Spinach Cauliflower Pizza 

Spinach Cauliflower Pizza

Spinach Cauliflower Pizza is a favorite of ours. We eat mostly grain free and with pizza being my favorite Sunday night meal, I was determined to find an alternative.  One thing I didn’t want to do was spend every Sunday afternoon prepping dinner, so I’ve shortened the process from other cauliflower crust recipes. The whole steaming of the cauliflower and wringing it with a tea towel was not for me. I eliminated that whole mess of a process pronto, as you will see in the recipe. If you have a pizza stone you will get even crispier crust results.  Topping the pizza with large leaf spinach or Swiss chard sauté (recipe below) makes it a wonderfully healthy and flavorful.  You are invited to have your own traditional pizza night, like we do,  with this cauliflower pizza and feel great after eating it!

Cauliflower Pizza Crust

• 3 cups riced cauliflower
• 1/3 cup fresh parmesan cheese
• 1/3 cup almond flour
• 1 tsp. basil
• 1 tsp. oregano
• 1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes (opt.)
• 1/2 tsp. pink salt
• 2 eggs

Preheat oven to 200 C/400 F.  Place pizza stone in the oven while preheating.  To rice cauliflower- place cauliflower florets into a food processor and whir till it is rice size pieces of cauliflower.  Measure 3 cups into a medium size bowl.  Add parmesan, almond flour, basil, oregano, red pepper flakes and salt.  Mix well with a spoon.  Add the eggs to the side of the bowl and stir to break up eggs and then mix into the rest of riced cauliflower mixture.  Lay a piece of parchment paper on a flat-sided large cookie sheet.  Pour Cauli mixture onto the paper.  Spread a little with a spoon, then pat out the “dough” with your hands, shaping it into a large oval pizza crust.  This will not be like dough at all, since it has no flour in it.  Try to make the crust base fairly thin. You don’t want it thick or it won’t get crisp like. Form a little crust around the edge.  Make sure that this will fit onto the stone that is in the oven.  When you are finished shaping your crust place it in the oven on your cookie sheet, but if you have a stone~ you will slide the parchment paper with the crust onto the pizza stone in the oven to bake.  Bake for 25-30 minute until nicely browned.  Now slip the crust onto the cookie sheet and flip it over. Remove the parchment paper and slip the crust back into the pizza stone in the oven for a 5-6 minutes to brown up the bottom.  (If not using a stone,  just remove the crust on the cookie sheet from the oven, turn it over and peel off the parchment paper and place it back into the oven to brown up the underside of the pizza for 5-6 mins.) Watch it carefully so it doesn’t burn.  Next, remove it from the oven and slide it onto a cooling rack to cool crust before topping it.

Spinach & Toppings 

• 2 tsp. oil
• 6-8 cups large leaf spinach or swiss chard, chopped
• pink salt to taste
• red pepper flakes, opt.
• 4 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1/2 Tbl. olive oil
• 1-2 cups shredded cheddar or mozzarella cheese
• 2-3 Tbl. tomato paste
• oregano
• 6 baby tomatoes (cut each into 4ths and roast while crust is baking)

While pizza crust is baking, oil large skillet with 2 tsp. oil.  Over medium low heat, place spinach or swiss chard (my favorite) in the skillet.  Season with a little pink salt and red pepper flakes and cover.  Check frequently  and flip the spinach over until softened.  Try not to let the moisture on the lid into the spinach.  You don’t want it too wet.  Shred cheese.

To Assemble:

Place cooled pizza crust onto your cookie sheet.  Drizzle olive oil on crust.  Spread with fingers around crust.  This will prevent the crust from getting soggy.  Top with tomato paste, spreading thinly to near edge, leaving a crust.  Sprinkle with oregano.  Next top with the swiss chard or spinach.  Using a garlic press, crush garlic over the spinach.  Top with the desired amount of cheese.

Push topped pizza off of the cookie sheet onto the pizza stone that is still in the oven, or just simply place the crust on the cookie sheet in the oven.  Cook until the cheese is melted.  Remove, cool slightly and cut into 12 slices.

I hope you have as much fun munching away on pizza as we do on Sunday nights:)

Foodie Mama