Roasted Eggplant and Red Pepper Pizza with Cauliflower Crust (vegan, gluten free)

Cauliflower crusts are great because they are lower in carbs and contain fiber. I wanted my crust to be more like a pizza crust and hold its shape after baking. There’s nothing worse than your pizza crust falling apart as you eat it! It does take a little time to blend the cauliflower and remove all of the excess water after cooking – but it’s worth it! I would rather eat my pizza right away vs. waiting for the dough to rise as in traditional pizza crust. You can use this crust with any of your favorite toppings. I was in the mood for eggplant and red peppers. They’re colorful and look beautiful on pizza. I used store bought organic, gluten free pizza sauce but you could even just brush the top with olive oil and skip the sauce. This pizza was so good that I ended up having the entire thing to myself! The good news is that it’s lower in carbs and calories and satisfies any pizza craving.

(Tip: place dough between two sheets of parchment paper to roll out and transfer easily)

Roasted Eggplant and Red Pepper Pizza with Cauliflower Crust (vegan, gluten free)

Servings: 4
Time: 1.5hrs
Difficulty: Medium
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Ingredients

For the cauliflower crust:
1/2 cup gluten free flour
1.5 lbs (6 cups) cauliflower florets
1/4 tsp salt
1 tbs olive oil
olive oil spray
1/2 tsp xanthan gum (or substitute 1 flax egg: 1 tbs flax powder mixed with 3 tbs water, let mixture sit for 10 minutes before using)
2 tbs water (if using xanthan gum)
For the pizza toppings:
1/2 cup of your favorite vegan, gluten free pizza sauce
6 to 10 slices eggplant (1/4 inch slices)
1 red pepper (seeds removed and thinly sliced)
4 tbs nutritional yeast
salt and pepper to taste
4 tbs chopped parsley (optional topping)

Directions

Preheat oven to 450F. Spray eggplant slices and red peppers with olive oil. Spray baking sheet with olive oil and place eggplant and red peppers on baking sheet. Roast at 450F in the oven for about 20 minutes – checking to make sure they do not burn. Lower the oven temperature to 375F. Place cauliflower in a high powered blender such as Vitamix 1 cup at a time until it has the consistency of rice. You will need to scrape down the sides of the blender periodically. Next, spray a medium sized sauce pan with olive oil and heat on medium heat. Remove cauliflower from blender and saute for about 3-4 minutes. Let cauliflower cool before handling. Place cooled cauliflower in a clean towel and squeeze out excess moisture. Try to squeeze out as much water as you can. In a large bowl, mix cauliflower, 2 tbs water, olive oil, salt, xanthan gum (or flax egg), and gluten free flour together in a bowl. Use your hands to form the dough into a ball. Place the dough between two sheets of parchment paper. Use a rolling pin to roll the dough evenly into desired shape (round or rectangular). Dough should be about 1/4 inch thin. Leave dough on parchment after rolling out and transfer dough to a baking sheet or round pizza pan. Bake at 375F for 30 to 35 minutes until golden brown. Depending on your oven, you may want to take the dough out and flip it about 20 minutes into baking to ensure both sides are evenly cooked. You can flip the dough onto another piece of parchment paper for easy transfer. Remove dough from oven and let cool for 10-15 minutes. Top with pizza sauce, roasted eggplant slices, roasted red peppers and bake for 5-10 more minutes. Top with salt and pepper to taste, nutritional yeast, and chopped parsley just before serving.

Nutrional Information: