This recipe uses a cauliflower crust to pack some extra veggie power, tastes delicious and comes in a fun pizza form! Perfect for kids, delicious for a grown-up party snack or appetizer and plus: you can make and freeze these to heat and eat on a busy weeknight and add any delicious toppings you want.
I’ve been lucky to have two kids who are relatively good eaters, and who are open to new foods and flavors.
And I love to experiment with new recipes, meal ideas and more! But that doesn’t mean I don’t fall into ruts like everyone else.
For the most part, I like feeding my kids vegetables in their original form, so that they can learn to taste and appreciate how delicious they can be. That’s sometimes easier said than done, especially now that the kids are older and need more traditional entrees instead of just separate veggies, beans, fruits and proteins on a plate.
This recipe packs some extra veggie power, tastes delicious and comes in a fun pizza form!
You guys, these are awesome. It’s not a novel concept, but without any begging, pleading or bribing, these pizza bites will have your kids devouring…
Cauliflower!
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Hidden Veggie Cauliflower Pizza Bites
- Prep Time: 15
- Cook Time: 35
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 15-18 pizza bites 1x
Description
This recipe packs some extra veggie power, tastes delicious and comes in a fun pizza form!
Ingredients
- ½ head cauliflower (about 2 cups riced)
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 cup part-skim shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1 egg, beaten
- 1 teaspoon basil
- 1 teaspoon oregano
Instructions
Start by preheating the oven to 350 degrees.
Wash and trim the cauliflower, then cut off half of the florets. Place them in a food processor.
Use the pulse feature until the cauliflower takes the form of rice- small, textured pieces.
Transfer the cauliflower “rice” to a nonstick pan. Sauté over medium heat for 6-8 minutes.
Meanwhile, mix together the mozzarella, garlic, egg, oregano and basil in a large bowl.
Once the cauliflower is cooked, add it to the bowl and stir to combine well.
Place a sheet of parchment paper on a baking sheet.
Press and flatten the “dough” into bite-sized pizzas. You should be able to get 15-18 bites.
Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.
Top your pizzas with anything you want!
Put the pizza bites under the broiler for about 4 minutes, then serve them warm.
Notes
You’ll also need parchment paper and any toppings you’d like to add (in this version, I used shredded mozzarella, pepperoni and finely diced red pepper but whatever your child will eat, go for it!).
In a previous version of this recipe, I called for the oven to be heated to 400 degrees but got feedback that that high heat could lead to burned bottoms of these mini pizzas. So, I’ve adjusted it to 350 degrees.
You may notice that this recipe uses the same crust method I showed you in this post: Cauliflower Pizza Crust.
However, I instead molded them into bite-sized pieces on parchment paper, then baked them at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. (I originally baked these at 400 degrees but heard that for some people, that could lead to the bottoms getting burned before the rest of the crusts were done, so 350 degrees may work better for you.)
Once out of the oven, I topped them. Now I used shredded mozzarella, pepperoni and finely diced red pepper because I know Hailey likes it. If your child doesn’t even want to SEE a vegetable, stick with cheese. They’ll never know.
I broiled the pizza bites for about 4 minutes, then they were ready to serve!
Just add a basil leaf to make it fancy and grown-up 
These pizza bites would be great for multiple children or even a party, but if you can’t eat them all at once, wait until they cool completely, leave the basil leaf off, then freeze them on a baking sheet. After they are frozen, you can transfer them to a bag.
When ready to eat, bake them in the oven at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes until heated throughout. The result will be best if you can reheat them on a pizza stone to firm up the bottom. However, they still taste just fine either way.
You could always serve these to adults too, because let me assure you, I put away my fair share.
Note: this recipe was originally published in 2013 and updated in 2018.
Love this recipe idea!! I’m going to be making this for my little one…she loves pizza so why not make these and sneak in some extra veggies!
Bethany recently posted..Sparkly Necklaces & Historical Masterpieces
These are SUCH a cute idea!!
Hannah @ CleanEatingVeggieGirl recently posted..A Nearly Wordless WIAW: October 2, 2013 + Giveaway Winner!
Funny, but I think I’m going to make these for me! I’m such a picky eater, and veggies aren’t something I love. I definitely need to try this cauliflower crust and pizza bites! I love pizza!
Heather @fitncookies recently posted..{Our Wedding} Reception
Genius! Both L and I would love these… hubs, too. Cauliflower is one veggie she will no near. Thanks for hosting!
Laura @ Mommy Run Fast recently posted..Fall eats this week
I would totally eat these mini pizzas! I love how healthy and convenient they are!
Alison @ Daily Moves and Grooves recently posted..WIAW: Eating Quirks
I need to pin this!! These look delicious. I bet Penny would love them.
Chantal recently posted..October + The Move
You’re seriously such a great mom.
This recipe idea is great!
Danica @ It’s Progression recently posted..wiaw: Panera and M&Ms
What a great idea! I’ve made cauliflower crust pizza for myself before and love it! pinning!
[email protected] recently posted..WIAW – Whole30 Meal prepping addition
It’s like the new version of bagel bites! Pizza in the morning, pizza in the evening, pizza at suppertime. When pizza’s on a cauliflower, you can eat pizza anytime!
Oh good grief. It’s been a long day. Forgive me.
Maria recently posted..Introducing…
Making these this weekend! Em is going through a serious picky stage right now and won’t eat veggies (gasp).
Madeline @ Food Fitness and Family recently posted..Favorite Etsy Shops
I don’t have a munchkin at home but these would be perfect for football Sunday!
Those pizzas look amazing! I’ll be sure to try this for my family.
Yuliya recently posted..Spinach and kale pancakes
I’m 25 and think those look amazing! I just might make them the next time I have friends over!
katie recently posted..Looking Back: 2013 Resolutions
I need to try these pizzas!! I think the whole family would love them + having some frozen on hand would super nice on those busy days.
Heather @ Fit Mama Real Food recently posted..monster ntune candy colours headphones review + sweepstakes
What a brilliant meal idea!! We all love pizza in my house (Emmett especially) and this is a fantastic way to make it healthy.
Thanks for sharing & thanks for hosting the link-up!!
Jillian @ Baby Doodah! recently posted..Munchkin Meals – #5
LOVE THIS!! And I can’t believe I forgot to link up. It’s ALL I think about when I feed Nia each meal and then I failed to do a post. GAH!! It’s the first Thursday of every month, right? I need to start writing this kind of stuff down!!!
Yes! First Thursday of every month. Please join in next time! Though I know you are a busy lady 🙂
What kind of sauce did you use?
This time I used Dei Fratelli pizza sauce. It’s one of the best tasting sauces I’ve found!
They look stunning. A great way to get kids to eat healthy food.
I can’t find where it says how to make the pizza bites.
I can’t find the resepe for the pissa bites
So cute! i know some people worry about cauliflower crusts getting too crumbly or falling apart, so your mini option is genius 🙂
It’s easy to see how this recipe would work well for picky eaters, as well as for kids who do enjoy their veggies.
This is great in theory, but in practice it didn’t turn out well at all. We even tried frying some of the extra to see if that would make it taste better. It did, but only marginally.
My 2.5 year old’s verdict: “This tastes bad”
★
I’m so sorry it didn’t work out for you. Did you have to make any substitutions?