Cauliflower Crust Pizza

After hearing rave reviews about pizza made with a cauliflower crust instead of a dough crust I decided to give it a shot. I looked at a half-dozen recipes, took the best parts from this one and this one, and behold, I give you an absolutely delicious, veggie-packed meal. There are two things to keep in mind if you give this a try:

The toppings must be pre-cooked, don’t put raw meat or raw onion on your pizza. I probably should have grilled up those slices of zucchini a bit; the grilled onions and mushrooms were quite tasty.

After steaming the cauliflower rice (we’ll get to that in a minute), you need to squeeze out any extra moisture, this will give you a much firmer crust. I dumped the bowl of steamy cauliflower into a thin dishtowel, donned some rubber gloves so I didn’t burn my hands, and twisted and squeezed that ball of veggies as much as I could. I got almost a cup of liquid to come out.

Cauliflower Crust Pizza

Preheat oven to 425*

1 head cauliflower
1 cup cheese (I used half Parmesan, half mozzarella)
1 egg, slightly beaten
1-2 teaspoons dry oregano
1/2 teaspoon-ish salt

Rinse the cauliflower and chop into florets. In a food processor, or with a cheese grater, reduce to a mealy, rice-like texture. Microwave the lot of it for about 6-8 minutes (you don’t need to add extra water to this step, there is plenty of moisture in the cauliflower and, remember, we’re trying to reduce the liquid in the veggies, not add to it). Dump all the steamed veggies onto a piece of cheesecloth or a thin dishtowel and twist and squeeze out as much liquid as you can. Wearing rubber dish-washing gloves will protect your skin, the liquid coming out will be scalding.

Put back into a big bowl and fluff with a fork, you should get a mealy texture again. Add the egg, cheese, oregano and salt. Mix well until combined. Dump the mixture onto a parchment-lined baking sheet and spread into a thin layer, patting it flat with your hands or the back of a fork. I made a little ridge around the edge to corral the sauce and veggies.

Bake the crust for 20-25 minutes, until it is crispy on the edges and golden brown.

Add your cheese and toppings and put back in the oven for 4-8 minutes, until the cheese is all melty and delicious.

Cut into pieces and enjoy!

UPDATES:

• For a less sticky crust, you can use only half of the beaten egg and a handful of breadcrumbs, it sticks together quite nicely.
• Do not use aluminum foil in place of parchment paper. The cauliflower sticks to it like crazy and you’ll be picking bits of foil out of your teeth while you eat.