the test kitchen. Baby Bub aka Chef Henri was very supportive and enthusiastic about me testing this particular new cauliflower recipe. Although Baby Bub did no taste testing, he did bang around on his high chair.
Bub, my Moma (she comes to town and keeps Baby Bub on the weekends while I work) and I all agree that cauliflower crust pizza is the bomb dot com! As a matter of fact, we were surprised at how good it really is. It is not real bread crust, but it is delicious nonetheless. Moma and I want to translate this into lasagna. This is without a doubt a Pinterest Test Kitchen WIN!
- 1 Head of Cauliflower
- 2 Eggs
- 2 teaspoons of Oregano
- 1 teaspoon of minced Garlic
- 1 teaspoon of Onion Salt
- 2-2 1/2 cups of Mozzarella, divided
- 2 cups of Marinara or more to taste
- Toppings of your Choice
- shred cauliflower either with a cheese grater or food processor being careful to create crumbles, not a puree.
- Microwave cauliflower crumbles for 8 minutes, stir and microwave for 4 minutes more.
- Preheat oven to 450 F and allow cauliflower crumbles to cool for roughly 20 minutes. Combine remainder of crust ingredients, including 1 1/2 cups of mozzarella with cooled cauliflower and spread on a greased pan.
- Cook for 15 minutes or until it starts turning a golden brown.
- Remove from oven and spread marinara, 1/2- 1 cup of mozzarella and other desired toppings on top of crust and return to oven on broil for 3-4 minutes.
I’m glad to here it turned out… I’ve got to try it in a sneaky way that Eric won’t know what he is eatting! Lol. And LOVE pic of your famous helper 🙂
Yeah Stacey- it was seriously good! If you could just get him to taste it, he might would be pleasantly surprised. And Chef Henri is available most weekends for all special events! -CA
Dude! That looks so good! Im gonna HAVE to try it! Wonder if 1/2 fat cheese would work as well…
Sarah, it is delicious! I would imagine 1/2 fat cheese would work- I would recommend using mozzarella made with 2% milk rather than 1/2 fat or low-fat cheese. I live by the rule that when manufacturers take out the fat they replace it with God knows what to make it taste the same- so, I’d rather have all the fat and eat less of it than have all the chemicals and processing- that goes for just about anything not just cheese.