Pesto Pizza with Cauliflower Crust

Pesto Pizza with Cauliflower Crust

The humble cauliflower is transformed into a low-carb, gluten-free, delicious base for this fresh pesto pizza. 

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 60 minutes

Serves: 4

Ingredients

2 tsp extra virgin olive oil

1 large cauliflower, cut into florets

½ cup almond meal

2 tbsp linseed meal

1 tbsp chia seeds

1 tbsp nutritional yeast

½ tsp garlic powder

½ tsp onion powder

1 tsp sea salt

⅓ cup basil pesto

110g fresh buffalo mozzarella, thickly sliced

1 cup mixed leaves

Steps

1. Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F. Line a large oven tray with baking paper and grease with the oil.
2. Steam cauliflower in a steamer set over a large saucepan of simmering water for 10 minutes or until tender. Remove. Transfer to a food processor. 
3. Process cauliflower until mixture resembles small pieces of rice. Allow to cool.
4. Place cauliflower in a clean tea towel. Wrap and twist cauliflower to remove excess moisture.
5. Place cauliflower in a large bowl with almond meal, linseed, chia seeds, nutritional yeast, garlic powder, onion powder and salt. Using clean hands, mix until very well combined. 
6. Spread mixture onto prepared tray, pressing down in a thin, compact, even layer. 
7. Bake cauliflower base for 30 minutes. Remove. Turn the crust over using two spatulas. Bake for a further 15 minutes or until golden brown. 
8. Spread base with pesto. Bake for 5 minutes. Remove.
9. Top pizza with slices of mozzarella. Sprinkle with mixed leaves. 

Recommendations

You can use a mixture of fresh basil leaves, mâche, mesclun, baby kale leaves, baby spinach leaves or baby rocket leaves to top your pizza.

Use this cauliflower pizza crust as a base for any of your favourite toppings.

Removing the excess liquid and flipping over the crust during cooking ensures a crispy base.

If you don’t have a food processor, you can also use a box grater for the cauliflower instead.

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