I am always trying to find new ways to sneak healthy food into people! No really, I do this often. I am on a mission to improve the health of everyone I am in contact with.
A great way to do this is to find “tricks” to bring in healthy veggies in place of foods with empty calories. These recipes will please even the biggest health food critic. They are perfect for your picky eaters, anyone that thinks they don’t enjoy vegetables (especially children), anyone looking to lead a healthier life, diabetics and anyone looking to lose some extra weight.
These recipes are crowd pleasers and no one will know they are healthy! You will be shocked how perfect theses dishes turn out and taste. So here are my favourite cauliflower recipes!
***Update: For more amazing cauliflower recipes including our famous Guilt Free Cauliflower Pizza Bites, “Fried Clams”, Vegan Pizza Bites and so much more click here.
Cauliflower Fried Rice
This recipe is sure to become a regular in your kitchen; it is easy, simple and yummy.
Ingredients:
- 2 Tbsp Olive Oil
- 1 Medium Onion, Diced
- 1 Head Cauliflower, trimmed and coarsely chopped
- ¼ Tsp Sea Salt
Directions:
- In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat.
- Sauté onion over medium heat for 10 minutes, until soft.
- Meanwhile, place cauliflower in a food processor with the “S” blade and process until the texture of rice. (TIP: if you do not have a food processor do not fret, you can simply use a cheese grater to grate the cauliflower into rice. Works awesome!!
- Add cauliflower to skillet, cover and cook 5-10 minutes, until soft, then add salt.
- Enjoy this “rice” in soups, as a side for supper in place of rice, or in a casserole. Serve as your “rice” side dish with chicken, or fish, veggies and a side salad for a complete meal!
To make your “Fried Rice” a complete meal simply add some spices to this dish, red peppers, mushrooms and some ground turkey (see the spicy turkey sausage recipe below) and have a wonderful “Fried Rice” meal!
This pizza is a wonderful alternative to your favorite guilty pleasure. What is very exciting is that it’s loaded with vegetables and is low on the glycemic index scale. This means you prevent unnecessary insulin spikes that lead to mood swings and weight gain.
*If you are on a DAMY Health plan you know that I ask you to avoid certain foods at night that cause us to store fat, well this meal is perfectly fine for your supper meal! Feel like you are having something treat-like and make this pizza this week!
Cauliflower Crust Ingredients:
Ingredients:
- 2 Cups Grated Cauliflower (using a hand-held cheese grater or your food processor. Cauliflower should be ‘rice-like’ texture)
- 1/4 Cup Egg Whites
- 1 Cup Low Fat Cheese (Mozzarella, Feta or the best option for a low-fat/higher protein pizza use 1% Cottage Cheese – drain your cottage cheese of any extra water first)
- 1 Tsp Oregano
- 2 Tsp Parsley
- 1-2 Tbsp Frank’s Red Hot Sauce (Optional and to taste)
Toppings *see recipe ideas below.
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 450 F.
- Slightly grease a cookie sheet or even better simply use parchment paper (or use my favorite – the baking stone).
- Place your grated cauliflower in a frying pan over medium heat and cook until translucent (If you are in a hurry you can cook the cauliflower rice in a bowl in the microwave for 8 minutes – do not cover and do not add any water).
- Place all other ingredients in a food processor and blend until smooth.
- In a bowl combine cooked cauliflower rice and blended ingredients.
- Spread dough out evenly and fairly thinly over parchment paper (or cookie sheet).
- Bake for 25-35 minutes (depending on your oven – *see below).
- Remove the crust from the oven. Add organic, natural pizza or pasta sauce (see Simple Marinara Sauce below) and toppings.
- Feel free to place under a broiler at high heat to heat your ingredients. Remove and Enjoy!
*Tip – Here are my main tips to make your crust crusty:
- Make sure your cauliflower is dry after washing (no water to cook).
- Spread your crust out thin (not too thin – just a thin layer).
- Bake until crust-like. If you peak at your crust at the recommended cooking time and the middle is still not cooked… cook longer.
- Pre-cook your vegetable toppings before adding to your pizza.
- If you want to add a little bit of cheese to the top of your pizza parmesan is your healthiest option.
Garlic Breadsticks
This recipe is also wonderful as garlic breadsticks. For garlic breaksticks follow the above recipe but add garlic powder (2 tsp). Form the crust “dough” into sticks on a sheet instead of the pizza crust shape. These garlic breadsticks are great for dipping in soups or chili. They are also great to just dip in your all natural pizza sauce or the Simple Marinara Sauce below.
Cauliflower Crust Pizza Topping Ideas and Options
DAMY Veggie Pizza
Ingredients:
- Sun-Dried tomatoes (Chopped)
- Low Fat Mozzarella or Feta Chopped
- Chopped Broccoli
- Diced onion
- Spinach
- Black Olives Sliced
- Red Bell Peppers
- Simple Marinara Sauce
Chicken BBQ Pizza
Ingredients:
- All natural BBQ sauce in place of the pizza sauce
- Grilled chicken (sliced)
- Red pepper slices
- White onion slices
- Low fat Mozzarella
Hawaiian Pizza
Ingredients:
- Ground turkey
- Pineapple chunks
- Roasted red pepper sauce
- Mushroom slices
- Feta cheese
Spicy Sausage Pizza
Ingredients:
- Spicy Sausage (see recipe)
- Red Pepper Slices
- Orange Pepper Slices
- Onion Slices
- Mushroom Slices
- Simple Marinara Sauce
- Hot Sauce
To Make Ground Turkey Sausage:
Ingredients:
- 1 lb Lean Ground Turkey
- 2 tsp Olive Oil
- ½ tsp Garlic Powder
- 1 tsp Italian Seasoning
- 1 tsp Fennel Seed
- ½ tsp Red Pepper Flakes
- ½ tsp Smokey Paprika
- ¼ tsp Ground Cayenne Pepper
Directions:
- Heat olive oil in a frying pan.
- Add the ground turkey and all seasonings and cook.
- Chop turkey while frying to hamburger consistency.
- Cook until browned completely!
- Add to your pizza.
If you want to get really healthy on me – here is a great, simple pizza sauce recipe!
Simple Marinara Sauce
Makes About 3 Cups.
*Use this simple marinara sauce as a topping for your pizza or as a dipping sauce for your garlic breadsticks.
Ingredients:
- 1/2 Cup Reduced-Sodium Vegetable Broth
- 1 Cup Finely Chopped White Onion
- 4 Cloves Garlic, finely chopped
- 1/8 Tsp Crushed Red Pepper Flakes (optional)
- 2 Tbsp No-Salt-added Tomato Paste
- 2 (15-Ounce) Cans No-Salt-Added Chopped Tomatoes
- 1 Tbsp Balsamic Vinegar
- 2 Tbsp Thinly Sliced Fresh Basil
- 1 Tbsp Finely Chopped Fresh Oregano
- 1/4 Tsp Sea Salt
- Freshly Ground Black Pepper (to taste)
Directions:
- In a large skillet over medium-high heat, bring broth to a simmer.
- Add onion, garlic and crushed red pepper and cook until onion is translucent, about 5 minutes.
- Add tomato paste and cook 1 minute, stirring constantly.
- Reduce heat to medium, stir in tomatoes and cook about 15 minutes to blend flavors, stirring occasionally to make sure mixture doesn’t stick to the pan.
- Remove from heat and stir in vinegar, basil, oregano, salt and pepper. Serve warm or chill until ready to serve.
Whipped Cauliflower “Potatoes”
Use these whipped potatoes instead of your regular potatoes tonight for supper. I bet no one in the family notices and if they do it will be because they are so darn yummy. They feel so naughty but they’re not. They are a must try this week!
Even though they are “whipped potatoes” no where in this recipe will you find potatoes! Instead we will be using cauliflower! We choose this due to the many health benefits of cruciferous vegetables (phytonutrients and vitamin C). Aside from all the wonderful health benefits of cauliflower this recipe is delicious! You will be addicted!
Ingredients:
- 1 Large Head Cauliflower
- 3 Garlic Cloves
- 1/4 Cup Fresh Herbs (chives work particularly well)
- Sea Salt
- Fresh Ground Pepper
- ½ Cup Onion
- 2 Tbsp Olive Oil
Directions:
- Chop cauliflower into smaller chunks – about bite-size pieces works well.
- Peel garlic cloves and cut in half, lengthwise. Chop onion into slices.
- Steam cauliflower, garlic and onion for 15 minutes, or until cauliflower and garlic are tender enough for a fork to easily pass through.
- Combine steamed cauliflower, garlic, onion, olive oil, fresh herbs, pepper, and sea salt in a food processor and blend until everything comes together into a mashed potato-like consistency. I like mine whipped.
- Top with a little pepper for looks and enjoy your guilt-free whipped potatoes.
TIP: if you love a sour cream and chives on your whipped potatoes top your whipped cauliflower with a dollop of fat free Greek yogurt and some fresh chopped chives! So delish!
*Enjoy these smart meal ideas and feel great about your choices. Your family is sure to love them. Being healthy is not about “not having” it is about finding smart solutions to turn our unhealthy favorites into healthy ones.
Cauliflower Fried Rice was one of my best discoveries. I love that it is so easy to make, taste incredible, versatile and pretty enough for a dinner party. Keep um coming Amy…
Thanks so much Gail! I feel the same way!! Best creation ever!!!
Love cauliflower everything!!! Had rice the other night and made pizza tonight (super yummy!!!) and must say the whipped potatoes are delicious as well!!! Who would’ve thought it would have so many other uses!!!!
Isn’t awesome Sonya!!! I am so happy you tried it all! I know once everyone tries it they will love it!! So happy you loved it all and thank you for sharing!!! XO
I made the BBQ chicken pizza tonight. It was sooo good!!! Amazing that it is made from cauliflower – secret life is right!
Isn’t it amazing!! I just love it!
This recipe is amazing! Actually, I have yet to make a recipe from this site that hasn’t knocked my (and those I’ve made it for) socks off! The pizza dough was so delicious and tonight I’ll try the mashed potatoes 😉
That is so great to hear!!! Thank you for sharing! Have a great weekend!!
it is great
I just finished making the pizza and it smells delish. My little bro came and was about to eat the crust because it smelled so good. I steamed my Cauliflower then ran it through my Omega 8005 juicer.There’s a funnel that it comes with that blends it into a buttery cream consistency and i think it’s scrumptious. It made the ‘dough’ stick really well. Thank you so much for your recipe <3
Hey! Wonderful!! Thank you so much for sharing! I love this recipe too! So happy you loved it and thank you for the comment love!
Hi there! Your recipe is GREAT, it is going to be a regular in my diet. I have a question though: I come from Greece and Feta is considered a cheese very rich and creamy. If one has cholesterol, the doctor tells him to avoid feta. So, isn’t feta too rich for a diet?
Hey there! I am not sure what the cheese is like there but it is actually lower in fat here. It is a great choice. If you do not have this kind try a low fat hard cheese and you will be fine!
Thank you for your reply!
Hi Amy
Going out to get the ingredients right now and pass it off to my little fussy eaters tonight…Stay tuned…Fingers crossed
Julie in Amherst
Hi, I made the pizza last night for supper and I loved it!!! It will become a staple in my home for sure. I was wondering if you have ever made them up and put them in the freezer? I can’t wait to try a healthy treat recipe!!! Thanks
Michelle
That is wonderful!!
I made the pizza last night, It was so amazing! My husband never wants to buy a already made pizza ever again.Thanks for this recipe!
You are so welcome!! Thank you so much for the comment love! Have a great day!
I made a pizza last night and it turned out great! I had a question about the cauliflower amount. I measured two cups before I cooked it and it was 1 cup after. is that right?
Hey JIll! That is great!! I personally use 2 cutes after it is grated (straight from the grater). I have never measured it after it was cooked down. As long as it turns out it sounds like you are doing it right! Have a great day!
This looks so good! For the pizza, if you use your baking stone, do you need to oil it before baking?
Hey Sonia! That depends on your stone. If it is older and cured than you do not have to use oil. If it is new you will need to add oil.
uh oh! It may be too late… I did not use oil- and it’s a new pizza stone (ceramic). I’ll let you know what happens!
I just finished eating the pizza I made. I used strained low-fat cottage cheese, and I topped the crust with reduced-fat mozzarella, water canned tuna, spinach, onions, and mushrooms. I didn’t have any tomatoes at home, but that didn’t really matter. The pizza was DELICIOUS! Thank you so much for sharing this recipe with us 🙂
Wonderful! Thanks for sharing!
How many servings does the pizza recipe make? Do you know/will you post the full nutritional information? My husband is diabetic and I would like to make this for him but am not sure how much to give him as a serving. Thanks!
Is there any way to veganize the pizza crust recipe? I tried to a few nights ago and it was awful; almost the consistency of partially cooked scrambled eggs.
How big of a pizza does the recipe make?
Oh my goodness! I didn’t completely follow the recipe (we had a limited amount of ingredients in the house… ha) BUT it was still delicious with my changes!
I didn’t grate the cauliflower as much, only chopped it into pieces about 1/4 inch and smaller (I cooked it in the microwave since we don’t have any oil in the house right now), then I used 2 whole eggs, an 1/8 cup of smalled cubed pepper jack cheese. Mix together, then pushed it into the pan, then sprinkled cheddar cheese on top. cooked it for about 20 minutes at 450, and it turned out sooo good!! thank you for your recipe!!! I will have to try the actual recipe you gave one I have all the ingredients again… hah 🙂
In prepping the cauliflower for these recipes, can you freeze it after it is grated, before you cook it or after you cook it, to make a future meal much faster?
I love cauliflower and will try these recipes. Thanks for sharing. KW
By the way, that cauliflower is cruciferous not coniferous. 🙂
You will love them! Enjoy!
What is the serving size of the cauliflower pizza crust???
This is the first time I’ve needed to chop cauliflower so small and the vitamixer worked great! I made the cauliflower rice last night, I added a few other spices like thyme, paprika, black pepper, and garlic and I really enjoyed it. I made the cauliflower pizza tonight, OMG! I would not have believed you, if you told me it was made out of cauliflower, looking forward to eathing the other half! My husband even stole a slice
I love it!!! So happy you made it and loved it! Enjoy and thank you for stopping by 🙂
Oh. My. Goodness. Just made the pizza. My husband HATES cauliflower with a passion that surpasses everything except broccoli. He hates that even worse. He just tried a bite of the pizza crust, and actually got excited about it and proclaimed it is a very acceptable substitute for pizza. Woohooo! Pizza night is about to be healthy!
That is so awesome to hear :)))) Thank you for sharing!!! Hope you had a great weekend!
I just made the cauliflower rice and it was awesome!! I’m definitely going to try out the other recipes! Thanks!
So great to hear 🙂 I hope you love everything you try!
I absolutely HATE cheese, is there any other option for the pizza recipe? Will it work without cheese? Thanks Àmy
I’m wondering the same thing. We don’t eat cheese. But this looks awesome!
I use Daiya Cheese on my Pizza http://bit.ly/NmDv65
Thanks I love to try , my mother use to make
I just made the pizza crust and it burned after 25 min. Can you add it to a hot pizza stone or recommended to put on pizza stone then put into the oven?
Any suggestions on getting the cauliflower completely dry before cooking for the pizza? I tried using my salad spinner and paper towels and I still ended up with soggy crust. 🙁
Also, I used my pizza stone and it burned after 25 minutes like someone else commented. Should I have put it on a cold stone before putting I in the oven instead of preheating the stone like you normally would?
Thanks for the recipes!!
I make my cauliflower rice a little differently, but I’ve never had any issues with soggy-ness. If you have a magic bullet like I do, roughly chop the cauliflower and put it in your plastic container, fill with water, then use the magic bullet to chop it fine. I then use a fine strainer and press the water out of it!
I never preheat my stone and then put cold ingredients on it. It could break your stone.
Can’t wait to try this, but I usually wash my vegetables as soon as I get home. That way they are ready when I need them, making cooking faster. I would assume this would give cauliflower the time to dry!!!
I just made the garlic bread sticks (I just spread it out like pizza dough and cut into strips when it was done). I added the 2 tsp of garlic salt like you said and OH MY was it salty! Waaaaay too salty! I’m very disappointed because it ended up being a total waste. 🙁
Question!!! Can the “pizza crust” be made ahead and frozen? Either baked or pre-baked?
Question!!! Can the “pizza crust” be made ahead and frozen? Either baked or pre-baked?
Question!!! Can the “pizza crust” be made ahead and frozen? Either baked or pre-baked?
Question!!! Can the “pizza crust” be made ahead and frozen? Either baked or pre-baked?
Question!!! Can the “pizza crust” be made ahead and frozen? Either baked or pre-baked?
I made the cauliflower crust last night and it was delicious although less crispy than I thought it would have been. I will try again! I had tomato sauce (tomato concentrate, water salt, oregano, sugar) and mushrooms. I made the dough with feta cheese but will try with mozzarella next time. Thanks for sharing this recipe which I discovered from Pinterest. Cheers. Cecile
Cecileinthekitchen.wordpress.com
THE CAULIFLOWER RICE SOUNDS AMAZING!!! DEFINATELY GOING ON MY MENU
Enjoy! You will love it!!!
Am I missing something? I am looking for a vegan versionof the Cauliflower pizza crust IE: No Dairy no cottage cheese, no mozzarella cheese No eggs
Yes, you can find that recipe here http://www.damyhealth.com/2012/06/vegan-cauliflower-pizza-bites/ enjoy
We love you…can you start making packaged meals for London stores..Sainsbury’s…you would make a killing….x
Thanks so much julz!
how do i post my pic?………x
Hi Julz, when you go to post there is a small photo upload button on the bottom left of your comment box.
Just made the Cauliflower Rice. Sauteed 1/2 an onion and 1 small red pepper to add some different flavours. It was DELICIOUS. Even my husband (who is a Carb lover) said he would take this recipe over a side of rice any day.
That is so great to hear Jodi!
Can I share your recipes and link on my facebook page?
Stephanie! You are welcome to share our webpage links on your facebook as much as you wish! We just do not allow “copying & pasting” of our recipes in any way. Here is the link http://www.damyhealth.com/2011/03/the-secret-life-of-cauliflower/#comment-1224366582 Enjoy 🙂
My son is allergic to Eggs, (Along with Soy, Milk & Peanuts). I made the pizza bites substituting other ingredients, but it tends to fall apart very easy. Is there a way to make this Pizza Crust without eggs, and also have it “stay together”. I haven’t actually tried to make it yet, I’m just assuming the same would happen.
Have you tried Flaxseed Gel? http://www.veganbaking.net/recipes/egg-replacers/flax-seed-egg-replacer
Here is a site with a bunch of good vegan egg substitutes.
http://www.popsugar.com/fitness/Egg-Substitutes-Vegan-Recipes-19147998
Hi Amy, i was wondering what i could substitute the cheese for a low fat vegan option? (Im from the uk so we dont have as many vegan brands and the vegan cheese “sheeze” we can buy is well….gross) cant wait to try this recipe!
Is Daiya available there yet? It’s vegan, and works incredibly well as a sub for grated melty cheese.
Nutritional Yeast is also a good non-dairy substitute for cheese.
I cooked the pizza base – was delicious, thanks for the recipe!