Recipe - Cauliflower Crust Pizza

So if you have Pintrest I imagine you have seen photos of a Cauliflower Crust Pizza like me. It had me intrigued for some time... but (there is always a but) as someone who has done low carb diets I was dubious. I have tried cauliflower as a stand in for potatoes and in these weird bread  things before and its just never worked for me, however I thought I had nothing to loose in giving it a try.

This is how it turned out (sorry the photos are some what awful!)



Its not exactly beautiful and it really wasn't really like Pizza to be honest but I did actually rather enjoy it (enough to make it a few days later again). I have made some modifications to the original recipe found at Eat. Drink. Smile. because I wanted to cut the fat down and I didn't have the same kind of cheese at home at the time so this perhaps also played a role in the fact I couldn't really pick it up.

So here is how I made my version..

For those that can't read my awful scrawl that's

170g Cauliflower Florets
1/2 Cup Grates Cheese (I used 25% reduced fat Strong Cheddar)
1 Egg
1/2 Teaspoon Dried Oregano
1/2 Teaspoon Dried Parsley
I also chucked in a pinch of salt for good measure.

1) Cook the florets until al-dente. I cooked in a pan of boiling water but you could steam if you rather, just don't over cook or I don't know if the consistency will be right overall.

2) Drain the cauliflower well and leave to cool slightly. If you have a food processor using the blade you can just pulse this to a rubble, if not leave to cool until you are able to handle the cauliflower and then grate it.
It should look like this




3) Place the cauliflower along with the rest of the ingredients in a bowl and mix well ensuring it is all well combined. Once this is done place on baking tray you have liberally sprayed with non-stick spray and press out to create a round pizza base shape, then spray with a little more of the cooking spray and cook for approximately 15-20 minutes on Gas Mark 7 (425F or 220C).

You should be left with a cold crust that likely has some darker edges.

Now you need to sort out your toppings. I recommend that you use things that will either cook very quickly or that you have pre-cooked and I don't advise using any meats you haven't pre-cooked.

This is what I used



1 Cup of Pizza Sauce (recipe below)
1 Sliced Mushroom
1/2 Cup Shredded/Grated Cheddar
1/2 Diced Tomato
1 Slice Back Bacon, Cooked and Diced.
1/2 Sliced Green Pepper
1/2 Sliced Onion
1/4 Diced Red Chilli
Some Sliced Courgette.

You just chuck this on top and place under a grill (if your in the UK or broiler in the US) until golden and melty which only take a few minutes.

If you would like to make your own Pizza sauce this is how I did mine.



1-1/2 Cups Passata/Sifted Tomatoes
1 Teaspoon Dried Italian Herbs
1 Teaspoon Sweetener
2 Cloves Garlic Minced
1/4 Teaspoon of Chilli Flakes
Pinch of Salt to taste.

Just chuck everything into a pan and boil it up stirring occasionally, it takes about 15.-20 minutes and it will reduce down to a lovely rich and thick sauce.