I tried making this a few times using leftover cauliflower and potatoes that were boiled the night before in salty water. The leftover potatoes and cauliflower are chopped up, seasoned, mixed with an egg and some softened butter, and pressed between two pieces of parchment paper to form a vegetable base for the eventual toppings. This vegetable pie is gently griddled, topped with sauce and cheese, and finished in the oven.
It’s really tasty and a fun way to use leftovers. I added some pepperoni to the version below, but feel free to make this healthier and use whatever toppings you like. I suspect that some children who aren’t particularly fond of vegetables might really like it.
Cauliflower & Potato Breakfast Pizza
I tried making this a few times using leftover cauliflower and potatoes that were boiled the night before in salty water. The leftover potatoes and cauliflower are chopped up, seasoned, mixed with an egg and some softened butter, and pressed between two pieces of parchment paper to form a vegetable base for the eventual toppings. This vegetable pie is gently griddled, topped with sauce and cheese, and finished in the oven. It’s really tasty and a fun way to use leftovers. I added some pepperoni to the version below, but feel free to make this healthier and use whatever toppings you like. I suspect that some children who aren’t particularly fond of vegetables might really like it.
Ingredients
- ¾ cup cauliflower (cooked in simmering salted water and chopped)
- 1.5 cups Yukon Gold potatoes (cooked in simmering salted water and chopped)
- ¼ tsp dried oregano (optional)
- ¼ tsp red pepper flakes (optional)
- Kosher salt & freshly-ground black pepper (to taste)
- 1 whole egg
- 3 Tbsp unsalted butter (softened)
- 2 Tbsp vegetable oil
- ½ cup tomato sauce
- ½ cup mozzarella cheese (shredded)
- ½ cup cheddar cheese (shredded)
- 12 slices of pepperoni
Instructions
- Cook the potatoes and cauliflower the night before in simmering salty water until fully cooked and completely tender.
- Cool the vegetables down in the fridge overnight in a covered container.
- The next morning, when you are ready to start cooking, preheat the oven to 425˚F.
- Mash the Yukon Gold potatoes (I leave the skins on) and chop the cauliflower into small pieces.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the ¾ cup chopped cauliflower with the 1.5 cups of mashed Yukon Gold potatoes.
- Add in the dried oregano, red pepper flakes, Kosher salt and freshly-ground black pepper.
- Mix in a whole egg, along with the 3 Tablespoons of softened unsalted butter.
- When your vegetable and potato mixture reaches a uniform consistency, transfer the mixture to a square piece of parchment paper.
- Place another piece of parchment paper on top of the pile of vegetables and potatoes, and gently press down to shape the ball into a flat disc that is roughly half of an inch thick, and circular in shape.
- Place a cast iron or oven-safe skillet on the stove, and add two Tablespoons of vegetable oil to the pan.
- Increase the heat to medium-high, and wait roughly two minutes for the oil to warm up.
- Carefully transfer your cauliflower and potato vegetable pie from the parchment paper onto the cast iron skillet surface.
- Cook on the first side for about 5 minutes, or until the bottom surface is a dark golden-brown color and very crispy.
- Carefully flip the cauliflower and potato pie over in the skillet, and remove the pan from the heat.
- Top the cooked side of the cauliflower and potato pie that is facing up with the tomato sauce, along with the shredded mozzarella and cheddar cheese, and the pepperoni or other desired toppings.
- Carefully transfer the cast iron skillet with the breakfast pizza to the oven.
- Bake at 400˚F for roughly 5 additional minutes, or until the cheese is melted.
- Enjoy while still warm, directly from the skillet if desired.
Notes
I’ve made this before with broccoli instead of cauliflower, and it worked just as well. The trick is finding the right consistency for the vegetable disc before it goes in the pan, where you don’t want the mixture to be too wet.
I like to cook this in a cast iron skillet because I can start it on the stovetop, flip the potato and cauliflower pie over, add my sauce & toppings, and finish the whole thing in the oven. Getting it out of the skillet can sometimes be a bit of a problem, but you can also eat this right out of the pan if you run into any problems.