Ricing vegetables has been around for as long as I remember. Maybe not to the degree that is happening today. I recall a utensil my mother had that resembled a large garlic press. It was called a potato ricer and to my knowledge was only used for potatoes to change the texture.
As time has passed, this idea has evolved into so much more. Cauliflower ‘rice’ came on the scene as a popular grain-free alternative to rice. As with many food trends, the ‘riced’ craze has continued using other veggies like sweet potatoes, broccoli, carrots, onions and peas.
The grocery stores have jumped on the bandwagon with fresh and frozen products and in a variety of plain and flavored versions.
Making your own riced vegetables is even easier than in days gone by. Just trim, chop and pulse your veggies in a food processor. Cook with a quick steam or saute and flavor with some fresh herbs and spices. Of course, you can always change it up with other chopped veggies, nuts or a sprinkle of cheese.
Riced cauliflower can be used on its own, fried, in baked casseroles or as I’m using it today, in a pizza crust. A different texture than traditional pizza crust but loaded with flavor. Its sort of firm, chewy and soft all at the same time. I wasn’t sure how well we would like this pizza but it tasted just great with the addition of some homemade bread sticks.
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- 400 grams (4 cups) cauliflower, riced or grated
- 192 grams mozzarella cheese, grated
- 6 cloves garlic, minced OR 2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 cup fresh Italian herbs OR 2 Tbsp Italian seasoning
- 2 large eggs, beaten
- salt to taste
- olive oil
- 4-6 large mushrooms, sliced
- 1/2 red pepper, diced
- 150 grams ground beef, cooked
- 1 tsp EACH onion & garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp EACH salt & pepper
- 100 grams mozzarella cheese, grated
- 30 grams Parmigano - Reggiano cheese, grated
- 12-16 stuffed green olives, sliced
- 1/2 cup pizza tomato sauce (homemade or purchased)
Ingredients
Cauliflower Crust
Pizza Toppings
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- Preheat oven to 375 F. Line a 14-inch pizza with parchment paper. Process cauliflower. In a bowl, combine all crust ingredients. Pat mixture onto pizza pan & press to form pizza crust. Bake 15-20 minutes; remove from oven.
- In a skillet, crumble fry beef & mushrooms with spices until cooked. Drain & cool slightly. Carefully 'spread' cauliflower crust with tomato sauce. Top with mozzarella cheese, meat mixture, red peppers & sliced olives. Sprinkle with grated parmigano-reggiano & bake an additional 7-10 minutes, until cheese melted. Remove from oven & allow to cool for a few minutes before serving.