Mini Cauliflower Pizza Bites

09 Aug Mini Cauliflower Pizza Bites

Makes about 6 pizza bites | 1 serving = 2 pizza bites | 1 dairy, 1 protein

Ingredients

CRUST

• 1.5 cups of riced cauliflower (340 g); Trader Joe’s or Green Giant 
• 1 egg white
• 1/4 cup reduced fat shredded parmesan
• 3 tablespoons ground flaxseed (or almond meal)
• 1 teaspoon onion powder (or flakes)
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder

SAUCE

• 2/3 cup tomato sauce (no salt or sugar added)
• 1/2 cup chopped tomatoes
• 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
• Sea salt & pepper to taste
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 2 tsp. extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 cup reduced-fat or part-skim shredded mozzarella

Directions

1. Set oven to 400F.
2. Heat the frozen riced cauliflower. If you buy the cauliflower as a head, then you have to use a food processor to pulse it into small florets until it is in a rice texture.
3. Empty the cauliflower contents onto a cheesecloth and wrap it up like a ball.  Squeeze the ball of cauliflower in order to get out all of the water.  Once you squeeze out the most amount of water as possible, empty the contents onto another dry piece of cheesecloth and repeat.  After squeezing the second time,  let it air dry for at least 20 minutes so that it can be as dry as possible.
4. In a bowl, mix together all of the ingredients for the crust.
5. Spray a muffin mold/tin with nonstick cooking spray , then add about 1.5 tablespoon of the cauliflower mixture to each mold.  Use your fingers to pat the cauliflower down in the molds, then use your thumb or index finger to create a mini-indenture in the middle of the cauliflower crust to resemble a deep dish pizza.
6. Bake the crust in the oven for 15 minutes.
7. While that’s baking, prepare a homemade pizza sauce.  To save time, you can use a store bought marinara that does not contain added sugar or oils.
8. For the sauce: Set a nonstick skillet on medium heat, then add olive oil and minced garlic.  Cook the garlic in the oil for about 3 minutes to allow it to flavor the oil.  Then, toss in cherry tomatoes and increase to medium-high heat.  Cook the tomatoes for about 4 to 5 minutes so that the tomatoes get soft and explode in the skillet and it begins to resemble tomato sauce/paste.
9. Add Italian seasoning to the skillet and cook for about 1 minute, then toss in tomato sauce.  Stir it up and season to taste with sea salt & pepper.
10. Remove the crust from the oven and ensure the edges are golden brown that it’s not soggy to touch.  Add about 1 teaspoon of the homemade sauce to each mold – do NOT drench the crust in sauce as it will make the pizza soggy.
11. Add a tablespoon of mozzarella to each pizza, then place the mini-pizzas back in the oven to bake for an additional 8 to 10 minutes.
12. After removing them from the oven, allow them to slightly cool so they are easier to remove from the molds, then immediately garnish with basil (if desired) and enjoy.