WeekNight Bite: Healthy, Easy, and Delicious Recipes

Cauliflower Crust Pizza Bites

Super Bowl Sunday is just a couple days away, and for some people, that means a great day full of football. For me, that means 2 things: 1 - snacks galore, and 2 - the halftime show.

It's safe to say most Super Bowl parties don't have the healthiest of snacks, so my simple advice is to show up to the party with something delicious, yet healthy - that way you know you'll have at least one option that won't get in the way of your New Years resolutions (since it's the first week of February and all). But believe me, no one wants to walk into a party with a standard veggie tray from the grocery store. So today I'm hooking you up with a perfect Super Bowl snack that's both light and delicious - cauliflower crust pizza bites!

These pizza bites are pretty easy to whip up, especially when you buy pre-riced cauliflower. My freezer is stocked with organic riced cauliflower from Trader Joe's - it makes healthy cooking super quick and easy. If you can't find it pre-riced, making cauli rice in your food processor is no big deal and will only take a couple extra minutes.

There's one important step when it comes to making cauliflower crust - you need to squeeze the moisture out of the cauliflower before mixing it with the other ingredients. You might be tempted to skip that part, but don't! It makes a big difference in keeping the "crust" from falling apart. Once you squeeze the moisture out of the cauli and combine it with the cheese, an egg, almond meal, and some spices, you're good to go!

I decided to keep the crust as light and healthy as possible, especially since we're adding extra cheese on top. Rather than using breadcrumbs in the crust, we're keeping these pizza bites low-carb by using almond meal, which is loaded with healthy fats, fiber, protein, and tons of vitamins and minerals.

Once the crust ingredients are combined, all you'll need to do is scoop it into your mini muffin pan, bake it for 10 minutes, then add your toppings, and put it back in the oven for another 5 minutes. Then it's time to serve this cute appetizer to all of your hungry friends!

Ingredients

for the crust:
4 cups riced cauliflower (or 1 large head of cauliflower)
1/3 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
2 tbsp almond flour
1 egg
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
Salt & pepper to taste

toppings:
1/2 cup mozzarella cheese
1/3 cup marinara sauce (I like Rao's brand)
Chopped cherry tomatoes
Chopped basil
Any of your favorite veggies!

makes 20-24 mini pizza bites.

1. Preheat oven to 425. Spray a mini muffin pan* liberally with olive oil spray.
2. If you don't have pre-riced cauliflower, make the cauli rice by chopping a head of cauliflower into florets and pulsing them through the food processor until you have a rice-like consistency.
3. Transfer the riced cauliflower to a glass bowl and cover with a paper towel. Microwave for 4 minutes or until cauliflower has softened. Allow to cool.
4. Using a tea towel, a cheese cloth, or a mesh strainer, drain the water out of the cauliflower. I used a mesh strainer and paper towels and "pushed" the water out through the strainer.
5. Add the dry cauliflower rice back into your bowl and combine it with the rest of the crust ingredients. Mix until it's thoroughly combined.
6. Scoop about a tablespoon of the crust mixture into the mini muffin pan (I used a cookie scoop for this), and press down so the crust is packed in there.
7. Bake for 10 minutes or until the crust starts to become golden.
8. Remove from the oven and add your marinara sauce, cheese, chopped cherry tomatoes, and any other desired toppings on top of each individual crust.
9. Bake for an additional 4 minutes or until cheese is melted. If you want extra bubbly cheese, switch to broil for an extra 30 seconds. Keep your eye on it while the broiler is on - it can go from perfect to burnt in a matter of seconds!
10. Remove from oven and allow to cool slightly. Run a knife around the edges of each pizza to help loosen it and remove it from the muffin pan.
11. Garnish with fresh basil and serve with an extra side of marinara for dipping!

*I recommend using a silicone muffin pan. It will make it much easier to pop the mini pizzas out once they're done baking.

Warning . . . these are seriously addicting! Do not make them too far in advance of your Super Bowl party or you may be showing up 3 or 4 pizza bites instead of 20.

Let me know if you try them out! Make sure to tag @weeknightbite and #weeknightbite if you do!
Happy Super Bowl!