Cheesy Cauliflower Pizza- As Seen On Home Made Simple

Home Chef, Laila Ali, makes a delicious and healthier pizza option both parents and kids will love on Episode 4 of Home Made Simple on OWN!

 

This is just one of many recipes that can be found in Laila’s NEW cookbook Food For Life,  which is available for pre-sale at Barnes and Noble!  http://bit.ly/BNFoodForLife

 

Serves: 3 (12” Pizza)

Prep Time: 1 hour

Cook Time: 1 hour

Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients:

Pizza Crust

1 large cauliflower head (about 2 ¼ pounds),
broken into florets and stems chopped
1 large egg
½ cup shredded mozzarella cheese (2 ounces)
¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon sea salt

Secret Red Sauce

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
1 medium red bell pepper, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1½ teaspoons sea salt, or to taste
1 large carrot, finely chopped
1 medium zucchini, finely chopped
(2) 28 ounce cans diced tomatoes
Up to 1 tablespoon unrefined brown sugar (optional)

Steps:

Secret Red Sauce

1. In a large saucepan, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion and bell pepper and cook, stirring, for about 7 minutes until softened. Add the garlic and stirring for about 2 minutes until softened. Add the oregano, Italian season, and salt and cook for about 30 seconds until aromatic

2. Stir in carrot and zucchini and cook for 2 minutes to coat them in the spices and start to soften them. Add the tomatoes and bring to a simmer, stirring to release any of the delicious browned bits stuck to the bottom of the pan. Reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer, stirring occasionally for 20 minutes

3. Uncover the pan and taste the sauce. Add a little salt if needed and some brown sugar if the sauce calls for a little sweetness

4. Use an immersion blender to blend the sauce directly in the pan until smooth, or transfer batches of sauce into a blender and blend until smooth. Then, return all sauce back into the pan. Cook for up to 20 minutes more. Set aside some sauce for the pizza, and place remaining sauce in jars

Chef’s Tip: For a silky-smooth sauce, especially for kids who would otherwise veto the veggies, transfer the sauce in batches to a standing blender and blend until smooth, then return the sauce to the pan

Pizza Crust

1. Preheat oven to 350 F degrees. Pulse half of the cauliflower in a food processor until the pieces are the size of grains of rice. Spread cauliflower over a baking sheet in an even layer

2. Pulse the remaining cauliflower and spread it out over a second baking sheet in an even layer. Bake for about 30 minutes, stirring a few times, until the cauliflower is completely dried and lightly browned in some areas. Remove from the oven and let cool completely

3. Increase the oven temperature to 450 F, and place an empty baking sheet turned upside down (so the pizza slides off easily after it comes out of the oven) in it to heat up like you would a pizza stone (or use a pizza stone if you happen to have one)

4. Return the cauliflower to the food processor and pulse for about 10 seconds to further break it down. Add the egg, mozzarella, Parmesan, garlic powder, and salt and process again for about 20 seconds, scraping down the sides of the bowl once or twice, until the dough is formed

5. Remove the dough from processor, and place on parchment paper. Form the dough into a round about 12 inches in diameter and ¼ inch thick with a rim around the sides to contain the toppings

6. Slide the parchment paper onto preheated baking sheet and bake for 10-12 minutes until well browned

7. Remove from oven, add sauce and cheese on top. Bake until the toppings are heated through and the sauce is bubbling, about 5 minutes depending on the oven

8. Remove from the oven, cut into slices, and serve