Quick and easy to make, this pizza is super nourishing and free from sin, unless of course you overload it with sinful toppings. Up to you!! I keep it relatively virtuous without sacrificing cheese or salami. My husband likes this so much that he asks me to make it often. The base is gluten-free if you use GF oats. This pizza crust came to my attention in Anna Jones’s cookbook, A Modern Way to Eat, several years ago and I’ve been cooking it ever since. It really is a winner!!
Equipment
- You will need parchment paper and a baking tray. I use one that’s 17 inches by 12 inches from edge to edge including the rim. (43cm by 30.5cm).
- Food processor, ideally one with a total capicity of 11 cups or greater. Otherwise you’ll have to processes the cauliflower in multiple batches.
- Firm silicone spatula.
- Large mixing bowl.
Pizza Base Ingredients
- 1 medium cauliflower cut into smallish florets. This is going into the food processor, so make sure yours can handle the size of your florets.
- 1 cup (100g) almond flour
- 1 cup (100g) rolled oats
- a generous pinch of oregano
- salt & pepper
- 2 eggs slightly beaten together in a small bowl
- olive oil
Method
- Preheat the oven to 425°F. Line the baking tray with the parchment and brush the paper with a thin layer of olive oil
- Blend the cauliflower in the food processor util it has a rice-like texture.
- Put it in a large mixing bowl.
- Add the almond flour, oats, oregano, salt and pepper. Be generous with the seasonings. Mix the whole thing together with a spatula or your hands.
- Make a well in the middle of the mixture and pour in the eggs.
- Mix it together until it starts to form a ball. It won’t look like a regular dough and will be loose.
- Using a spatuala press the cauliflower mixture into the lined baking tray until you have achieved a firmly packed base for your pizza that’s about a quarter to a half inch thick (half to a whole centimeter).
- Bake for 20 minutes.
- While it bakes, prep your toppings
Toppings
As with any pizza you can top it with whatever you like. I’m listing here what I used on the pizza in the photo above.
If you don’t have marinara sauce on hand you can make a perfectly good tomato sauce by whirling half a can of diced tomatoes in the food processor with a generous handful of fresh basil, salt, pepper, a drizzle of olive oil and a spoonful of tomato paste.
- Marinara sauce
- Grated cheese including fontina, provolone, and parmesan.
- Mama Lil’s goat horn peppers drained and rinsed.
- Kalamata olives
- Diced Genoa salami
- Rocket (a.k.a. baby arugula)
- Drizzle of balsamic vinegar
Once the base is golden on top and smelling pretty darn good, take it out of the oven and layer up your toppings, leaving out the arugula and balsamic vinegar. Pop the pizza back into the oven for 12 minutes.
Slice the finished pizza and top with arugula and balsamic.