Low-Carb Cauliflower Crust Pizza

Cauliflower pizza crust before baking. 

Serving size: makes one medium pizza 
Prep time: 25 minutes
Cooking time: 20 minutes

This pizza is amazing. I really don't think I will be going back to making regular pizza dough any time soon after trying this + learning of it's healthier nutritional value. Anyone who likes cauliflower with a little bit of butter and salt would love this recipe! I got the idea for this recipe from Google because the first thing I do when I'm curious about something is Google it. 

When you make the cauliflower crust, you must be sure that you microwave and heat the shredded cauliflower enough so that there is no water at the bottom of the bowl. When the cauliflower is too moist, it is harder to stick together and to spread out across the cookie sheet. The good thing about this dough vs. traditional dough is that it can be easily molded without having it scrunch up on you.  I ran a spoon around the outside of the pizza crust dough and shaped it up very nicely. 

So I made two pizzas, because I wanted to try one with white sauce and one with traditional tomato sauce. First, I ended up making a tomato sauce pizza topped with pepperonis, sharp cheddar, and mozzarella cheese. This one turned out to taste so much like a regular thin crust pizza! The only difference is that since the cauliflower crust contains a lot of cheese, it is a little bit more flimsy than traditional pizza crust dough, and it's hard to transport the entire pizza without it tearing.

Pepperoni, sharp cheddar, and mozzarella. 

The white sauce (alfredo sauce) pizza was topped with mozzarella, sweet potato, mushrooms, finely chopped pancetta, crumbled feta cheese, and I also put a swirl of balsamic glaze over the entire thing.  I would suggest steaming most vegetables that you are going to top with to ensure that they will be cooked all the way. It would suck to have your pizza done with veggies on top that aren't fully cooked. 

White pizza + toppings & balsamic glaze. 

The first pizza I made was obviously delicious because it was so traditional, but the second was so fun to put together. All of the different tastes going on in one bite made the second pizza really unique and flavorful.  Honestly, both were great and everyone needs to be eating more cauliflower pizza crust! 

One more tip would be to make sure you cook your pizza long enough.  I usually am not a fan of crispy edges but it's necessary with this cauliflower crust. Like I mentioned earlier, it contains a lot of cheese which makes it more flimsy, especially in the center.  You want to make sure that you cook the center of the pizza al the way through because that part takes the longest! I suggest taking it out right when the top of the cheese starts to bubble and turn golden. 

Ingredients: 
-Toppings of choice
-1/2 cup of tomato sauce [or white pizza sauce]
-2 1/2 cups of shredded cauliflower
-1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
-2 tablespoons parmesan cheese
-1 egg
-1 teaspoon salt 
-1 teaspoon pepper

Cooking Instructions: 
1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Place parchment paper on a cookie sheet and grease it [I just used PAM, but you could use butter]. 
2. Shred the cauliflower into a large bowl, then microwave the cauliflower for 4-5 minutes, until warm and soft. Let cool. Make sure to take out any large chunks that may have fallen into the bowl. Also make sure to drain any water that has accumulated at the bottom of the bowl.  
3. After the cauliflower has cooled add in the parmesan cheese, mozzarella cheese, salt & 
pepper, and egg. Stir until thoroughly mixed. 
4. Scoop the mixture in the bowl up into your hands and shape it into a ball. Then set it in the center of the parchment paper and spread out as you would with regular pizza dough. Make sure it is evenly spread out on the parchment paper.
5. Bake in the oven for 10-15 minutes, until a golden color. [When you notice the edges starting to turn a little brown you are ready to take out of the oven!]
6. Spread your pizza sauce onto the crust however you would like. Add your cheese and toppings. 
7. Place pizza back in oven, and cook for about 15-20 minutes. The pizza should be done when the edges of the dough start to turn a golden brown. 

Before baking with toppings.

After baking with toppings.