- You guys know that I love
to give a healthy twist to classic recipes,
and one that's so easy to give a healthy boost to is pizza.
So today I'm gonna show you
how to make a delicious cauliflower pizza crust
and share a couple of different flavor options
because, at the end of the day,
pizza is all about the toppings, isn't it?
But before we jump into the recipe,
I do wanna set the expectation
and say that a cauliflower pizza crust is not going
to be crispy like a traditional pizza crust.
The cauliflower inside will naturally make it softer,
and so it's really about loving it for what it is,
which is a healthier gluten-free, low carb,
and very delicious pizza alternative.
Just as zucchini noodles aren't the same texture as pasta
and sweet potato toast is not the same texture
as whole wheat bread,
a cauliflower pizza crust will not be the same
as a traditional pizza,
but I think it's delicious either way,
and it's a great way to sneak more veggies into your diet.
I think you guys are really gonna love it,
so let me show you how to make it.
One thing you'll learn along the way today is
that this recipe is really quite flexible.
The main ingredient obviously is cauliflower,
but you can use a whole cauliflower
and then remove the florets and rice those.
You can use pre-riced store-bought cauliflower
if you'd like to skip a little work,
though I do find these tend to be a bit chunkier
than homemade riced cauliflower.
Or you can use frozen cauliflower florets
and save yourself the most time
because you won't have to precook the frozen florets.
So I'll show you two options today,
starting with a whole cauliflower that's about two pounds.
After you've washed it, slice it in half,
then into quarters.
Once you've got quarters,
you can slice off the stem at a diagonal
and break apart the florets.
You'll need the florets to fit
through the chute of your food processor,
so if they're a bit on the large side,
just break them apart or use a knife to cut them smaller.
And repeat this process until you have all
of the florets removed and about the same size.
Now, here's the key when it comes
to making cauliflower rice at home.
You don't wanna use this S blade in your food processor,
which is the blade you probably use most often.
If you use this, you'll end up with a processor full
of mushy cauliflower puree on the bottom
and large chunks on the top, and that's not what we want.
We want cauliflower rice that's uniform in size.
So to do that, add the grater attachment
to your food processor,
and I use the side with the large grater holes.
I do have a separate video on how to make cauliflower rice,
so if you haven't seen that yet, give it a watch.
But you'll add the grater attachment
and then secure the lid.
(upbeat music)
Now, if you don't have a food processor,
you're still in luck,
as you can great the cauliflower by hand on a box grater.
This obviously takes a bit longer,
but it definitely works as well.
So add your cauliflower florets
into the top chute of the food processor and push down.
Your cauliflower is riced super fast,
and all of the pieces will be nice and similar in size.
A two-pound cauliflower will give you
about 1 1/2 pounds of florets, and when those are riced,
you'll have about five cups of cauliflower rice.
But if you have slightly more or less,
it's really not a big deal,
and this recipe will turn out either way.
Today, I've got way more than five cups of florets
as I had a monster-sized cauliflower,
so I'll save half of this for a future recipe
and add five cups to a glass bowl
with a microwave-safe lid.
When you use raw cauliflower,
so need to cook it to soften up,
so I'll place it in the microwave for four to five minutes
to let it steam and soften.
If you don't have a microwave,
you could saute the cauliflower rice
for about eight to 10 minutes as well.
When you take the cauliflower rice out of the microwave,
it will be hot and steamy.
Give it a stir and then let it cool to the touch.
And while we're waiting for it to cool,
preheat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit
and grab a nut milk bag or thin kitchen towel.
I prefer this heavy-duty nut milk bag
which I use all of the time,
and I'll link it in the description box below.
Transfer the cooled cauliflower rice
to the nut milk bag or kitchen towel,
and then squeeze all the moisture out.
You'll see that quite a big of liquid comes out,
but keep squeezing.
And when you think you're done, take a deep breath,
and squeeze some more as hard as you can
because the more liquid you can remove, the better,
and the less likely your crust will become soggy.
Transfer the cauliflower rice to a mixing bowl,
and now we'll add some binders and flavoring.
I've tried this recipe with grated Parmesan,
grated mozzarella, and soft goat cheese,
and they all work, so choose your favorite.
If you're using grated cheese, you'll need 1/2 a cup.
So add that, along with one teaspoon of Italian seasoning,
slat and pepper, and one beaten egg.
Then just dig in with your hands
and mix it all together like dough.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper,
and then turn out the cauliflower dough onto the pan.
If you have a pizza stone, that's even better
and will make for a much crispier crust,
so I highly recommend it.
Use your hands to flatten the dough,
and you can form it into a round or square shape.
Just try to keep the height between 1/4 to 1/2 of an inch
and as even as possible.
And I like to make a slight lip on the edge
just so that any sauce or cheese doesn't spill over.
Place the cauliflower pizza crust into the oven
and bake for about 25 minutes.
You could also bake it for 20 minutes,
then flip it over and bake for another five to 10 minutes
to get both sides as crispy as possible.
So while that's baking, let me show you a faster
and easier way you can make this recipe,
and that's using frozen cauliflower
that's thawed in the fridge overnight.
You'll want 1 1/2 pounds of frozen cauliflower florets,
the same as our fresh cauliflower.
So for me, that's about 1 1/2 bags.
Add the thawed florets to your food processor
and create cauliflower rice just as we did before.
Now, the big time savings with frozen cauliflower is
that we don't have to cook it,
as the freezing and thawing has already softened it.
So once it's riced,
you can add it straight to a nut milk bag or kitchen towel
and wring out the moisture.
And I just have to say, (laughs) it's a good thing
that my head isn't shown in this clip,
otherwise you'd see me gritting my teeth
as I squeeze as hard as I possibly can.
For this version, I'm gonna add soft goat cheese.
So I'll add 1/3 of a cup,
which is slightly less than the 1/2 a cup of grated cheese,
but everything else is the same
with one teaspoon of Italian seasoning, salt and pepper,
and one beaten egg.
Once I've mixed the dough together,
I'll spread that out onto a baking sheet
just as I did before
and create about a nine-inch round pizza,
though this one is a bit bigger than the last.
You could also create two smaller pizzas.
And if you plan to freeze the crusts after they've baked,
smaller pizza crusts are definitely easier to store.
I've got all the details for meal prepping, freezing,
and storing these crusts on the blog post,
so make sure to check that out.
Once it's shaped, I'll pop it into the oven
and set the timer again for 25 minutes,
though I've found that when I use frozen cauliflower,
it tends to need a few minutes extra.
So here's my first crust that I made
with the fresh cauliflower and Parmesan,
and you can see it's nice and golden
and the underside is fully cooked.
And here's my crust made
with frozen cauliflower and goat cheese,
and you can see it looks pretty darn similar.
So again, just know that this recipe is really flexible.
But let's get to our toppings.
I'm making a pesto chicken pizza for the first one,
so I'll add a tablespoon of olive oil to a pan,
along with two cloves of minced garlic
and two packed cups of spinach.
And cook it for a couple of minutes until it wilts down.
Once that's done, you can remove it from the pan.
The first layer on this pizza is basil pesto,
and this is my homemade version,
which I have a recipe for on my website.
So I'll add 1/3 cup of that,
and it's important that you don't add too much sauce
on these crusts, as you don't want them to get too soggy.
Then I'll add 1/2 a cup of shredded chicken,
and I have another recipe for this on my website.
And then sprinkle on about 3/4 cup of shredded mozzarella.
To finish it off,
I'll spread out that garlic sauteed spinach,
and I'll place it back in the oven here in just a second.
For the second pizza,
I'm gonna make a classic Margherita pizza,
so I'll slice a couple balls of fresh mozzarella.
I'll add 1/3 cup of marinara sauce
and spread it in a thin layer.
And, yes, I have a recipe for this on my website as well.
Margherita pizzas are all about simplicity,
and they're adorned with the colors of the Italian flag,
which is red from the marinara sauce,
white from the mozzarella, and green from the basil.
And we'll add the basil after it's cooked.
I'll place both of these pizzas back in the oven
for about 10 minutes or until the cheese is nice and melted.
When they come out of the oven,
the only thing that's left to do is
to add fresh basil to the Margherita pizza.
And if you'd like,
you can sprinkle red pepper flakes as well.
Now, as I mentioned at the beginning,
these slices will be softer than normal pizza,
but they still hold together just fine,
and I think they taste amazing.
For the printable recipe and all of the tips I mentioned,
make sure to head to my website,
which is linked in the description box below.
Give this video a thumbs up if you enjoyed it,
and I will see you guys again in next weeks' video.