Cauliflower Margherita Pizza

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Enjoy pizza night without the guilt by sinking your teeth into one of this cauliflower margherita pizza – low carb and full of flavor!

easy cauliflower pizza

I know what you’re thinking – 2 years called and they want their recipe back. I GET IT – I’m a little late to the whole cauliflower pizza crust craze. But in my eyes, it’s better late than never and also I love pizza and am on a perpetual diet.

Cheesy cauliflower pizza

Things have been getting a little desperate over here. I’ve been trying, really trying, to shed this extra weight. I’ve given up desserts, I force-feed myself breakfast every morning and I’ve been doing my best to cut out carbs.

cauliflower

I KNOW – BELOVED CARBS.

tomatoes

And as you know, pizza is full of those pesky, albeit delicious, sugars, starches and fibers. Instead of giving up pizza all together (which WOULD NEVER HAPPEN), I opted to make a crust lower in carbs but still loaded with flavor.

cheesy pizza

Enter cauliflower. Now, I’ve read so many recipes where people say they hate cauliflower but love the crust – which is odd to me because you definitely get the flavor of this vegetable when you’re eating it. To me, that’s no biggy since it’s one of my favorites (I eat this recipe ONCE A WEEK!) I will say though, if you hate it – I’d recommend not making this.

low carb cauliflower crust

Case in point – my husband. He loathes cauliflower – down to his bones. So, I thought I could trick him into eating it if I baked it under gobs of fresh mozzarella, cherry tomatoes and our own fresh-grown basil. WRONG. SO VERY WRONG. As soon as he walked in the door he says “WHAT IS THAT SMELL? WHY DOES IT SMELL LIKE CAULIFLOWER IN HERE?” Then his gaze quickly darted to the stovetop where he saw a pizza, and soon, his mouth was agape. “WHY DO I SMELL CAULIFLOWER BUT SEE PIZZA? WHY IS THE CRUST WEIRD? CLAIRE, WHAT DID YOU DO!”

cheesy margherita pizza

So yeah, there’s no fooling anyone. But truly, it’s really an easy, and low-carb, way to enjoy pizza. The crust definitely has a unique texture (a little more porus than a regular bread crust) but it holds it’s own against the slabs of fresh mozzarella, the deluge of cherry tomatoes and the basil. Now, you could definitely top it with whatever delicious assortments you can think of –  and tell me how it turns out!

cheesy pizza

And also share any success stories you may have with tricking picky husbands, children, friends into eating it. I need some more pointers.

Cauliflower Margherita Pizza

simple margherita pizza

CLICK HERE FOR THE PRINTABLE VERSION OF THIS RECIPE!

Serves about 8. Crust slightly adapted from Jo Cooks.
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: About 15 – 20 minutes
Total time: 25 – 30 minutes

Ingredients: 

For the crust:

  • 1 large head cauliflower, cut into florets
  • 2 cups shredded, part-skim mozzarella
  • 4 eggs
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder (or 2 – 3 gloves fresh garlic)
  • Salt and pepper to taste

For the toppings:

  • 6 ounces fresh mozzarella, thinly sliced
  • 1/4 cup shredded mozzarella
  • About 1 cup sliced cherry tomatoes
  • Bunch of fresh basil, chopped
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Place the cauliflower florets and a dash of salt and pepper into a food processor and pulse until it resembles rice (about 3 – 5 minutes of heavy pulsing). Remove and place in a mesh strainer. Gently push out any excess moisture. Place the pressed mixture into a microwave safe dish, with a lid, and cook for about 4 minutes.
  2. Once cooked, place in a large mixing bowl. Add the eggs, one by one, stirring after each addition. Mix in the cheese, fresh basil, fresh thyme, garlic powder and additional salt and pepper to taste. (The mixture will look a little moist and soupy, but don’t worry!)
  3. Line a large pizza pan with parchment paper (and be sure to cover the entire surface) and carefully spread the crust mixture on top. Smooth it out as much as you can, spreading to cover most of the pan (it won’t spread in baking).
  4. Bake crust for about 23 – 25 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove.
  5. Sprinkle the shredded mozzarella over the crust. Add the slices of cheese, cherry tomatoes and half of the fresh basil. Add a dash of salt and pepper to taste.
  6. Bake another 6 – 8 minutes, or until cheese is melted. Garnish with additional fresh basil and enjoy!

DSC_4308

Nutritional information per slice:

Calories: 228.5
Fat: 16.5 grams
Carbohydrates: 5.6 grams
Fiber:  1.5 grams
Protein: 11.5 grams
Weight Watchers Points: 

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Comments

  1. Wednesday, March 30th, 2016
    i have yet to perfect a cauliflower crust..i think i am too impatient and dont squeeze out all the moisture, which makes it too soggy. yours look sooo good, esp with cherry tomatoes.
  2. Posted by Liz on
    Thursday, March 31st, 2016
    Printing this to try!!! My hubby would respond the same way---so this gem will be just for me :)
  3. Posted by Roxana on
    Sunday, April 10th, 2016
    Don't worry! You're not the only one late to the cauliflower bandwagon. We just recently started swapping cauliflower for rice and haven't yet make a pizza crust. I should probably work on that!