Cauliflower Cutie Pizza

My friend Kate and I have had plans to make cauliflower crust pizza for a long time now. We made it Tuesday night and it totally lived up to the hype. When I asked Kate for a creative name we could call our za, Cauliflower Cutie is what she came up with....not really what I was expecting but we'll go with it!

Going with the theme of a crust made from vegetables, we kept our pizza vegetarian. We did a little truffle oil, some of my homemade Kale Pesto, two kinds of tomatoes, pine nuts, red onion and more cheese, of course! I have to say the key was sprinkling a little extra grated parmesan over the crust before we cooked it! It worked as a binding agent and made it a little extra crusty. 

before-the-cheese.jpg

After taking a bite of our pizza, it was clear that it exceeded our expectations. We both agreed that we killed it. Bookmark this recipe and put it on your cooking list! 

Cauliflower Pizza Crust recipe adapted from  The Lucky Penny
yields one 12 in. pizza

Ingredients:
1 small to medium size head of cauliflower-should yield 2 to 3 cups once processed
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. dried basil
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
1/4 cup mozzarella cheese (plus more for topping)
1 egg

Toppings:
pesto, I used my homemade
Kale Pesto
truffle oil
cherry tomatoes
sundried tomatoes
pine nuts
red onion, thinly sliced
mozzarella cheese

Directions:
Preheat your oven to 450 degrees. 

Cut up your cauliflower into small floretsUsing a food processor, process the cauliflower to about the texture of powdery snow (I don't have a food processor and had to use my blender. I do not suggest this, it was a pain and took forever!). Dump the cauliflower into a microwave safe bowl and microwave for 4 minutes. Let the cauliflower sit until it's cool enough to handle. at this point, wrap it up in the dish towel and wring out as much liquid as you can. This will give you a chewy crust instead of a crumbled mess!

Dump the cauliflower back into the bowl and add the salt, basil, parm and mozzarella. Then add the egg and mix to combine, hands work best. Once mixed, dump on a greased cookie sheet or pizza stone and use your hands to form the crust. Pat it out flat until about 12 inches in circumference. Bake for 8-11 minutes or until lightly browned. We sprinkled a little extra parmesan before we baked the crust to make it extra crusty!

Once your crust is finished baking, drizzle a little truffle oil over it. Incredible flavor here people! Then top with a layer of pesto, cheese, tomatoes, onion, pine nuts and finish with more cheese. Put back in the oven for 5-7 minutes, or until all the cheese is melted. 

Using a pizza cutter, slice up your za and serve it up! 

Annie