I was slow on the cauliflower pizza crust fad but decided to try this out (finally..) after seeing some awesome sales on cauliflower recently! On a previous post, I tried making some zucchini pizza crust technique, which was DELISH but not as fool-able for those veggie-hesitant folks. This recipe surprised my guy when he grabbed a slice and asked where I bought the pizza crust from – little did he realize it was home made and mainly cauliflower in composition!

This recipe is really easy but has only one aspect that takes away from it’s practically fool proof technique – you gotta squeezeeeeeeeee out that water! Cauliflower naturally contains a crazy amount of fluid (more than you’d expect) – if you don’t take the bit of time to squeeze as much out as you can, you’ll be left with a softer crust.

Ingredients:

• 1 head of cauliflower (preferably a medium to large head), cut into florets
• 1/2 cup grated mozzarella cheese or goat cheese (I used goat since I bought some as my topping)
• 1 large egg
• Salt/pepper to taste
• 1 tsp (5mL) Italian dried herbs (optional)

What to do:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. In a food processor, pulse cauliflower florets until “riced” (pulsed into the size of rice grains). Place into a large, microwaveable bowl.
3. Microwave “riced” cauliflower for 4-5 minutes on medium-high heat uncovered. Remove from microwave and stir. Microwave for additional 4-5 minutes. Allow cauliflower to cool (approx 5-10 minutes). 
4. Transfer cooled cauliflower on a thin dish towel, cheese cloth, or paper towel (easier to place towel/cloth inside a large colander). Squeeze out as much water from cauliflower as you can – it’s not a big deal if the cauliflower is still moist! Transfer into a bowl.
5. Add egg, cheese, and seasonings to cauliflower. Mix until well incorporated.
6. Transfer concoction onto a pizza or baking tray lined with parchment paper. Spread evenly on tray (mine was about 1cm thick).
7. Bake for approx 40 minutes or until the crust looks golden and dry. 
8. Top with your fav pizza toppings (I chose grated mozzarella and Parmesan instead of a sauce then topped with sauteed mushrooms, caramelized onions and dollops of goat cheese!) Stick back into the oven for 5-10 minutes or until the cheese is melted/the toppings are warmed through.
9. NOM!!

Serves approx 6 individuals.

Tips/Tricks:

• It’s easiest to squeeze the water out of the cauliflower in smaller batches. I split my cauliflower into 2 batches. The more fluid you squeeze out, the crunchier the crust will be!
• Use parchment paper to line your baking sheet – it’ll save ya a ton of time with clean up and will prevent the crust from sticking to your tray.

Got any other dishes you love that also packs in the veggies? Let me know in the comments!