Cauliflower Pizza with Greek Yogurt Pesto and Veggies

This was an absolutely delicious recipe. I think I have had restaurant-made cauliflower crust once before and it was alright, but it's always harder to make things at home. This was time-intensive but worth it and so yummy! Plus it got me to eat my veggies. 

Second attempt

Crust

• 12 cups cauliflower cut into florets (about 2 medium heads or 3lbs)
• 1 Tbsp plus 1 tsp garlic, minced
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp Italian seasoning
• pepper
• 1 1/3 cup plus 4 Tbsp Parmesan cheese grated and divided (about 3.5 oz)
• 2 large egg whites

Greek Yogurt Sauce

• 1/2 cup plain, non-fat Greek yogurt
• 1/2 cup firmly packed fresh basil, roughly chopped
• 2 tsp garlic, minced
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste

Topping

• 1 small zucchini, sliced
• 3 inch Roma tomatoes sliced 1/2 inch thick
• 1/2 small red onion, sliced
• 1/2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
• fresh basil for garnish

Line a pizza pan with parchment paper. In a large food processor, blend the cauliflower until it is fine and the texture of rice. You may need to do this in batches. Place the cauliflower into a large bowl and microwave for 7 minutes, stir, and microwave for another 7 minutes. Then let the cauliflower stand until cool enough to handle, 10-15 minutes. 

Dump the cauliflower onto a thin kitchen towel and ring out all the excess moisture. This is key to a non-soggy crust. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Transfer the cauliflower to a large bowl and add garlic, salt, Italian seasoning, a pinch of pepper and 1 1/3 cups Parmesan. Stir until well-combined; add egg whites, mixing well until combined. 

Divide cauliflower into 4 balls and spread onto pizza pan, leaving a ridge for the crust. Bake until golden brown, about 30 minutes. 

While the pizza bakes, combine the Greek yogurt, basil, and garlic in a food processor or blender until smooth and creamy, scraping down the sides as necessary. With the processor on, stream in the olive oil until well-mixed and then set aside. 

First attempt

Preheat a skillet to medium-high heat (alternatively, wait until crusts are done baking and cook them in the broiler). Combine the sliced zucchini, tomato, and olive oil in a small bowl and season with a pinch of salt and pepper. Sauté until browned, about 2-3 minutes per side. Remove to a plate. 

Once the pizza crusts are cooked, remove them from the oven and turn on your broiler to high heat. Take the remaining 4 Tbsp of cheese and sprinkle it on the pizzas. Broil for 2-3 minutes until golden brown and melted. Spread some of the Greek yogurt sauce on each pizza and top with veggies and remaining cheese. Place pizzas back under the broiler until the cheese melts, about 2-3 minutes. 

NOTES: I simplified this recipe a lot. It had you using your oven, your grill, your broiler and all sorts of things that just seem like unnecessary tools in this recipe. We did not use the grill but instead sauteed the veggies on the stove. We also didn't re-grill the pizza at the end to warm it since it had just been in the broiler and all we were doing was melting the cheese. I've adjusted the recipe for that.

I cannot stress enough how important it is to get the water out of the cauliflower at the beginning. We did ours in batches and Doug and I each held an end of the towel to twist it to remove the water. There was so much!

Tyler admitted to adding too much garlic to the Greek yogurt sauce, so you can fiddle with that. Our family also loves red onion and had some handy so we sliced a little up, grilled it with the other veggies, and added that. 

Serves 4

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes

Recipe from www.FoodFaithFitness.com