Craving a unique pizza? You just found a cauliflower crust pesto carrot pizza! This beauty features a crispy cauliflower crust piled high with savoury bacon, melty cheese, vibrant green pesto, and a surprising twist: smoky carrots and sweet peas. It’s a flavour explosion you don’t want to miss!
Here comes another no-dough pizza. In my first cauliflower-crust pizza recipe I added cheese to the base. It gave the pizza base a cheese and soft texture. This time, on the other hand, I skipped the cheese and used coconut flour instead.
Also, this pizza is a pizza bianca, a so-called white pizza. Which means, it hasn’t got any tomato sauce on it. Instead, I used a combination of pesto and cheese. They are a perfect match. Everyone loves cheese on pizza and the delicious homemade green pesto can be ready in a few minutes.
Instead of a classic basil pesto, I’ve combined coriander, dill, parsley and garlic. Additionally, I added avocado and cashew nuts. But, of course, you can also use almonds or pine nuts. This green pesto goes great with the crispy pizza base.
The key to a crispy pizza base is to remove as much water, as possible, from the cauliflower. That will prevent your “pizza dough” from becoming soggy. Make sure you wrap the riced cauliflower in a dish towel and keep twisting it until the last drop of water comes out of it. And to “remove” even more moisture from your pizza base, I suggest you use coconut flour.
Why use coconut flour?
Here are the main reasons for using it: firstly, as you know, cauliflower is about 92% water. We need to get that water out of it and coconut flour is just the best answer. In fact, because of its absorbent properties, it will help bind the pizza base together.
Secondly, coconut flour can result in a firmer texture of the pizza base. At the same time, it helps to hold its shape and to get a bit of a crisp crust.
Thirdly, compared to wheat flour, you’ll need a smaller amount of coconut flour. And, it makes a great choice when looking for a grain-free flour alternative.
Now we have the base: homemade pesto and cheese. The next important step is the topping. As you might have noticed, the toppings in this recipe are a bit uncommon: smoky-flavoured carrots, green peas and salty bacon.
Also, here are some other varieties of pizza for you: oat bran vegetarian pizza, vegetarian quinoa crust pizza or get ready for Halloween with the pizza of the dead.
Ingredients for one cauliflower crust pesto carrot pizza:
- 1 cauliflower
- sea salt and pepper
- 1 egg (beaten)
- 2 Tbsp of coconut flour
- 3-4 medium carrots
- 90-120 g frozen green peas
- 100 g bacon cubes
- 1 avocado
- 3 garlic cloves
- 10 g dill
- 10 g parsley
- 20 g coriander
- 1 lemon (juice)
- 20-30 ml olive oil
- cashew nuts
- 100 g grated cheese (gouda, mozzarella or any other)
To start, preheat the oven to 190° and wash the carrots. Make parallel cuts (crosswise), slicing 3/4 through them. Place them on a baking sheet, brush with olive oil and put to bake for 10 minutes or until halfway cooked.
Put the bacon cubes in a pan and cook them just before crispy. Remove the carrots from the oven and scatter the bacon onto paper towels. Place the frozen peas in a sieve and run them over warm water for 20 seconds. Set aside.
Cauliflower crust
Meanwhile, cut the cauliflower into florets. Put them in batches in a food processor and shred them until it resembles rice. Continue with the rest of the florets. Then, transfer the riced cauliflower into a larger pan. Spread it into a single layer, add water (just enough to cover the bottom), cover with a lid and cook for 5 minutes or until softened.
Next, take it from the heat and allow it to cool off for 5 minutes. Afterwards, transfer it to a clean dish towel or a cheesecloth. Pick up the towel corners, twist it and squeeze as much water, as you can, out of the cauliflower.
Transfer the strained cauliflower into a bowl. Stir in the beaten egg, salt, pepper and the coconut water. Once well combined, flip the strained cauliflower onto a baking sheet lined with baking paper. Using your hands, spread and press it into a circle or any other form, about 5 mm thick. Form a slightly higher (ca 1 cm) edge. Put to bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.
Green pesto
In the meantime, make the pesto. Combine parsley, coriander, dill, avocado, garlic cloves, a pinch of salt, olive oil and cashew nuts in a food processor. Add the squeezed lemon juice and pulse for 30 seconds or until smooth.
Once the pizza base is ready, take it from the oven and turn the heat to 220°. Spread a thin layer of pesto over the base and add half of the cheese. Secondly, top it with bacon cubes, carrots and green peas. Sprinkle it with the remaining cheese and add the pesto. Push it back in the oven and bake for 8-12 minutes or until the cheese is melted.
Finally, take the cauliflower crust pesto carrot pizza out of the oven and transfer it onto a cutting board. Cut it into desired pieces and serve with a lovely green salad or a coleslaw.
Enjoy.
