A delicious, gluten-free, vegetable-based pizza crust that contains no breadcrumbs and clocks in at only 80 calories per slice!
What if I told you that an easy way to incorporate more vegetables into your diet is to eat pizza – crazy, right? Well, not if that pizza is made with a Cauliflower Broccoli Pizza Crust! Each serving of pizza (2 slices) made on this crust contains about 1 cup of vegetables, which will help you reach the USDA’s recommended goal of 2-3 cups of vegetables per day for teens and adults. (Click here for more info.) You can top this pizza crust with whatever your little heart desires, but for maximum health benefits keep the toppings simple and nutritious. Some marinara, fresh mozzarella, and basil leaves are all that’s needed for a drool-worthy pie that’ll satisfy even the most intense pizza craving.
A lot of recipes for vegetable-based pizza crusts require that you cook the vegetables first and squeeze out the water before mixing with the other ingredients. This is a time-consuming and often messy process. My recipe for Cauliflower Broccoli Pizza Crust sidesteps those pesky chores and requires no chopping either, as long as you buy the cauliflower and broccoli pre-riced, which many grocery stores now carry (look in the produce section). In the event that you can’t find riced cauliflower and broccoli, it’s easy to make your own. Simply add raw broccoli and cauliflower stems and florets to a food processor and whir them up until they’re the size of grains of rice. You need a 12-inch round pizza pan and a 14-inch pizza tray for this recipe, but if you don’t own these pan sizes simply substitute two 8 or 9-inch round cake pans for the 12-inch pizza pan, in which case you’ll make two smaller size crusts, and use a baking sheet instead of a pizza tray.
Vegetables such as broccoli and cauliflower contain a lot of water, and even if you squeeze most of the liquid out, some moisture will remain, which is why breadcrumbs are typically added to most vegetable-based pizza crusts. They absorb some of that excess moisture and prevent the crust from baking up flimsy and soggy. This recipe for Cauliflower Broccoli Pizza Crust, however, contains NO breadcrumbs. Instead the moisture problem is handled by adding a bit of chickpea flour, which is super absorbent, and increasing the cooking time to dry out the crust. This method produces a crust that is crispy around the edges and sturdy throughout – the perfect surface for any number of delicious toppings. And, no breadcrumbs means that this pizza crust is gluten-free too!
For more recipes using riced vegetables check out: Gluten-Free Broccoli Cheddar Waffles, Broccoli Salsa, and Hummus Broccoli Fritters. You might also like Thin and Crispy Quinoa Crust Pizza and Potato Skins Pizza.
If you make Cauliflower Broccoli Pizza Crust don’t forget to snap a pic and tag me over on Instagram @QueenofMyKitchen. I’d love to see your creation!
Cauliflower Broccoli Pizza Crust
Ingredients
- Olive oil cooking spray
- 1/2 pound fresh, not frozen, broccoli rice (see notes)
- 1/2 pound fresh, not frozen, cauliflower rice (see notes)
- ½ cup finely grated cheddar cheese
- ¼ cup chickpea flour
- 2 eggs
- 2 large scallions, or 4 small, finely chopped (white and light green parts)
- 1 clove minced garlic or ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and line a 12-inch pizza pan (see notes) with a 12-inch circle of parchment paper. Spray with olive oil cooking spray.
- In a large bowl combine the broccoli and cauliflower along with the remaining ingredients. Mix well.
- Press the mixture into the pizza pan in one even layer (use a piece of plastic wrap to prevent sticking) and bake on the bottom rack of the oven for 20 minutes or until just starting to turn golden brown around the edges.
- Run a parking knife around the edge of the crust several times to loosen it from the pan.
- Lightly spray a 14-inch round pizza tray lightly with olive oil cooking spray and place it on top of the pizza pan. Invert the pan so the crust falls onto the pizza tray with the bottom facing up. Peel off the parchment paper.
- Return to the oven (on the pizza tray) for another 20 minutes.
- Layer on toppings of your choice and return to the oven for another 5-7 minutes until toppings are melted and/or heated through. Slice and serve.
Notes
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