Feta Pineapple Pizza with Cauliflower Crust

I loooooove pizza. While I'm perfectly okay with regular pizza crust, I'd been seeing this cauliflower crust pizza all over the place lately and I must say I was quite intrigued. There's an awesome zucchini crust pizza from Mollie Katzen's Moosewood Cookbook that I love, so I figured, "Why not cauliflower?" It's not a traditional pizza crust, but honestly, if you're watching your carbs or going the gluten-free route, it's a great alternative to traditional pizza dough/crust. I must say, it was quite good - so good that I've made it multiple times with different toppings. It's super cheesy, and once you've got the pizza sauce and toppings on there, it's just plain yummy. Even if you're not a huge cauliflower fan, you may want to try this - the Mr. is appalled by cauliflower, and he (unwillingly at first) tried this. And liked it. You never know. I topped our pizza with feta and pineapple (my favorite combination!), but any traditional pizza toppings work here - go nuts.

I made one huge pizza with this recipe the first time, but on subsequent occasions I've made three personal-sized pizzas from the same recipe. I'll admit that the three smaller pizzas had a bit crisper crust, but the large pizza was equally delicious.

Feta Pineapple Pizza with Cauliflower Crust

inspired by Recipe Girl and Eat. Drink. Smile.

serves 4-6

Ingredients:

• 1 large head cauliflower, grated in the food processor (use the grater blade, or if you don't have a food processor, just use a regular grater or ricer)
• 2 eggs
• 1 1/2 cups finely shredded low-fat part-skim mozzarella 
• 2 tsp dried oregano, crumbled
• 1 large clove garlic, minced
• 1/2 tsp Kosher salt, divided
• 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper, divided
• 3/4-1 cup of your favorite pizza sauce - this super simple recipe from Chef's is my current favorite
• 3/4 cup shredded low-fat part-skim mozzarella (or any other shredded cheese)
• 3/4 cup pineapple chunks, fresh or canned (I used canned, just drain the chunks on a paper towel so they're not too juicy and wet on the pizza)
• 1/2 cup feta cheese, crumbled
• 2 tsp olive oil

1. In a large glass bowl, microwave the grated/riced cauliflower, uncovered, about 8 minutes. Set aside and let cool. Meanwhile, preheat your oven to 450 degrees.
2. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper, and lightly mist the paper with olive oil or cooking spray. In a large bowl, mix the cooked, grated cauliflower with the eggs, 1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella, oregano, garlic, 1/4 tsp salt, and 1/4 tsp pepper. Use your (clean!) hands to mix it all together. When you squeeze a bit of it in your hand, it should squish together pretty well. Dump the contents of the bowl onto the prepared baking sheet and gently pat it evenly in the pan so that it fills the entire pan. Bake for about 30-45 minutes, until golden and toasty on top. Remove the crust from the oven and turn your broiler on.
3. Spread the sauce evenly across the pizza crust and sprinkle about 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella on top. Top with the pineapple chunks and feta, and sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup mozzarella on top. Drizzle with the olive oil and remaining 1/4 tsp salt/pepper. Broil for 3-4 minutes until the cheese is melted and browned. 
4. Transfer the pizza to a cutting board, cut into squares, and serve immediately. Depending on how crisp your crust is, you may need to eat it with a knife and fork - or your hands. Either way!