Try Deliciously Ella’s delicious, healthy DIY pizza recipe at home - using cauliflower (the veg of the moment) as the base for increased veg intake, then cover with your toppings of choice.

Quick to prepare and full of flavour, we are adding this healthy pizza recipe to our weekday rotation, pronto. 

Veggie cauliflower pizza recipe

Serves: 2 (makes 2 large pizza crusts)

Preparation time: 15 minutes

Cooking time: 20-30 minutes

Ingredients

For the pizza base:

• 4 tablespoons chia seeds
• 2 cauliflowers (about 1kg), roughly chopped
• 200g Apple Purée (page 40)
• 300g brown rice or buckwheat
• flour
• juice of 2 lemons
• 2 tablespoons tamari
• salt
• 4 teaspoons dried oregano
• 4 teaspoons dried basil

For the topping:

• tomato purée
• sliced tomatoes
• canned sweetcorn
• sliced mushrooms
• fresh basil leaves
• handful of rocket
• salt and pepper
• olive oil

Method

Step 1: Place the chia seeds in a bowl with 280ml of water. Leave for 10–15 minutes, until the chia has formed a gel. Preheat the oven to 200°C (fan 180°C).

Step 2: Place the cauliflower in a food processor and blend it until a flour-like substance forms; this should take about a minute (you may need to do this in 2 batches). Place in a nut milk bag (page 53) and knead out excess water: it may take a few minutes but it’s a really important step, so please don’t skip it!

Step 3: Add the cauliflower to a mixing bowl with the chia and apple purée and stir until blended. Mix in the flour, lemon juice, tamari, salt and dried herbs. Slowly pour in 150ml of ice-cold water, using your hands to mix it to a sticky dough. Divide the dough into 2 pieces.

Step 4: Line 2 baking trays with baking parchment and spread each piece of dough out over it, to form a pizza base. Bake the crusts for 20–30 minutes.

Step 5: Once they are firm and slightly crispy, add the tomato purée and your toppings (except any basil or rocket), then cook for another 5–10 minutes. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, the leaves, if using, and a drizzle of olive oil, then slice and serve!

Recipe from Deliciously Ella Every Day by Ella Woodward (£20, Yellow Kite), out now. 

Image: Deliciously Ella Every Day by Ella Woodward