Name: Prosciutto cauliflower crust pizza
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 55 min
Yield: 2
Ingredients: 1 cauliflower head; 1 large egg; 60 g Italian hard cheese; 300 g cherry tomatoes; 1 handful fresh basil; 1 tbsp olive oil (plus more to dress, if desired); 1 handful rocket; 1 handful black olives; 4 slices prosciutto; 1 tbsp balsamic glaze; Salt and pepper

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When we think ‘pizza’, a certain European country is bound to spring to mind, but it’s not just the dish itself we have Italy to thank for. Some of the most incredible meats and cheeses you can buy are produced on Italian soil, which in turn makes for some of the dreamiest pizza toppings around.

For this recipe, I’ve used flavour-packed Italian hard cheese along with sweetly succulent prosciutto.

I love to discover new ways to enjoy classics, so I’ve mixed things up a little by making this pizza very low carb. How? With a cauliflower crust!

Yes! That golden, delicious base you see above is in fact made with a surprising ingredient: cauliflower! Flavoured with more of that gorgeous Italian hard cheese and combined with eggs to bind, the result is a delightfully bread-like base, with crispy edges and a delicate flavour.

For sweetness, the base is spread with a simple basil and cherry tomato sauce, while salty olives with peppery rocket further compliment the ruffled roses of prosciutto and dainty shavings of yet more cheese.

Ingredients

1 cauliflower head
1 large egg
60g (2 oz) Italian hard cheese
300g (10.5 oz) cherry tomatoes
1 handful fresh basil
1 tbsp of olive oil (plus more to dress, if desired)
1 handful rocket
1 handful black olives
4 slices prosciutto
1 tbsp balsamic glaze
Salt and pepper

Instructions

Cut and floret the cauliflower, then tip into a food processor.

Blitz the cauliflower until fine. You may need to scrape the sides down once or twice as you go.

Put the cauliflower into a dry frying pan over a medium-low heat and dry fry for around 15 minutes until all excess water is gone. Keep an eye on it and keep stirring, as it can burn easily once the moisture starts to escape. Set aside to cool completely.

When the cauliflower has cooled, place it a mixing bowl along with two thirds of the hard cheese finely grated and the egg.

Mix well until evenly combined, then tip onto the centre of a baking tray lined with baking paper.

Press the mixture out to form an oblong about 1/2 cm thick, using your hands to shape, then press down firmly over the whole base.

Bake for 30-35 minutes at 180C/355F (160C/320F fan).

Flip the base over carefully and bake for a further 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, slice the cherry tomatoes into quarters and add them to a frying pan along with the chopped basil, olive oil and 1 tbsp of water.

Cook on a medium-low heat for about 10 minutes until the sauce reduces.

When the cauliflower base is ready, transfer to a board and spread with the tomato sauce.

Sprinkle with rocket.

Tear the Prosciutto slices in half lengthways, form into rose-like bundles and add to the pizza.

Next, scatter over the olives, and shave the remaining cheese on top generously.

Drizzle a little balsamic glaze, if desired, season with salt and pepper, cut into slices and enjoy!

What are your favourite Italian pizza toppings?

If you want to to make this gorgeous low carb cauliflower crust pizza for yourself then the recipe is shown again below in an easy, printable format. Just hit the grey ‘PRINT’ button in the recipe card below.