Margherita Pizza with Cauliflower Crust

Justin and I are going to Europe in September and for a good part of our trip we will be in Italy *insert squeal of excitement here*!!! So I have been dreaming of delicious Italian food… mmmm pizza, salad, olives, wine. Yum. All this dreaming has been causing me to crave these delicious foods so I decided to make a pizza! To put a healthy twist on it I decided to make it with a cauliflower crust!

Yep. Cauliflower crust. What a sneaky little way to take the carbs out of pizza and add some veggie goodness to it! This pizza is much lighter than most out there, and still tastes amazing! It’s also gluten free! And really, where can you get pizza that is only 193 calories for 2 slices!?!

Margherita is my favorite type of pizza, as it is so fresh tasting and perfectly simple! I picked up the basil from the Wild Earth grocery store, and because they always support local producers, I knew the basil was reaaaaally fresh!

I read an article the other day that said Europe is the TOP place in the world where people tend to gain weight when traveling… uh oh. I am determined to not let this happen to me! With all those Irish breakfasts, Amsterdam delights, and Italian pizzas we will have to see how I do! I plan to do “Healthy Travel Eats” posts while we are away, so I hope everyone enjoys it, and of course I will throw in a recipe here and there!

Cauliflower might seem odd to make a pizza crust, but trust me, it still tastes delicious and does the job wonderfully! For the toppings I went easy on the cheese, and chose to use a light mozzarella.

Pizza doesn’t always have to be a belt-unbuckling indulgence!!

Enjoy!

Christal

*recipe adapted from the lovely Pinch Of Yum blog!

4.5 from 2 reviews

Margherita Pizza with Cauliflower Crust

 

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Prep time

45 mins

Cook time

15 mins

Total time

1 hour

 

Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 2 cups chopped cauliflower, about 1 head
• 1 tablespoons olive oil
• salt and pepper
• ¼ cup cornmeal (if Celiac, make sure it says gluten free on the package, some cornmeal brands may contain traces)
• 2 eggs
• 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
• ¼ cup tomato sauce
• ½ cup shredded part-skim mozzarella
• 1-2 on-the-vine tomatoes, sliced
• 1 tablespoon basil, sliced into ribbons

Instructions

1. Chop the cauliflower into medium pieces. Heat a large skillet over high heat. Add the oil and the cauliflower and cook covered. Check skillet every few minutes to keep cauliflower from burning, but let it get roasted on the outside.
2. Continue to let cauliflower cook, covered, for about 10-15 minutes, or until tender-crisp. Let cool for a few minutes.
3. Preheat the oven to 450. In a blender or large food processor, place eggs, cornmeal, and seasoning.
4. Place cauliflower in blender and puree until you have a semi-smooth, thick batter.
5. Cover a pizza pan with parchment paper and pour batter into the center of the paper. Spread until you have about a ½ inch thick crust or thinner if desired.
6. Bake the crust for about 45 minutes, checking occasionally to keep from burning. Cook until it is your desired crispiness and cooked through.
7. Once the crust is done to your liking, remove and top with tomato sauce, half the cheese, sliced tomatoes, and the rest of the cheese.
8. Bake for 10-15 minutes or until cheese is melted and golden. Top with basil, slice, and serve!

3.5.3208