Hey friends! How was everyone’s Christmas?
Oh my gosh, mine was absolutely wonderful!
One of my favorite things we did was go to “Winterfest” at Kings Island with my little nieces. It was so cute to see them get so excited over the Christmas lights!
You know what I get so excited for?
This pizza.
I mean, not only is it gorgeous to look at, it is also a knockout in the taste department!
It’s my Fennel & Pesto Pizza!
And it’s got a secret ingredient: cauliflower!
Yep! It’s got a cauliflower crust! And trust me, folks, you can’t even tell!
But my favorite part of this meal, is that it is so convenient! You can make it ahead and have it all ready to go at the drop of a [Santa] hat!
Plus, it’s gluten free, paleo, Specific Carbohydrate Diet friendly, AND it has a vegan option!
Here’s What you Need: (Serves 1)
Crust:
1 cup cauliflower, riced
2 egg whites (Vegan option: 1 flax/chia egg)
1/4 cup almond flour
1/4 tsp salt
Pesto:
1 cup broccoli, steamed
3/4 cup green peas, steamed
1 cup fresh basil
2 Tbsp pine nuts
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1 garlic clove
1 Tbsp EVOO
healthy pinch of salt and pepper
1 tomato, sliced
4 mushrooms, sliced
1 bell pepper, chopped
1 bulb of fennel, shaved on a mandoline slicer
1/4 tsp dried oregano and basil
Tools:
Food processor (this is the one I use and love)
Mandoline slicer
Baking Sheet
Parchment Paper
Nonstick Skillet
Steamer basket (or Pyrex measuring cup)
A good chef’s knife (Here’s mine!)
To see all of my recommended kitchen tools/appliances, check out my Amazon page!
Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Put the raw cauliflower florets in the food processor and process until it resembles rice. Then, place the rice in a clean kitchen towel (or several paper towels) and wring out all the liquid. (This is a really important step!)
Then, combine the wrung-out cauliflower rice thoroughly with the almond flour, salt, and egg whites. (Or egg of choice.)
Cut 2 sheets of parchment paper the size of a baking sheet. Put your cauliflower dough onto one sheet of parchment, and place the other sheet on top. “Smoosh” it out fairly thin. Spritz the top with EVOO. Bake for 30-35 minutes, until golden brown.
Next, carefully shave your fennel on a mandoline slicer. (I’ve learned from experience that it is very important to use the safety hand guard!!) Also, slice your tomato into about 1/4 inch slices.
Meanwhile, brown the mushrooms in a skillet with 1 tsp EVOO. Do this by placing them in a single layer, and then don’t touch them for about 3-4 minutes, so that they can brown. Then, flip, and let them sit untouched for another 3 minutes. Add your bell peppers to the pan and them let cook for another 3 minutes. Sprinkle them with about 1/4 tsp dried basil and oregano. Take off the stove and hit with salt and pepper to taste.
Finally, make the pesto. First, steam the broccoli and peas either in the microwave or in a steamer basket. Then, place all the pesto ingredients in the food processor and process until smooth. You’ll need to scrape the sides several times.
To assemble, spread a thin layer of the pesto on your flatbread. Leave about a 1/2 inch border. Then, place the tomato slices on top. Top those with your peppers and mushrooms. Finally, sprinkle the top with the raw fennel.
Mmm mmm mmm this was SO TASTY!!
Let’s be honest: Fennel can be kind of an intimidating vegetable. It’s this big white bulb that has these freakish and fuzzy stalks protruding up like Edward Scissor Hands. (dramatic much??) BUT, it really is delicious. It add a wonderfully delicate crunch to a dish and has an unmistakably lovely licorice flavor, unlike anything else. I had some extra fennel left over, and my family (who had never had it before) put it on their salads and LOVED it! #fennelconverts 🙂
I loved the addition of the juicy tomatoes to this dish too. They were sweet and fresh and complimented the bright pesto wonderfully. Finally, the mushrooms were perfectly chewy and earthy.
Finally, it goes without saying, but I love my cauliflower crusts. They’re one of my “staples.” I always keep the ingredients on hand: frozen cauliflower and almond flour! It has this wonderfully nutty and delicate flavor. You honestly don’t taste the cauliflower AT ALL! It’s a miracle food, seriously!
And you can pick it up like a piece of pizza. Sounds like a winner to me!
And lastly, this dish was absolutely beautiful too with all the colors. It just begs to be eaten and enjoyed. And that’s just what I did!
What was the highlight of your Christmas?
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51 responses to “Fennel & Pesto Pizza!”
I love cauliflower but never thought of using it for a crust! Will have to try that out, especially since I have to be gluten free. You have great ideas, please keep sharing them!
Steve.
Thanks Steve! Oh yes! it is crazy how invisible the cauliflower is in this recipe! it just makes the crust light and chewy! glad you stopped by! hugs xox
We have bought cauliflower pizza from Costco’s but have not made it from scratch yet. My mom just found a recipe last week that is Roasted curry chicken and cauliflower with a yogurt and cucumber topping it was really good!
Hey Talia! oh that’s awesome! it sounds absolutely delicious 🙂 enjoy and thanks for stopping by! hugs xox
Glad you had fun with your nieces. The recipe looks delicious but still out of my league. On the bright side, someone gave me a blender and I actually made a fruit smoothie. 🙂
Thanks friend! Oh nice! Smoothies are the best!!! Haha I know you could make this! 🙂 Hugs and love xox
Mine was absolutely perfect! But you now, gave me the know how for a new pizza here! I’m sure it’s going to be delish too!!
Caralyn, this dish looks so delish and colourful too! ❤️
Oh my gosh thank you so much John! It was pretty tasty! Hugs and love xox
looks delicious! I have to try!
Thanks so much! I hope you Love it! Hugs and love xox
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Thanks Tonya for the link up! Hugs and love xox
So excited about this one. You are genius! As always, love you. XO😄❤
Hey there Tonya! Haha oh gosh you’re too kind! Hope you had a beautiful Christmas!! Big big hugs to you xox
Thank you, great little Christmas! Glad yours was beautiful. God bless you!😄❤
Oh that’s wonderful!! ✨✨✨
Yum-o! Love new cauli ‘za ideas. Thanks for sharing, I’m going to have to try out that pesto.
Thanks so much!! Oh the pesto is amazing – it has so much body and depth of flavor! And are you by chance a fan of Rachel Ray with that Yum-o reference? Hugs and love xox
I sure am 🙂 my Big Orange Cookbook is held together with an abundance of tape 🙂
hahah amazing! sounds like it’s well loved 🙂 hugs xox
Finding out I have something of a gluten sensitivity, I am now seriously considering the use of a cauliflower crust. And Christmas? I went to Confession on Christmas Eve, Mass Christmas morning. Puts 30+ days of relentless advertising into perspective.
Hey David! Thank you so mhch for sharing that! That is so special! We ended up going in the afternoon on Christmas Eve because of two toddlers, but I grew up going to midnight mass. So magical 🙂 big hugs xox
Yes it is. Our parish uses the Latin chants for the Kyrie, Gloria, Credo, Sanctus, Agnus Dei. But Father goes w English on his “low” Masses like Christmas morning. We also chant the Marian Anthem appropriate to the season. Right now, the Alma Redemptoris Mater. Magical? Kind of . But what we really experience is being in the Presence of The Sacred and Holy. We rarely take the time to place ourselves in a position to be in awe of G.od
oh wow that sounds so beautiful. Amen to that – we’ve got to remain in Awe of His great love for us!
True
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Wonderful pizza receipt, + one more to my pizza receipts collection!
Thanks so much!! Awesome! Hope you love it! 🙂 have a great night! Hugs and love xox
Thank you very much! ✨
You’re so welcome! xox
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January is my cooking month. I will put this pizza on the list of meals to make. Hmmmm…maybe for the Golden Globes
Oh nice!! I hope you love it! Thanks so much! Hugs and love xox
At least yours was great, mine is awful as always. Am happy u had a great time with your kids. That’s the amazing part of Christmas
Oh gosh I am so sorry to hear that 🙁 sending you an extra special hug my Friend. Xox
Omg!! This looks delicious 😍😍 . Thanks as always for sharing. My Christmas was beautiful! God is good! 🎄🎁❄💕
Thanks so much Lane! Oh that’s so great to hear! Yes He is! Hugs and love xox
You’re welcome! Have a wonderful rest of your week. ❄🎁🎄😘😘💕😍
xoxox 🙂 you as well!
Drool. More drool. YUMMY!
I’m adding this to our recipe file. Thank you!!
Hahaha thanks Laura Beth! This is one of my personal favorites 🙂 Hugs and love xox
XOXO
🙂 xoxoox
It looks delicious and colourful … and sounds simple enough for even me to make to impress our daughter who loves pizza! 😀
Thanks so much! Oh I think your daughter would love it! Hugs and love xox
Thank you. I have another Healthy dish that I can make and like. Thank you for looking out for me. XOXO
Thanks so much! This is definitely a healthy and delicious option! Hugs and love xox
I will make this on New Years Eve.
awesome! i hope you enjoy! hugs oxx