I could literally eat pizza everyday.

It’s the perfect combination of cheese, tomato, and bread; especially those perfect pizzas with the correct ratio of each. No one wants too much sauce and no cheese or all crust and no sauce.

Unfortunately, there’s a reason why most people don’t eat pizza everyday. Actually, two: sodium and calories.

I did a little research and discovered that my estimate for how many calories a single slice of cheese pizza is (around 150 cal) was a little off… by about 150 calories.

Almost 300 calories for a single slice of cheese pizza?? And I think we all know, hardly anyone stops after just one!

Plus, I don’t even want to know all the preservatives & processed ingredients they pack in there before it arrives at your doorstep in a greasy brown box. But the other alternative to this greasy (and admittedly delicious) little slice of Italy is a homemade pizza that takes forever to make and may or may not be soggy. And unless you make your own crust, this pizza’s probably just as bad as one you’d be able to enjoy in half the time from the pizza joint down the street.

Unless, of course, you make a gluten free crust using… (wait for it)… cauliflower.

Everyone’s heard of this magic pizza crust ingredient. Yet, although it’s tasty, for those of us who aren’t huge veggie lovers it still tastes a bit too much like, well, cauliflower. My trick? Adding butternut squash to the mix.

If you haven’t had butternut squash before, it has a mild & buttery taste, a bit like a sweet potato. This helps take the edge off the cauliflower, giving it a much richer taste as well as a wonderful golden-brown color. Of course, once mixed with the rest of the ingredients, the crust tastes like it just popped out of an italian pizza oven, nothing like that bland cauliflower creation it would otherwise be.

So who’s stopping you from eating more than one piece? (Not me, I ate four!)

Gluten Free Healthy Pizza

Gluten Free Pizza Crust

• 1 medium head cauliflower
• 3 c butternut squash cubes
• 1 tbs corn meal
• 1 tbs gluten free flour (or whole wheat, spelt, etc.)
• 1/2 tbs olive oil
• 1 egg (or 1/4 c egg whites)
• 1/2 tsp oregano
• 1/2 tsp basil
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

Pizza Sauce

• 1 c tomato sauce
• 2 c diced tomatoes
• 1 tbs stevia (or sugar)
• 1 clove garlic
• 1/4 c diced onion
• 1 tsp oregano
• 1 tsp basil
• 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

Place a cookie sheet or pizza stone in the oven and preheat to 425°. Cut the florets off the cauliflower and dice into smaller pieces and chop the butternut squash up into cubes. Add both to a food processor and pulse for 1 minute, or until the consistency of cooked grits (no large pieces). Pour into a microwave-safe bowl and microwave, covered, on high for 4 minutes. Once cooked, empty onto a clean dish towel and spread out over the center of it, until it’s cool enough to handle. Meanwhile, make the pizza sauce. Once cooled, rap in the towel and ring out all the water, getting as much out as possible. Empty into a large bowl and add cornmeal, flour, olive oil, egg, and spices. Place a sheet of parchment paper on a cutting board and spray with pam or grease with oil of choice. Place the pizza dough on the sheet and, using your hands, shape it into a circle, roughly 12″ across, until crust has reached desired thickness. (Too thin and it’ll break, too thick and it’ll be chewy). Place the crust, still on the parchment paper, into the oven and bake for 20 minutes, or until golden brown with crispy edges.

While the cauliflower is cooling, make the sauce by draining the diced tomatoes and combining with the tomato sauce in a small saucepan. Add spices, onion, stevia, and minced clove of garlic, stir, and simmer for 30 minutes, or until a thick consistency is reached. Once the crust is finished baking, immediately spread the pizza sauce overtop of it. Sprinkle with cheese of choice and cover in desired toppings. Place back into the oven and broil on high for 2 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and bubbling slightly. Remove from the oven, on the pizza stone, slice, and enjoy!

Nutrition Information (from myfitnesspal.com)

Calories: 110

Fat: 3g

Carbs: 15g

Protein: 6g

(Yields 8 slices)

Nutritional information calculated including 1 c shredded low-moisture part-skim mozzarella cheese, in addition to the pizza crust covered w/ pizza sauce.