Cauliflower crust pizza

Note – The first few times I made this, I mostly referred to this recipe, so that might be a good place to start. Also, all the photos I’ve included are unimpressive instagram photos. The results of this recipe are honestly so delicious that the last thing on my mind when I’m admiring my creation before slicing it up is, “I should take a photo of this”. It’s usually closer to, “GET IN MY MOUTH NOW”. Maybe someday I will think to pull out a real camera and take better photos. 

I’ve never really been one for following rules in the kitchen (often to Bobby’s dismay) , so it was only a matter of time before I started tweaking things. I’ve made cauliflower crust pizza about 8 or 9 times so far this year, so it’s become a bit of a staple here at Casa de Oberport. As COMPLETELY MINDBLOWINDLY DELICIOUS as it is, I would always feel bad when I raved about it and had to add the caveat, “But, well, you have to eat it with a fork.”

Tonight was the first time I was able to make this recipe and actually hold the pizza while I ate it. No more forks! This is a triumphant victory for me. I ate my first slice with a fork, but if I’d waited a few minutes for the pizza to cool down a little more, I would have been able to eat it without a fork.

This isn’t the best recipe if you’re on a tight timeline. I’ve tried to make it in 30-35 minutes before and it was a little stressful. It’s better to give yourself 45min-1 hour from start to finish, to be safe.

Ingredients

• 1 cauliflower head
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup shredded cheese (I use pizza cheese usually, or mozzarella)
• half a teaspoon of salt
• optional – 1 tablespoon dried rosemary (I’m addicted to rosemary, feel free to omit or replace with something else)

Directions

I always rice the cauliflower using a food processor (chop it up a little bit before , then I microwave for 9 minutes on medium-high (8 on my microwave).

This is a good time to preheat your oven. I’ve experimented with this a bit, and usually I set the oven temperature to around 400-450 degrees.

When the cauliflower finishes in the microwave, just let it sit for 5-10 minutes to cool it down a bit. In the meantime, take a mixing bowl and add cheese (I’ve tried shredded pizza cheese, mozzarella, extra sharp vermont white cheddar– they all are great!), 2 eggs, and salt.

I like to add dried rosemary to the crust mixture because I have a little bit of a problem with rosemary, but I’ve used garlic salt before and it was delicious. Oregano is also tasty.

Mix the cauliflower into the bowl with the eggs + cheese.

Take a paper towel (or 3 or 4..) and absorb as much moisture as you can.

Take a cookie sheet (or two) or two pizza pans and hit them with some cooking spray.

Split the mixture into two and pat out two crusts.

Bake them for about 10 minutes, then rotate them and set the timer for another 6-10 minutes. Work on any prep for the toppings while the crusts are cooking.

The outer edge of the crust will get black, but it isn’t anything to be concerned about. The more golden you can get the pie, the more likely you’ll be to be able to eat your delicious pizza alternative with your hands, so keep your eyes on the crusts and use your discretion.

From here, your next step will depend on your toppings. We mostly use marinara sauce (we use Kroger’s Private Selection), but we’ve also made pizzas with Stubb’s BBQ sauce (your best bet for low sugar/carb BBQ sauce), and a few weeks ago I made a chipotle crema from scratch to top off a chicken gouda pie. I’ve tried ham and pineapple with red onions, pepperoni and sausage, chicken gouda, green peppers + onions + olives, and I remember making one with brie once but I can’t for the life of me remember anything else about it.

Anyway, add your toppings, then broil the whole shabang for 3 or 4 minutes until the cheese is melty.

I’ve found that waiting at least 5 minutes before eating can help the whole thing solidify a little bit.

Phew – this was the first time I’d ever typed out a recipe, so I apologize for all the rambling. 

Feel free to comment if you have any tips or suggestions for your own cauliflower crust pizza! Have you found a way to get the crust to be more sturdy? Have you tried freezing the crust mixture to use at a later date? I’d love to hear about your experience!