Recipe by Elizabeth Herbert, MS, Clinical Nutrition Intern
Adapted from a recipe from ifoodreal.com
As the weather gets cooler, it’s so much more tempting to turn to our favorite comfort foods. Who doesn’t love a good slice of pizza? Before you pick up the phone to call your favorite delivery spot, know that there’s a way to enjoy the classics without any of the guilt! Cue this delicious gluten free take on the classic margherita pizza.
Cauliflower, a member of the cruciferous vegetable family, is a great source of Vitamin C, a vitamin important to immune health and a powerful antioxidant. It is also packed with glucosinolates, phytonutrients that support immunity, digestion, and detoxification. As we head into the cooler months consuming foods high in Vitamin C and these other important compounds can help protect against that winter cold.
This recipe from is both gluten-free and vegetarian, making it a great recipe if you don’t eat meat or if you have gluten sensitivity or Celiac’s Disease. Often, gluten-free packaged products are filled with corn and other fillers to maintain taste. This recipe avoids those pitfalls and is easy to make. You can even freeze these crusts for up to a month.
Ingredients:
1 head cauliflower
1 egg
1/2 c. parmesan or mozzarella cheese
1 tsp. Italian herb seasoning
1/8 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
(optional) favorite pizza toppings
Additional tool:
Cheese cloth
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees and line pizza with parchment paper. If using a stone, sprinkle with corn starch.
2. Rinse cauliflower and remove outer leaves. Cut into florets and process in a food processor until the cauliflower is the texture of rice.
3. Microwave in a bowl for 7 minutes.
4. Remove from microwave and let cool for a few minutes.
5. Place cauliflower over three layers of cheese cloth.
6. Squeeze liquid out. Do this a few times!
7. Turn up oven temperature to 450 degrees.
8. Mix together cauliflower, egg, cheese, herb seasoning, salt and pepper.
9. Flatten mixture onto pizza pan into a thin crust.
10. Bake 15–20 minutes.
11. Top with your favorite toppings! I made a white pizza with mozzarella cheese, sliced Roma tomatoes and fresh basil.