Loaded Pizza on Cauliflower Crust

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Loaded Pizza on Cauliflower Crust will satisfy even the most intense pizza craving!

Course Entree, Main Course, Pizza

Cuisine Italian

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 30

Total Time 45

Servings medium slices

Calories 161

Author Kim

Ingredients

For the crust:

1 medium head cauliflower about 1 pound, trimmed and broken into small florets*
2 large eggs lightly beaten**
1/2 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup shredded parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

For the pizza:

1/2 cup pizza sauce
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup shredded parmesan cheese
1/2 red or green bell pepper sliced
1/2 yellow bell pepper sliced
1/4 red onion thinly sliced
1/3 cup sliced mushrooms
1/4 cup pepperoni I use Applegate brand, with no nitrates
1/4 cup sliced black olives
2 tablespoons fresh parsley minced

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 450 degrees F and place a pizza stone inside (if using). My pizza stone is small, so I just used a regular pizza pan.
If you're not using pre-riced cauliflower, put cauliflower florets in a food processor and pulse until very fine crumbs remain. Alternatively, you can grate the cauliflower using a cheese grater.
Place cauliflower in a microwave-safe bowl, cover it with a paper towel and microwave for 5 minutes. Remove the cauliflower and let it cool. You can place it in the freezer for a couple of minutes to speed up the process.
Once cool, wrap the cauliflower in a dishtowel and squeeze until it is completely dry. It is very important to get all of the moisture out.
Place the cauliflower in a large (dry) mixing bowl. Mix in the cheeses, seasonings and eggs. If you're using a 16 ounce bag of pre-riced cauliflower (like me), you may need to add about 1/4 cup egg whites, another egg, milk or water. I added 1/4 cup egg whites because the cauliflower crust mixture seemed too dry.
Transfer cauliflower crust mixture to a large piece of parchment paper (no larger than your pizza stone) and press the dough into a circle, making sure the crust is thin and of about 1/4 inch thickness. Gently pick up the parchment paper and slide it with entire crust on top on to pizza stone or pizza baking pan. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until golden.
Once the crust is golden, remove it from the oven and cover with desired toppings. I cover crust with sauce first, then a bit of the cheese, next all other ingredients listed and last add the rest of the cheese on top.
Place pizza back in the oven and bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the cheese is golden and bubbly. Wonderful served immediately, but also quite delicious leftover and cold!

Notes

*Alternatively use pre-riced cauliflower. I used a 16 ounce bag. This will make the recipe so much easier. I purchased my riced cauliflower at Trader Joe's in the produce department, but I've recently seen it at other grocery stores.
**Because I used pre-riced cauliflower there was no excess water, so I added about 1/4 cup egg whites from a carton. You could also add another egg, milk or water (although I have not tried this).
***Nutritional information is calculated with toppings listed in the ingredients.

Nutrition