Cauliflower Crust Chicken Pesto Pizza (Gluten Free)

Cauliflower pizza crust rocks. Tasty, healthy, low carb, and more veggies. Yay, veggies! It took a few tries to get it just right, but I now have a recipe that works well. Be forewarned that you don’t pick up this pizza and eat it out of your hand because the “crust” is quite soft. Keep in mind that is far low calories than a flour-based pizza crust and full of nutritionally dense veggies. Yay, veggies! Like any pizza crust, it is a canvas for whatever toppings you’re in the mood to eat. We’ve made it with barbeque chicken and veggies, TVP “sausage” and veggies, and last night homemade lemon pesto, chicken, and veggies.

The keys to success are to ensure the riced cauliflower is as dry as possible and to use as little liquid binding as possible in making the crust. Baking the crust first in a cast iron skillet gets it crisper than simply baking it on pizza stone or cookie sheet. Allowing it to cool for a few minutes before adding the pizza toppings also results in a crunchier crust (as crunchier as a cauliflower crust can be!). Lastly, while I typically put raw veggies on flour-based pizza crusts, I always sauté the veggie toppings for a cauliflower crust. Most recipes include mozzarella and/or parmesan in the crust, but an egg white and cottage cheese amply bind it (and I prefer to save those cheesy calories for the topping). Some recipes call for wringing out the cauliflower after steaming it, and perhaps it makes the crust more pick-up-able, but I skip that step. The recipe is super simple and fast to throw together. And, yay, more veggies!

Without further ado, I present:

Cauliflower Crust Chicken Pesto Pizza

Serves 2 hungry people

Cauliflower Crust

1 head cauliflower

1/4 cup egg whites

1/4 cup low fat cottage, drained of any liquid

Italian seasoning

Freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 450 F.

Remove stems and leaves from the head of cauliflower, and chop the florets into chunks. Pulse in a food processor until it looks like rice or grain. Do not over-pulse or puree it.   

Place the riced cauliflower into a microwave safe bowl; do not add any water. Microwave for 8 minutes. Allow to cool.

Add the cauliflower and remaining crust ingredients to the food processor and blend until smooth.

Spray a 9” cast iron skillet with cooking spray. Spread dough out evenly. 

Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until the crust is slightly browned. Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly.

Add toppings of your choice.The toppings in the photo above were homemade lemon pesto sauce, sauteed chicken, red bell pepper slices, red onion slices, broccoli, and tomatoes.

Bake at 425 for 10-15 minutes more until golden and bubbly. Allow to rest for a few minutes before cutting it.

Print recipe here.