Cauliflower-Crusted Pesto Tart

I know this might kinda scream summer, but we are in Texas and we get some great tomatoes all year round, especially coming in from Marfa. Besides, it’s March, and it IS already summer here!

Cauliflower-Crusted Pesto Tart

This crust is SIMPLE as long as you have some of grated cauliflower lying around. I just wrote about the what, why’s and how’s of cauliflower rice, so I’d say if you are grating cauliflower for cauliflower rice, then you ought to save 3 cups on the side and store in the fridge until you’re ready to make this. Grated raw cauliflower will last a few days in an airtight container in the fridge.

When you’re ready to make the tart, all you have to do is steam the grated cauliflower (you need the moisture from it in this recipe), mix it with 4 other ingredients and bake it to a nice golden crust.

My girls love this tart, as long as I don’t call it pizza. My husband loves this tart, especially now that he’s back to reducing his grain intake, but I don’t DARE call it pizza. Sometimes, people, it’s all in the name. And by the way, I’ll tell you a few reasons on the next post about WHY you should be eating a cruciferous vegetable like cauliflower EVERY day.

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Cauliflower-Crusted Pesto Tart

Serves: Serves 4.

A healthy and simple recipe using cauliflower "rice" as the predominant crust ingredient. This tart is perfect for lunch with a side salad or a light dinner or appetizer. For an even crisper crust, you can "dry out" the grated rice for a day or two in the fridge before you steam it. You can also strain the grated cauliflower before steaming. The recipe works well for me without doing either of those additional steps though.

Ingredients

• 3 to 4 cups coarsely grated cauliflower florets
• 1 egg
• ¼ cup parmesan
• 1 teaspoon pizza or Italian seasoning
• ¼ cup almond meal
• ¼ cup store-bought or homemade pesto
• 3 ripe plum tomatos, seeded, and sliced thinly into rounds

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 450 Fahrenheit. Grease an 8x8 inch pan.
2. Microwave the grated cauliflower in a microwave-safe bowl, covered, for 3 minutes. Allow it to cool a little bit, so you don’t end up scrambling the egg later!
3. Beat the egg in a large mixing bowl. Add the parmesan, seasoning, and almond meal and combine well.
4. Mix in the steamed grated cauliflower with a rubber spatula and combine well. You should have a wet sticky “dough”.
5. Coax the dough into the pan and press and flatten out. The crust will be thin and barely cover the area.
6. Bake for 25 minutes until brown on edges and some brown spots on top. If you like it really crispy, bake about 5 minutes longer or until the entire surface is browned.
7. Remove from oven and let cool for about 10 minutes.
8. Spread a layer of pesto on top and then a layer of the tomatoes. You can serve it this way, or bake for 8 additional minutes.
9. When ready to serve, slide a knife around the edges to loosen, then using a metal flat spatula, cut into squares and lift each square out of the pan. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Notes

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