Author Notes
The crux of this crust is squeezing out all the water from the cooked, riced cauliflower. And there is a lot of water. Wring it until you're sure there's no more moisture—then wring some more. I use all eggs—and no cheese—a technique adapted from "The Food Therapist" by Shira Lenchewski. Homemade or jarred tomato sauce both work. Just make sure to cook it down until slightly jammy. Toppings, from pepperoni and black olives to mushrooms and garlic, are also welcome. —Emma Laperruque
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Prep time
15 minutes
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Cook time
40 minutes
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Makes
one 11-inch pizza
Ingredients
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1
head cauliflower, broken into florets
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2
large eggs, beaten
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1 pinch
kosher salt (a big one)
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1 cup
very thick tomato sauce
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5 ounces
whole-milk, low-moisture mozzarella, grated (about 1 1/4 cups)
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1 dash
red pepper flakes, for serving
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1 dash
dried oregano, for serving
Directions
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Pulse the cauliflower in a food processor until very fine—less cauliflower rice, more cauliflower couscous. Microwave, covered, for 5 to 10 minutes, until steamy and tender. (You can also do this on the stove in a steamer.) Dump onto a kitchen linen and let cool. When cool, squeeze out all the water.
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Preheat the oven to 400° F. Line a sheet pan with parchment. Transfer the squeezed-out cauliflower into a bowl. Add the eggs and salt. Stir until well combined. Dump this onto the sheet pan and press into a large, thin circle—roughly 11 inches in diameter.
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Bake the crust for 15 minutes. It should feel firmish and dry. Remove from the oven. Evenly spread the tomato sauce on top. Sprinkle with mozzarella. Bake for another 15 minutes. During the last minute or so, turn on the broiler. Watch the oven to make sure the cheese doesn’t burn (and the parchment doesn’t catch on fire). You want the cheese speckled and spotted.
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Season with red pepper flakes and dried oregano. Let cool for 5 to 10 minutes before slicing into triangles and serving.
Emma is the food editor at Food52. Before this, she worked a lot of odd jobs, all at the same time. Think: stir-frying noodles "on the fly," baking dozens of pastries at 3 a.m., reviewing restaurants, and writing articles about everything from how to use leftover mashed potatoes to the history of pies in North Carolina. Now she lives in Maplewood, New Jersey with her husband and their cat, Butter. Stay tuned every Tuesday for Emma's cooking column, Big Little Recipes, all about big flavor and little ingredient lists. And see what she's up to on Instagram at @emmalaperruque.
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