I will take healthy pizza any day of the week. No sugar – no bad oils – no carbs – gluten-free…winner! This grilled mediterranean pizza is a veg power house, topped with goodness that not only taste amazing, but is amazing for you!

The cauliflower crust is full of flavour and holds it’s strength even when it’s layered with the veggies…Long gone are the days where all you could change on your pizza was the topping and whether it was a ‘normal’ or ‘thin & crispy’ crust (yes I am talking about Pizza Express people) – now you can put just about any flavour or seasoning you want in your crust AND create a unique topping. All the while making it healthy…who and what is pizza express I hear you say?!

It took me a good 3 times to get this crust right. In my defence it was partly due to the fact my oven has a mind of it’s own (SO very helpful when I cook every day!) but more importantly because cauliflower sure does love to retain water! I didn’t realise how much you had to squeeeeze out the water and also how important it is to thoroughly bake the crust before layering on the toppings – especially when mine come on thick and fast!

But finally it is my PERFECT cauliflower pizza and I am simply in love with it! The grilled vegetables have a lovely crunch to them and full of flavour, without having to cook them in a mountain of oil (a small dollop of coconut oil does the trick). Also, as an aside – my intention was to add red onions to the topping but to be honest, I was so wrapped up in the excitement of getting the cauliflower crust spot on that I completely forgot! So if you are a fan of them like myself, just slice them finely and grill with the other veg as per directions below.

I hope you love it as much as I do!

Cauliflower Crust Mediterranean Vegetable Pizza

 

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Prep time

20 mins

Cook time

60 mins

Total time

1 hour 20 mins

 

Author: Carly's Kitchen

Recipe type: Gluten-free Pizza

Serves: 1

Ingredients

For the Cauliflower base

• ½ head of cauliflower (500g)
• 1 large garlic clove
• 1 tsp coconut oil
• Handful of basil
• Handful of parsley
• ½ spring onion
• 1 organic egg
• ½ cup grated parmesan cheese
• Pinch of salt, pepper & chilli flakes.

For the toppings

• 2 Tbs tomato paste
• ½ fresh tomato
• 180 grams mozzarella
• ½ aubergine
• ¼ yellow pepper
• ¼ red pepper
• 1 small marrow
• Fresh basil leaves and drizzle of olive oil to top.

Instructions

1. Pre-heat the oven to 180℃
2. Put the chopped cauliflower head and garlic into a blender (you may need to do this a bit at a time to not overload the container) until it resembles rice-like grains.
3. Pan fry the cauliflower and garlic in a pan with the coconut oil for 5-7 minutes until soft.
4. Put the mixture in a strainer or tea-towel and squeeze as hard as you can! You want to get out every bit of moisture.
5. Finely chop the basil, parsley & spring onion and place in a bowl.
6. Add the cauliflower mix, egg, grated cheese, salt, pepper and chilli and mix really well.
7. Mound the mixture onto a lined baking tray and using the back of a spoon, gently push down onto the mixture to flatten and spread it so it is secure & combined. Neaten up the edges so it resembles a circular pizza base.
8. Bake for 40 minutes or until golden brown and starting to crisp.
9. While the base is cooking, slice up all the vegetables and place on a hot grill pan with some coconut oil.
10. Cook for 10-15 minutes, so that you get the 'grilled' look on the veg, set aside.
11. Once the base is ready, remove from the oven and spread the tomato paste on top - place back in the oven for 5 minutes.
12. Then remove again and place on the sliced fresh tomato, sliced mozzarella and layer on top of this the grilled vegetables.
13. Bake for another 10-15 minutes until veg is cooked and mozzarella cheese is softened (but not runny).
14. Let it cool slightly and enjoy your healthy pizza!

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