Vegetable crust pizzas have been popping up for the past several years. Replacing the usual yeasted flour dough base with shredded vegetables like zucchini and cauliflower, these low-carb, gluten-free alternatives fulfill your pizza craving without the wheat.
I’ll be honest, I was skeptical about this trend for a while. Don’t get me wrong- I love vegetables, and of course, I love pizza. I just felt that pizza was one of those things that shouldn’t be messed with. However, I decided to give the trend a try and am glad that I did.
Of course, this isn’t authentic and won’t taste as delicious as a traditional pizza. You’d be crazy to think it would. However, it is delicious in its own right and is a little more guilt-free.
The first vegetable crust I tried was made with zucchini, which I like, but my favorite vegetable crust is spaghetti squash. With a spaghetti squash pizza crust, you can taste that you’re eating spaghetti squash, but it doesn’t overpower the pizza as some other crust types do.
I play it simple with this recipe and use a base sauce of vodka (I’m not crazy about marinara), and top it with mozzarella cheese, basil, and a little parmesan. However, the possibilities here are endless.
Ingredients
1 small to medium spaghetti squash
2 large eggs
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella
1/2 tsp garlic salt
Nonstick cooking spray
Desired sauce and toppings, such as pizza sauce, shredded mozzarella, halved cherry tomatoes, fresh basil
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F
- Use a small paring knife to puncture the spaghetti squash a few times all over. Place on a baking sheet and bake until tender, about 1 hour. Let cool until cool enough to handle, then use a large knife to slice the squash open lengthwise. Scrape the seeds out with a fork and discard. Continue to use the fork to pull the flesh from the peel.
- Wrap the squash in a clean dish towel and squeeze out all of the excess water. It is important to squeeze out as much water as you can. The drier the squash, the crispier the crust will get.
- Whisk the eggs together with the shredded mozzarella and garlic salt in a large mixing bowl. Stir in the spaghetti squash until well combined.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and spray with nonstick cooking spray. Transfer the squash mixture to the center of the baking sheet and spread it into a 10-inch circle. Bake in the 400°F oven until golden brown, about 20-25 minutes.
- Spread pizza sauce and top with desired toppings. Bake until the cheese is melted and bubbly, an additional 10 minutes.
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