Recipe: Cauliflower Crust Pizza

Monday, March 4th, 2013

2 comments

I’m so excited to share with you this amazingly healthy (and easy!) pizza … yes, PIZZA recipe! Who says pizza can’t be uber healthy, tasty, and easy on the waistline? When you’ve got a cauliflower crust, life just seems that much better. Enjoy the recipe below, created for you, by my wonderful food-loving yogi friend, Brianna!

Hello to all of Corinne’s devoted followers and fans!

I am delighted to share this amazing healthy cauliflower-crust pizza recipe with you today. I’ve remastered recipes found around the blogosphere to make one that’s even healthier and has an added spice. I gave this pizza (as a leftover, mind you) to my non-health-nut father, and even he LOVED it! It’s a necessary addition to any pizza lover’s recipe arsenal. I hope you’ll enjoy this it as much as I do!

Recipe: Cauliflower Crust Pizza

yields: approximately 16 pieces

Ingredients:

Crust:

1 head of cauliflower
2 eggs (*extra skinny version = use 3 egg whites)
1 ½ cups grated cheese (I like a four cheese mix, but mozzarella will always do just fine) (*extra skinny version = use 1 cup low-fat shreeded mozzarella cheese)
3 cloves minced garlic
spices to taste (I recommend basil, oregano, salt, pepper, thyme, and a little turmeric)

Toppings:

mozzarella cheese (use sparingly, as needed)
3 Portobello mushrooms, sliced thin
prosciutto (optional)
¼ red onion, finely chopped
½ cup bruschetta spread
½ cup pasta sauce
¼ cup fresh basil
chopped vegetables, as many as you like!

Directions:

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Chop 1 head of cauliflower into small crumbles (a food processor is much faster than a knife, if you have one). Put crumbles into a large microwavable bowl. Cover the bowl with a wet paper towel, and cook it for 8 minutes. Allow the cauliflower to cool.

Add eggs, garlic, cheese, and spices to the cauliflower crumbles and mix. Note: Have fun with your spices! They are a surefire way to add flavor without adding calories. Fresh herbs are always better, but quality spices are an easy staple for a healthy kitchen. Add any spices your taste buds crave, and savor all the flavors. Also, I recommend starting with only a little turmeric, if you aren’t used to the spice. It has an intense flavor, but it has so many healing properties (antioxidants, anti-inflammatories, and anti-cancer), I try to add it to as many recipes as possible!

Spread the mixture onto a greased cookie sheet and bake for 20 minutes or until slightly browned.

Remove from oven and turn the heat to broil. Add pasta sauce, bruschetta, and desired toppings, and put pizza back in the oven for 5 minutes.

Remove, cool, cut, et viola, healthy pizza. Enjoy!

*extra skinny version updated on 3/5/2013

Brianna Smyk is a yoga instructor who has taught in New Orleans, LA and Los Angeles, CA. She received her yoga certification from White Lotus and is also a licensed PiYo instructor. Her lifelong passions for both fitness and food have led Brianna to become an avid health foodie.