the BEST pizza

two years into marriage and zach and i are still learning differences about one another. there are a lot of obvious differences (i'm a planner, and he is super laid back) and some not-so-obvious differences (i'm asleep by 10, but zach is a night owl). another difference is our taste in pizza: i usually opt for a veggie pizza with extra veggies while zach goes for meat lovers with extra bacon! (our compromise hawaiian pizza-yum!)

well, i tried a pizza recipe the other night. the unique thing about this pizza is that the crust is made from riced cauliflower (no dough = super low carbs)! this recipe makes 4 pizzas (about 340 calories each).

 

::BASIL CAULIFLOWER PIZZA::

 

crust:
2 eggs
2cups shredded mozzarella cheese
2cups riced cauliflower
2 minced garlic cloves
1/4cup fresh julienned basil

toppings:
1c marinara sauce (i like the classico brand)
1 small zucchini, thinly sliced
1 small yellow squash, thinly sliced
1/2 white onion, thinly sliced

basil ricotta:
1cup ricotta
1 tablespoon fresh chopped basil
pinch of salt and pepper

1. preheat oven to 450 degrees.

2. prepare cookie sheet using one of the following options: you may GENEROUSLY spray two cookie sheets- i'm talking layers and layers. or you can line the cookie sheet with parchment paper and then spray. i've done it both ways, but when i used parchment paper, the pizzas stuck badly and we basically had a pile of pizza ingredients (see pic below) it was still super yummy, and zach will eat anything. literally. i'm sure he ate some of the paper that i couldn't get off of the pizza crust. but last night i made the pizzas without the parchment paper, and i was able to scoop up the pizzas in one piece. it did leave a bit of a mess on the cookie sheet, and the parchment paper definitely would have helped with that. it's up to you!

3. in a medium bowl, combine all crust ingredients and divide evenly on the cookie sheets. flatten and shape with your hands. the edges will get dark and crispy (mom liked that part the best). but try and make sure the crusts are evenly spread out. bake for 12-15 minutes until golden brown. and like i said, the edges will get darker. you don't want to take them out too early because the crust won't be "set" in the middle.

 

pizza crust. see ricing caulifower technique.

4. add sauce and toppings. drop the ricotta on top of the veggies and flatten a bit.

5. put pizzas back in oven for 5-10 minutes. 

yummy toppings! basil ricotta, classico pizza sauce, and lots of veggies!

from top to bottom: "raw" pizza crusts, cooked pizza crusts, cooked pizzas.

 6. let pizzas cool and set for a few minutes before you try and scoop them off the cookie sheets. this really helps to make sure they stay intact.

this is how we ate the pizzas the first night. i have perfected the technique since this night! but they still tasted super yummy!

 please don't be intimidated by this process. the prep time does not take that long! i chop the veggies and mix the ricotta while the crusts are cooking and clean up while the pizzas cook that last 5-10 minutes. i think dinner always tastes better when the kitchen is clean!
 

and as you can see, this pizza had no meat (does that mean i win the pizza war?!?!)