Roasted cauliflower on pizza? Why not?! This sheet metal pizza makes a great meat-free dinner any night of the week.
BE PICTURED IN; CHARACTERIZED IN:
I’ve played around with homemade pizza a lot over the years—making this dough and that, trying thin-crust pizzas on bricks and baking sheets, making one-person pizzas and four-person pizzas.
I love how easy it is. Making pizza in a sheet pan is a simple matter of stretching the dough onto the pan and topping it with cheese, sauce, and other ingredients. Bake and serve.
I like to make my own no-knead whole wheat pizza dough – it takes almost no time to mix and slowly rises over about 12 hours. Start it in the morning and it’s ready when you get home in the evening. It also keeps in the fridge for up to three days, so it’s ready when you are.
Today’s recipe will require you to roast some cauliflower, but again, you can make this ahead of time and keep it in the fridge for a few days. You can still run home on a Friday night and have dinner ready in 30 minutes.
I like cutting the cauliflower into “steaks” instead of breaking them into florets and roasting them that way. It’s quicker, and although some of the pieces will fall apart, it doesn’t matter since you’ll be breaking them into smaller pieces before topping the pizza anyway. The edges will caramelize and the smaller pieces will brown nicely. Who doesn’t love crunchy bits?
Once you have your hands on the batter and cauliflower, simply stretch the batter into the pan and top with the roasted cauliflower, parmesan, and fresh mozzarella, tearing into pieces with your hands.
I was originally going to put capers on this pizza but accidentally reached for a jar of green peppercorns in brine. Vinegar and slightly spicy, they add a lot of spice – they worked great! You can opt for capers if you prefer, or omit them altogether if you’re feeding picky eaters.
This pizza is my new go-to potluck post. It feeds many people and can be easily transported and reheated.
The earthy whole-wheat crust, roasted cauliflower, hint of spiciness from peppercorns, and crunchy greens topping all combine to create a one-of-a-kind pizza you’ll likely never find at your local pizzeria!
Sheet Pan Pizza with Roasted Cauliflower and Vegetables
To take away, let the pizza cool down and transport it on the baking sheet. Heat it up in a 400 degree oven for about 10 minutes. Transport the vegetables separately in a plastic bag and put them on when you get there.
ingredients
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1/2 large head of cauliflower
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6 tablespoons olive oil, divided
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1/2 teaspoon salt
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1/4 teaspoon pepper
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1 recipe (about 1 1/2 pounds) whole-wheat no-knead pizza dough or store-bought dough
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1 cup (2 ounces) grated parmesan
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12 ounces fresh mozzarella, torn into pieces
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2 tablespoons drained green peppercorns in brine or drained capers
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3 handfuls of baby greens like arugula, kale, or spinach
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1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
method
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Preheat Oven to 450ºF:
Place a grate in the lowest position.
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Prepare cauliflower:
Cut off the outer leaves and cut the cauliflower in half. Cut one half into slices about 1/4 inch thick and reserve the other half for another use (or fry it all now and save half for another meal.) Some smaller florets do fall off; that’s fine.
Arrange cauliflower slices and fallen florets on a rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with 2 tbsp oil. Rub the oil into the cauliflower with your hands and coat both sides with it. Sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.
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Roast Cauliflower:
Place the cauliflower on the bottom shelf of the oven. Roast for 20 minutes or until tender. Allow the cauliflower to cool slightly on the pan and break or cut into smaller pieces.
At this point, the cauliflower can be kept refrigerated for up to 5 days.
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Spread the dough onto the baking sheet:
Wipe clean the baking sheet that was used to roast the cauliflower. Place the dough in the center of the baking sheet and drizzle with 2 tbsp oil. Turn the dough to coat it well and spread some oil on the baking sheet.
Gradually stretch the dough until it reaches the edges of the baking sheet. If it springs back or is difficult to stretch, cover with plastic wrap and let sit 10 minutes before continuing.
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Turn the oven on to 500ºF
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Top pizza:
Brush the top of the dough with 1 tablespoon oil and sprinkle with the grated parmesan. Top with the mozzarella followed by the cauliflower. Sprinkle the peppercorns (or capers) evenly over the batter.
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Bake pizza:
Place pan on lowest rack of oven and bake for 15 minutes or until cheese melts and pizza is golden brown.
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Top with greens:
In a bowl, toss the vegetables with the remaining tablespoon of oil, vinegar, and salt and pepper. Cover the cooked pizza with the vegetables; They will wilt slightly from the heat of the pizza. Cut into squares and serve hot.
