A Pizza Crust Recipe that Won’t Wreak Havoc on Your Health

Pizza is often portrayed as a “cheat” or “luxury” food for many people, but if it’s done right and made with nutrient-dense ingredients, it doesn’t have to be. Our pizza crust is made with one of our new favorite ingredients, cassava. Cassava is a starchy plant, which is a part of the yucca root. It is becoming a popular gluten-free flour substitute as it is not refined and is made out of the entire root. 

Cassava flour is low in calories, fat and sugar, and is a high carbohydrate food. It is free of nuts and grains, which also makes it allowed on a paleo and AIP (auto immune protocol) eating style. It is a great source of vitamin C, thiamine, riboflavin and niacin. Another great perk to cassava is that it is a source of resistant starch, which is found to benefit overall gut health and the digestive tract. Overall, cassava flour contains similar carbohydrate content to other gluten/ grain free flours and cooks just as well in baked goods, yet we have found that it is more nutrient- dense and has a more neutral flavor than others. 

Want to try it out without cooking it yourself? We have a tasty butternut squash cassava flatbread on next week’s meal prep menu! 

We like to overload our pizzas with tons of fresh vegetables (great for cleaning out your fridge), marinara sauce, pesto (or both!)  and some raw goat cheese. Add or take away any toppings to make it to your liking. 

Cassava Pizza Crust

(makes 2 small pizzas)

1 ½ cups of cassava flour 

1 cup arrowroot flour

1 tsp salt

½ tsp pepper

1 tsp onion powder

1 tsp garlic powder

½ tsp dried oregano 

2 eggs

½ cup extra virgin olive oil or avocado oil

1 cup of water 

Toppings:

1 cup marinara sauce 

½ cup chopped red onion

2 leaves of chopped basil

¼ cup sliced mushrooms 

¼ cup sliced bell peppers 

¼ cup raw goat cheese 

½ cup pesto sauce 

1 cup arugula

Preheat oven to 425 degrees and line a baking sheet, pizza rack or pizza stone

Combine dry ingredients in one bowl and wet ingredients in another bowl

Combine wet and dry ingredients together and let set for 5-10 minutes

Coat your hands in oil or water and form a large ball with the dough. 

Divide ball in half to create two

Place one ball on parchment paper and press it to form a 10-12 inch crust and repeat for the second half. 

Bake for 15 minutes, add toppings in this order: Marinara sauce, red onion, mushrooms, bell peppers, goat cheese. Drizzle the whole thing with pesto sauce. 

Bake for another 10 minutes. I like to broil for the last 5 minutes to crisp up. 

Top with Arugula and eat!