Aperitif-style cauliflower crust pizza

I was skeptical about cauliflower crust when it became all the rage a few years ago. But when my quest for gluten-free solutions began, I finally took the plunge and was pleasantly surprised. No, it isn’t like the real thing, but it’s an interestingly tasty substitute to regular wheat-based dough and a great way of eating cruciferous vegetables. You don’t get the stinky cauliflower taste and the texture is really nice. It’s also slightly more hearty than a regular pizza, which makes it perfect to serve cut up into little squares as an appetizer. I like keeping the toppings simple and in this recipe alternate a home-made pesto and tomato base, throw in some fresh mozzarella and top it off with a few olives. It got the kid seal of approval and in my house, that’s huge.

Ingredients

  • 1 kg cauliflower
  • 1 egg
  • 1/3 cup of goat cheese
  • Salt, pepper
  • Homemade herb pesto
  • Regular tomato sauce
  • 1 ball of mozzarella
  • Black olives

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 400F
  2. Take the cauliflower apart into small florets and blend it until it gets a grainy, rice-like texture. I usually do this in batches to ensure the size of the grains are uniform.
  3. Pour the cauliflower into a large pot and cover it with water. Cook for 4 minutes and drain. Let cool for 10 minutes.
  4. Place the cooked cauliflower in a cheesecloth and squeeze ALL the excess water out. This is a really important step and you should really try squeezing every little bit of water out otherwise you won’get the right results.
  5. In a large bowl, mix the “dry” cauliflower, egg, goat cheese, salt and pepper thoroughly until you get a thick homogeneous paste.
  6. Spread the “dough” on a cookie sheet that is lined with a greased (I put a tbsp or two of olive oil for this) parchment paper
  7. Place in the oven for 30 minutes or until the edges start getting a dark golden color
  8. Remove the cookie sheet from the oven
  9. Spread half the pizza with pesto and the other with tomato sauce
  10. Tear up the mozzarella and top the pizza with it
  11. Add the olives and put the pizza in the oven on grill for about 5-10 minutes or until the cheese melted and bubbling
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2 Responses

    1. It’s really good Tracy, try it and let me know what you think. I think the important thing is to really squeeze all that excess water out and you are good to go. You won’t be able to roll out the dough, you shape it with your hands. Enjoy!!! xx

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