Cauliflower Pizza Crust with a Butternut Squash Sauce (GF, DF, Vegan)

***For me this is hands down my new favorite thing to eat for lunch or dinner! Every single person I talk to about cauliflower pizza crust seems to be very intimidated by it! Before finally mastering a solid recipe I struggled with it too. Now that I know exactly what I was doing wrong and finding a recipe combination that worked for me (adapted from Chef Adam Kenworthy), I’ve had no problem every single time I make it….it’s glorious! Using the frozen riced cauliflower is also a timesaver. My favorite thing to do is make a few pizza crusts at once and then freeze the ones that you won’t be using right away. You’ll have a perfect crust ready for whenever you need it! A total time-saver for all of my busy, yet healthy friends!!

Serving Size: 2-3 

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

For the Crust: 

• 2 bags of frozen riced cauliflower (12 ounces per bag) or 1 head of fresh cauliflower
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 cup almond meal/almond flour
• 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons GF flour (I use Bob’s GF Baking 1-1 Blend)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon basil
• 1/2 teaspoon oregano
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper **optional
• A few good dashes of salt & pepper

For the Sauce:

(Mix everything in a blender or food processor (roasted butternut squash, agave drizzle, salt/pepper) to combine. Place on top of the pizza crust and bake for 5 minutes to warm the sauce through. Add sauteed spinach and drizzle a bit of balsamic reduction on top. Serve & Enjoy!)  

• Agave nectar OR honey if not vegan
• Butternut squash  (cut in half and roasted)
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Sauteed spinach (in EVOO & minced garlic)
• Balsamic reduction (drizzled on top) **optional

Directions

1. Start by preheating your oven to 350 degrees. Place your pizza stone or cookie sheet that you will be using in the oven to heat up with the oven. I like to use my grill stone pan from Pampered Chef to make sure the crust cooks nice and evenly! 
   
2. Microwave your two bags of cauliflower rice for what is stated on the bag. I put both of mine in together in a large glass measuring bowl and microwaved them a little bit longer than what is stated on the directions. You need to make sure you cook the cauliflower rice before using it as a dough (this goes the same for if you are pulsing from a head of fresh cauliflower). Set it aside to cool down a bit. This will help to release more of the moisture from it.
3. After heating up your cauliflower rice, put it into a blender  OR food processor to pulse quickly just to get the texture where it needs to be. It should look similar to the consistency of breadcrumbs. I buy the frozen cauliflower rice from Whole Foods and it is a little bit bigger than I would like it to me. Skip this step if you have a different brand that works better.
   
   
4. **CRUCIAL STEP-Take the pulsed cauliflower rice and place it inside of a cheesecloth OR a thin dish cloth. Strain ALL of the water from the ball of cauliflower rice that you have formed. You will be totally surprised by how much water actually gets released from it. If you don’t take out most of the moisture, it will not stay together while baking. It only takes 2 minutes, so make sure to do it! You will be left with a nice cauliflower mash.
   
   
5. Once you think you have removed all of the water, take a dishcloth and press firmly onto the ball of cauliflower rice and blot until almost completely dry. It should feel a little damp since it has been cooked, but it should now be pretty easy to form together like a dough.
   
   
   
6. In a large mixing bowl, mix in all of your herbs and flour ingredients together and start to form a ball of “dough” with cauliflower rice. Feel free to use any herbs that you like. I switch it up with flavors, but a good Italian seasoning base is always good!
   
   
7. Place a piece of parchment paper onto the pizza zone and flatten into the middle of the pan and spread evenly.  Make sure not to use wax paper. Parchment paper and wax paper are very different things when it comes to baking! Make sure that the crust is not too thick because it won’t cook completely through if it too dense. You can allow the edges to be a bit higher than the rest to make it more like a traditional “crust.”
   
8. Put it in the oven for anywhere between 30-45 minutes or until it is crispy and comes off of the pan easily. I typically leave mine in the oven for about 40 minutes. I like to take a second piece of parchment and place it on top of the crust to flip and bake for another 5 minutes or so. Once the crust is how you like it, put your toppings on and stick it in the oven for 5-10 minutes and enjoy!!