Low Carb Cauliflower Crust Pizza Recipe by Amber Allen-Sauer

Updated by Andrew DiMino, President and Founder, CarbSmart, Inc.

 

Note from Andrew: I believe that this recipe is so important to the low carb community that I wanted to make sure everyone knows the history and evolution of the recipe. I believe that anyone who is diabetic or following a low carb lifestyle needs a great pizza recipe that they can enjoy anytime, with anyone and without raising their blood sugar level. This is not a complete history of the Cauliflower Crust Pizza but here are some of the highlights:

It started with Laura Dolson’s Cauliflower “Rice” recipe. Laura has been a friend of CarbSmart for many years and is About.com’s Guide to Low Carb Diets. She is also a health and food writer, and develops low-carb and gluten-free recipes for home cooks. Laura’s recipe has become a staple in many low carbers’ diet.

In 2008, Jamie VanEaton, Low Carb Examiner for Examiner.com published her Cauliflower Pizza Crust: Worth its Wow in Gold article which became an instant classic. Jamie is also a long time friend of CarbSmart and is a great source for healthy low carb eating.

Then earlier this year, I saw a tweet from our own Amber Allen-Sauer about her first attempt at making the Cauliflower Pizza Crust recipe. It included a photo she took and I knew I wanted her to publish her recipe. Finally on Monday, August 9, 2010, she published Cauliflower Crust Pizza on her very popular Me and Jorge blog and now we are publishing it here at CarbSmart.

At this point it was time to actually try it myself. I have updated this post with some additional comments and photos relating to my first Cauliflower Crust Pizza. Thanks to everyone who is involved in the evolution of this wonderful low carb meal.

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My Husband is an excellent pizza-maker and Saturday night is pizza night in our house. When I first started the BFC he made me a version formulated so that I could have 2 extremely thin pieces. But then I started having a stomach ache and realized that it was actually still too many carbs for one meal. While doing regular BFC I usually had a Tortilla or Pita Pizza. But once I started the Fast Track (a modified version of the Belly Fat Cure) we started making pizza with a cauliflower crust.

I have this once a week, the Husband even has it himself now and only the kids are left eating his fabulous pizzas. I even made if for my Mom and Sister recently, both on versions of the BFC. (They liked it, but I don’t think they LOVED it).

This recipe started with one from the Examiner, and I’ve modified it slightly. You can put whatever your favorite toppings are on it, preferably loading it up with proteins!

Step 1: Rice/shred fresh or frozen cauliflower.

I use a cheese grater and the consistency is much better then just finely chopping it.

Step 2: Mix together the following ingredients:

 

• 2 Cups riced/shredded cauliflower. Andrew used a Mandoline Slicer to make the job easier. Jamie suggests microwaving for 8 minutes but it may take up to an additional 8 minutes to get the consistency you want.

• 1/2 Cup Mozzarella
• 1/2 Cup Parmesan cheese
• 1 Egg
• garlic powder to taste

 

Step 3: Press the crust onto a greased pizza pan or cookie sheet. Andrew used Nutiva Extra-Virgin Coconut Oil.

Preheat the oven at 450 degrees. Bake for 20 minutes. Bake the crust, without any toppings, until it is crispy and golden. This is the most important part of the process. (You can play with the cauliflower/egg/cheese ratios if this consistency isn’t to your liking).

Step 4: Add your toppings

Add your toppings. Some great low carb suggestions are:

Traditional:	Gourmet:
A no-sugar-added pizza sauce or Alfredo sauce (read the labels carefully, some of the JUNK out there has high fructose corn syrup!). Use enough to coat the crust or what feels right to you. Pepperoni Red, Green, Orange, and Yellow Peppers Red Onions Mushrooms Olives Cooked Sausage Tomatoes Roasted Garlic Ham	Artichoke hearts Avocado Broccoli Dried tomatoes Eggplant Scallions Yellow squash Zucchini Anchovies Bacon Chicken

Bake until cheese is melted and the other toppings start to become crispy, probably about 10 minutes. Slice up and serve.

I really am a true pizza lover, I can’t have just one piece, so this is a big change for me. Depending on where you are with your love of bread I think you will enjoy this healthy low carb/sugar alternative!

Amber Allen-Sauer is the author of Me & Jorge, where she writes about her experience on Jorge Cruise’s Belly Fat Cure. The Belly Fat Cure is a low sugar, moderately low carb diet plan that excludes all artificial sweeteners.

Andrew DiMino is the President and Founder of CarbSmart, Inc. which includes CarbSmart.com, GlutenSmart.com, NevadaManna.com, and other healthy lifestyle websites.

© 2010 by Amber Allen-Sauer. Used by kind permission of the author. What do you think? Please send Amber your comments or questions to Amber or Andrew.