Cauliflower-Crust Pizza

adapted from sandyskitchenadventures.com

This recipe is amazing – it’s a new favorite of mine! My co-worker Cheryl Hoefler also gave it a try and liked it – judging from the picture, her pizza looks mouth-watering! I first heard about cauliflower-crust pizza about two years ago, and it didn’t appeal to me then, but I gave it a try a couple weeks ago and was pleasantly surprised. It doesn’t taste like cauliflower and the texture is great. Is it a New York-style crust? No, but if you’d like a healthier, low-carb, low-fat option, it’s a winner! By the way, I doubled the recipe and made four pizza crusts, one round and three rectangular.

Ingredients:
Crust:
1 C. grated raw cauliflower (about 1/2 a head of cauliflower)
1/4 C. egg whites, from two eggs, beaten slightly
1/2 C. reduced-fat shredded cheese
1/8 tsp. garlic powder
1/8 tsp. basil
Toppings:
1/4-1/2 C. reduced fat Mozzarella cheese
1/2 C. Italian diced tomatoes, canned
or use pizza sauce, if desired
Add other favorite toppings

Directions:
Measure out 1/2 C. diced tomatoes and puree in blender or chopper, just pulse for a few seconds. Set aside. Your favorite pizza sauce could be used in place of the diced tomatoes.
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Place parchment paper on a cookie sheet and spray lightly with cooking spray.
Combine grated cauliflower, egg whites, cheese, garlic powder and basil until mixed thoroughly. Spoon mixture on prepared pan to make two rectangular pizza crusts, or make two round pizza crusts, one at a time.
Make the pizzas on the small side so they bake through, about 5x8 inches for rectangular shapes and 9” for the round pizzas.
Use the back of a spoon to thin out mixture (or your hands) to make the shape, about a 1/4-inch thick or less – the thinner the crust, the less chance it will be soggy.
Bake for 25 minutes then carefully flip the pizza crust – use a spatula to lift all edges of the crust off the parchment first. Bake an additional 10 to 15 minutes until edges are really brown and crisp. Even if they are a little burnt around the edges, it won’t taste burnt. Allow crusts to cool.
Add tomato sauce and cheese on top. Broil until cheese is melted, about 5 to 10 minutes.
Pizza crusts can be made ahead of time, without toppings, cooled and stored in the freezer in gallon-sized Zip-Lock bags. Then bake as you would a normal store-bought pizza: top with sauce and toppings, then bake for about 10 minutes at 425 degrees or until cheese is melted.
The recipe can be doubled for 4-5 pizza crusts, then store extras in the freezer for later!
Angel’s Tip: The original recipe calls for reduced-fat three cheese Mexican blend – this was not available at the store I was shopping at but I found a similar taco blend gave a nice flavor to the crust. Cheryl used a mixture of Mozzarella, Swiss and cheddar for her crust, so be creative with what you have! ... If you get busy and let the mixture sit in the fridge for a few hours, you’ll notice liquid in the bottom of the mixing bowl. If this happens, drain as much liquid as possible and make the crusts.