I still haven’t gotten on the cauliflower bandwagon. I’ve seen recipes for alfredo sauces, pizza crusts, rice, and more. For some reason, the white veggie doesn’t get my taste buds salivating when steamed- I much prefer to chop up a head of cauliflower and roast it until browned and crispy with garlic.
As I was browsing the internet the other day (as I do frequently for meal inspiration or when I’m bored or decide I just want to drool), I ran across Kylie’s cauliflower crust calzones, another great soul who had also never made cauliflower crust pizza before. Being lunchtime, I got to thinking that pizza sounded great.
Not wanting to wait for pizza dough to rise, my eyes went directly to the head of cauliflower that was withering away in the veggie drawer. If cauliflower crust is tasty, I thought a broccoli crust would work just as well- and it turns out broccoli takes the cruciferous crown 10 to 4 in terms of nutrition.
- 16 ounce head of broccoli
- 1 egg + 1 egg white
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon ground oats
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
- Make broccoli rice by pulsing a large head of broccoli in the food processor about 20 times until it looks like grains of rice. You can also use a cheese grater. Measure out 2 packed cups of broccoli rice.
- In a saucepan, begin heating ¼ cup water until steaming. Add the broccoli rice, and then turn off the heat and cover the pan for 5 minutes to let it steam. Once the broccoli rice is steamed, squeeze it in a dish towel to get out any extra water.
- In a bowl, combine 1 egg + 1 egg white, olive oil, oat meal, salt, and spices. Add in the broccoli rice and mix everything well.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment and spread the mixture into two little round crusts. Mine were 6 inches across and about ⅓ of an inch thick. Bake these for 15-20 minutes, taking them out when the edges are crispy and have peeled up.
- Remove the pan from the oven and top pizzas with desired toppings. I used 1 tablespoon pizza sauce per pizza and some sliced onion and cherry tomatoes.
- Bake for another 5-8 minutes until toppings are warm.
This is a dairy-free pizza crust recipe, since I think the plethora of cheeses that holds most cauliflower crusts together negates the veggies joining the party. Don’t skimp on the spices because that’s what makes this crust so tasty! Plus, how beautiful is that green crust? Is it weird that I think it’s beautiful?
Update: I recommend using a Silpat Baking Mat + a corresponding half sheet pan (affiliate links) for this recipe, among other recipes (I use them together 2-4 times a week for anything I’m baking/roasting!). The crust is fragile and will stick to the pan itself or aluminum foil. If you don’t own a Silpat, you can use parchment paper – but be patient and let the crust cool before trying to remove it.
Serve with a big salad for a meal. Mix up the toppings to your favorites – just keep it light so the crust doesn’t end up getting soggy!
Looking for more healthy recipe ideas? Linked below are my Vegetarian Spaghetti Squash Lasagna Casserole, Baked Turkey Meatballs, Brussel Sprout Potato + Chicken Sausage Hash, and Supergreen Power Salad.
Marisa
Jessi says
You’ve done it again!! How great are you <3! Make this for me when I visit?
Marisa says
You can eat this right?! Haha. When (instead of if) you come visit, I will be happy to cook you healthy paleo meals and take you on hikes!
Heather @ Sweet Precision says
You have combined two of my favorite things in this recipe! I am itching to give this a try now, it’s sounds so simple and easy 🙂
Marisa says
I suppose I could have also topped my pizza with broccoli? Too much? Haha. Let me know how it turns out for you!
Jan @ Sprouts n Squats says
Wow this recipe sounds amazing. I’ve made cauliflower crust before but not broccoli, I will definitely have to give this one a try 🙂
Marisa says
Let me know how it turns out for you! I didn’t use any cheese so that it could be dairy-free which makes it a bit less chewy, but I think it’s delicious!
Erin @ The Almond Eater says
Oh wow this is pretty brilliant. I have been seeing a lot of cauliflower crust pizzas lately and, while they do look good, I feel like this would have more flavor.
Marisa says
Thanks, Erin! I am a much bigger broccoli fan (especially because of its great nutritional stats), so I love the flavor of this crust. It’s subdued by all the spices!
Carly @ Snack Therapy says
I haven’t jumped on the cauliflower bandwagon either… But broccoli is something I can get on board with! I’m surprised at how well the crust seems to stay together! I feel like a lot of veggie-crust pizzas can be really crumbly.
Marisa says
The only cauliflower recipes I am tempted towards are ones that involve lots of cheese- which is not the point haha. Give me a normal alfredo sauce. But this broccoli crust is a fun little snack and a great way to get some extra veggies!
Emily @ More Than Just Dessert says
I didn’t like cauliflower until last year…and now I can’t get enough of it! Lately, I’ve been making cauliflower “mash” which tastes just like mashed potatoes! Never thought of using broccoli for a crust– great idea!
Marisa says
The only time I wish I have a microwave is when I want to make cauliflower mash! Haha. Oh well. I have to roast cauliflower to enjoy the taste, otherwise it needs butter & loots of salt.
Jessie Flo says
This pizza crust is the jam! It took about 20min to make and came out looking perfect and delicious. I posted about it and linked on my site with the small changes I made here: http://www.subtlepeach.com/notes Thanks so much for the recipe! Please let me know if it’s not ok that I used your logo to link ya up 🙂
Marisa says
Hi Jessie – So happy to hear you enjoyed it and that you had no problems with the recipe! No problem at all using my logo in that fashion – thanks for the link back.
Laura says
Omg this is EXACTLY the kind of recipe I have been looking for!!! Thank you for this!!! I can’t wait to try it out.
And I totally agree, they ARE beautiful green crusts <3
Looks amazing!!!
Marisa says
Wonderful! Glad to hear you’re going to try it out!
Louise says
Hi, love the recipe, it went well BUT it would not come off the grease proof paper, do you have any tips on how to avoid this next time?
Love the blog,
Thanks,
Louise
Marisa says
Thanks for the feedback, Louise! Sorry to hear it was hard to lift up. I usually use parchment paper or a baking mat (silpat) – were you using something different? I’m usually able to slide a spatula under it and peel it up – sometimes allowing it to cool a bit helps.
Louise says
I used grease proof paper, not sure why it got so stuck haha x
Lindsey says
I just made this! Love the flavor, however, in a rush I totally forgot to strain the broccoli, so they became a bit too mushy. Oh well! Thank you!
Marisa says
Hi Lindsey! Thanks for reporting back – glad to hear you loved the flavor and that it still worked even without straining!
Lave says
I tried cauliflower pizza before and it was a disaster so I had low expectations on this but…it worked! Like a charm! Good texture! Great taste! Thanks a lot!
I made small changes though : almond meal instead of oats and two eggs, no extra white.
Marisa says
Glad to hear you enjoyed it, Lave! Thanks for sharing your substitutions!
Alma Breese says
Great for Grinch pizza, Dr seus, St Patrick day.
Marisa says
Love the holiday ideas, Alma!