Name: A Delicious Kale Pizza with a Cauliflower Crust
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 20 min
Yield: 2
Ingredients: Cauliflower Crust (My favorite one is from Whole Foods); 1 tbsp of olive oil; 1 small/medium clove of garlic, minced; 3 cups of curly kale; 1/2 cup of ricotta cheese (enough to cover the pizza crust); Fresh mozzarella chesse; 2 tsp of oregano; Salt & pepper to taste; 1 tbsp honey

I know, I know, kale totally had its moment a few years ago. But, guess what? Its moment in the spotlight is not up yet and this delicious kale pizza proves it. It’s light, krisp, cheesy, delicious, and the best part comes at the end with a drizzle of honey juxtaposed with the savory mozzarella and ricotta cheese.

Kale is one of my all time favorite super greens of all time. I love, love the damn thing (and, no, I do not own a Don’t Kale My Vibe shirt). I love it because of how nutritious and versatile it is. It’s tasty sautéed with garlic, the perfect additive to a smoothie, and don’t even get me started with how good homemade kale chips are. That’s why, when I decided to combine this multitalented leafy green with everyones favorite food, pizza, I knew this kale pizza recipe would be a no brainer.

Since this recipe contains 3 cups of kale, I continued down the healthy route and used Whole Foods cauliflower crust vs. using pizza dough. (Fun fact: kale and cauliflower are both cruciferous vegetables, so I guess you can say I’m keeping it in the family.) However, this recipe would be perfectly delicious on-top of regular pizza crust. Since I used this particular crust for this kale pizza recipe, all the toppings are measured to fit an 8 inch crust.

What are the benefits of kale?

Before we get into the nooks and crannies of preparing this recipe, I think it’s worth talking about why this super food is so, well, super. For starters, it only has 33 calories per cup, is loaded with potassium, and packs in a ton of fiber. And, if that’s not enough, the leafy green covers basically the entire Vitamin alphabet. Let’s sing our ABCs, shall we?

Vitamin A: According to Health.com, just 1 cup of kale offers more than 200% of your daily recommended intake of Vitamin A. What exactly does that mean, you ask? It means it’s a key nutrient in supporting skin and brain health. With all the money spent on skincare, kale is certainly a delicious and affordable option.

Vitamin C: This superfood has over 100% of your daily Vitamin C intake in just one cup. Which means there are a ton of antioxidants found in kale which are known to boost your immune system.

Vitamin K: Health benefits of Vitamin K have been known to help with blood clotting and bone health. And, thankfully, kale carries almost 700% the daily goal of Vitamin K.

(If you’re looking for more low calorie recipes, try my stuffed acorn squash.)

OK – now you know your kale vitamin ABC’s, let’s get to the ‘za!

‘Fun fact: kale and cauliflower are both cruciferous vegetables, so I guess you can say I’m keeping it in the family.’

How to prepare the kale

For this recipe I used curly kale — which is the type of kale you most often see at the grocery store. It tends to krisp up nicely in the oven to give what every pizza should have, that extra crunch. It also holds up with the cheeses nicely.

We’ll only be using the leaves for this recipe, so tear off the leaves from the stem and compost/dispose them.

When measuring out the kale leaves, make sure you really pack them in like the first picture below. Three cups of kale might seem like a lot, but as you can see the difference in the second and third photos, it cooks down quite a bit.

How to prepare the cauliflower pizza crust

You’ll want to take out the cauliflower crust at least 30 minutes before preparing the pizza. Once it’s defrosted, spread on the ricotta cheese while the kale is sautéing.

Once you’ve covered your crust with ricotta, transfer the sautéed kale onto the crust and add your mozzarella cheese. Equally distribute your mozzarella on the pizza so you get kale and cheese in almost every bite. Then, drizzle a bit more olive oil on top so the kale gets nice and nice krisp.

After ten minutes, when you take out the pizza, take about a tablespoon of warm honey, and drizzle on top. This sweet and savory combination is the crescendo of this pizza.

And there you have it.