Veggie pizza with Cheesy Cauliflower Crust

Veggie pizza with Cheesy Cauliflower Crust

No "knead" for bread—this cheesy veggie crust has half the carbs and double the fiber of traditional pizza dough.

• 1 cauliflower head, roughly chopped (about 3 pounds)
• Cooking spray
• 2 teaspoons olive oil, divided.
• ½ cup presliced cremini mushrooms
• ½ cup sliced red bell pepper
• ½ cup thinly sliced fresh basil, divided
• ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
• ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 2.5 ounces shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese (about ⅔ cup), divided
• 2 large egg whites
• 0.5 ounce grated Parmesan cheese
• ½ cup thinly sliced seeded tomatoes
• ⅔ cup fresh baby spinach

1. 1. Preheat oven to 375°.
2. 2. Place half of cauliflower in a food processor; pulse 10 to 15 times or until finely chopped (like rice). Transfer cauliflower to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Repeat procedure with remaining cauliflower. Coat cauliflower with cooking spray. Bake at 375° for 25 minutes, stirring once. Cool.
3. 3. Increase oven temp to 450°.
4. 4. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 teaspoon oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add mushrooms and bell pepper; sauté 5 minutes or until tender. Set aside.
5. 5. Place cauliflower in a clean kitchen towel. Squeeze until very dry. Combine cauliflower, remaining 1 teaspoon oil, ¼ cup basil, ⅛ teaspoon black pepper, salt, garlic, 2 ounces mozzarella cheese, egg whites, and Parmesan cheese in a bowl. Press cauliflower mixture into 2 (8-inch) circles on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Coat crusts with cooking spray.
6. 6. Bake crusts at 450° for 22 minutes or until browned. Remove pan from oven; top crusts evenly with mushroom mixture, tomatoes, spinach, remaining ¼ cup basil, remaining ⅛ teaspoon black pepper, and remaining mozzarella cheese. Bake an additional 7 minutes or until cheese melts.

Hands-on: 25 min. Total: 60 min.

SERVES 2 (serving size: 1 pizza)
CALORIES 350; FAT 15.8g (sat 6g, mono 5.7g, poly 1g); PROTEIN 26g; CARB 32g; FIBER 11g; CHOL 25mg; IRON 3mg; SODIUM 658mg; CALC 488mg