There are days when I just got to have pizza! I also love garden vegetables. Sadly, I don’t grow a garden, but a few friends shared their fresh produce bounty. I decided to take this opportunity to do a healthy upscale to a classic family favorite!
This “Eating Fit” recipe features pizza made-over. It includes:
- Gluten-free, lower-carb cauliflower based crust
- Kale pesto sauce
- I used Rumiano Cheese organic, grass-fed, non-GMO Smoked Mozzarella cheese
- Top with whatever vegetables you have on hand! (Or meat if you prefer).
Dietary Notes: The result is a vegetarian-friendly, low carb, gluten-free pizza. It is fairly high in fat due to the pesto and generous use of Rumiano Cheese. It is a delicious, lighter alternative to more traditional pizza.
[tweetthis]This pesto cauliflower pizza looks delicious! Get the #recipe on Feeling Fit! [/tweetthis]
Before you start, make your pesto sauce. You may also purchase pesto if you prefer. Any pesto works, I adapted a recipe I previously featured on Feeling Fit: Zesty Fresh Pesto. I made a couple of alterations, I replaced almost half the basil with minced kale to add a little nutritional boost (Kale is rich in vitamins and mineral). I also used slightly less oil, I always suggest starting with a little and adding more until you reach your desired texture. I wanted to make this Pesto less oily since it is a topping on a flat pizza crust.
Once you have the Pesto ready, feel free to follow the recipe. This was my first attempt at cauliflower pizza crust. I need to give credit where credit is due. It is based on my adaptation of a recipe from Spark People (see link at the end of this post).
Pesto Cauliflower Crust Pizza
Ingredients
- Cauliflower (half a medium to large sized head)
- 1 beaten egg
- .5 cup smoked mozzarella cheese (I used Rumiano Cheese)
- .5 tablespoon kale pesto sauce
- 1 clove garlic
- Spray olive oil
- 1-2 tablespoons Kale Pesto Sauce
- .5 onion
- 1 red ripe tomato
- 2 large mushrooms
- .5 cup mozzarella cheese
- Basil
- Olive oil
- Pine Nuts
- Garlic
- Kale
- Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Prepare Pesto ahead of time, or use store-bought pesto
- Preheat the over to 450 degrees Fahrenheit (232.2 Celsius)
- Cut cauliflower into small pieces, then put those pieces in a food processor and mince finely. Add peeled garlic clove and mince.
- Grate or mince cheese .5 cup of mozzarella cheese
- Beat one egg in a small bowl
- Oil pizza pan, I used little coconut oil
- Combine cauliflower, cheese, egg, garlic in a bowl and mix. Add about .5 tablespoon of pesto, be careful not to add too much as you do not want the texture too wet. Mix.
- Scoop mixture onto pan and press into a pizza crust shape. Spray olive oil, my sprayer makes a fine mist and I only needed on pump. Spread olive oil as needed for even distribution, a brush or spatula work well.
- Bake untapped crust for about 15 minutes. I also broiled the top for 1 minute after baking.
- Prepare your pizza toppings while the crust is baking (you probably also have time to clean up!)
- When lightly browned, remove and let cool slightly before adding sauce and toppings
- Add your pesto sauce to the top of the baked cauliflower crust. This is to taste, it took about 1 tablespoon for a thin layer of pesto.
- Add cheese and desired toppings. I used about .5 cup of cheese.
- Bake 10 - 15 minutes or until browned. I also broiled the top for 2 minutes.
Notes
Equipment Used: Food processor, oven, pizza pan, large mixing bowl, smaller bowl
The cauliflower pizza crust recipe was adapted from this recipe on Spark People Recipes: %http://recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe-detail.asp?recipe=2348034
Make It Your Own!
This recipe is so versatile! You can make it your own by substituting your favorite sauces. I would suggest choosing a sauce that is a little thicker or dryer (not too watery).
It would also work with just about any topping. I discovered that onions are not the best topping unless you like them stronger. I used lovely mild sweet onions so it was fine, but they didn’t cook as much as I hoped with the shorter cooking time. You may want to pre-cook onions or other vegetables if you prefer a longer cooking time than 11-15 minutes.
Featured Ingredient: Rumanio Grass-Fed Cheese
Rumiano Cheese is cheese you can feel good about eating. I reviewed Rumiano Cheese in October 2014 and have been a fan ever since! It has a smooth texture and melts beautifully! I prefer this Smoked Mozzarella over the Cheddar I previously reviewed (I like my Cheddar a little sharper and more crumbly, though Rumiano’s Cheese is perfect for melted cheese dishes like Macaroni and Cheese!).
Rumania Cheese Company is California’s oldest family-owned cheese company! The milk used comes from humanely treated cows (according to American Human Association standards), are grass-fed and receive no antibiotics or hormones. The cheese is kosher, vegetarian-friendly, organic and non-GMO. Rumania works with small-scale farmers in Northern California.
Visit Rumiano Cheese Company’s website at rumianocheese.com if you want more information about Rumiano or access to their store locator.
If You Like It, Put A Pin On It!
Credits:
- The cauliflower pizza crust was adapted from this recipe on Spark People
- The grass-fed, organic, vegetarian, non-GMO Smoked Mozzarella Cheese was provided by Rumiano Cheese Company
- I used my previously published Pesto recipe as a base – Zesty Fresh Pesto
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