Yuca Pizza Crust

I love pizza! Who doesn't? Thin crust and gluten-free too? Even better. Made entirely out of yuca? AMAZING. I first learned about yuca pizza crust in Costa Rica on a yoga retreat that I went on back in July. The retreat was inclusive of all healthy gourmet meals. One of the activities I signed up for during my stay was a cooking class with the retreat's chef. He taught us about the versatility of yuca. He had used it in our meals as croutons, gnocchi, and mash. I was so amazed because it had never occurred to me before to use yuca as a healthy substitute in meals.

After returning from Costa Rica and playing around with yuca, I created my own yuca pizza crust recipe. It tastes better and works better as a pizza crust than the popular cauliflower pizza crust alternative. Cauliflower pizza crust, in my experience, is too cakey and falls apart when you try to pick up a slice. Yuca pizza crust does not require a binding ingredient and you can actually pick up a slice! Sounds simple, huh? Give it a try! I have 2 suggested pizza flavors listed below but you can play around with whatever toppings you like.

Yuca Pizza Crust (Serves 2-3.  Makes about 2 nine-inch diameter pizza crusts)

Crust

·      2 lb yuca

·      2 tsp dried oregano

·      1 tsp dried basil

·      1 tsp salt

·      4 tbsp olive oil

Topping Options

Margherita Pizza (2)

·      6 tbsp tomato sauce

·      2 medium size tomatoes or about 10 compari tomatoes, thinly sliced

·      10 mini mozzarella balls, halved 

·      ½ cup fresh basil, chopped

·      fresh ground pepper

·      red pepper flakes

BBQ Cauliflower & Pineapple Pizza (2)

 ·     6 tbsp or more BBQ Sauce

·      shredded mozzarella cheese

·     ½ small red onion, thinly sliced

·      ¾ cup of freshly sliced pineapple

·      ½ lb - 10 oz of cauliflower cut into small florets, premarinated in a bowl of BBQ sauce while crust cooks

·      chopped cilantro

·      red pepper flakes

Directions: Peel outer layer of yuca, cut into large segments to fit into a pot of water (make sure there is enough water to cover yuca), and boil for about 45 minutes. Allow yuca to cool for about 15 minutes.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. 

Cut up yuca into smaller chunks. Place in a bowl. Add oregano, basil, salt, and 2 tbsp olive oil. Mix thoroughly and then throw into a blender or a food processor to convert the yuca into more of a mash. It’s okay if there are still small clumps of yuca in your mix. If you blend it longer, it should be smoother. I think I must have gotten lazy in the picture below.

Pour yuca mix back into the bowl. Add 2 more tbsp of olive oil and massage into the mix with your hands. Taste the mix. Add additional salt if needed. I think the mix is delicious on its own and could be served as a side instead of mashed potatoes. Divide the mixture into 2 portions. Using a baking sheet and parchment paper or a pizza stone, roll into 2 round pizza crusts, about 9 inch in diameter, with your hands. Flatten out as much as you can so that the crust is thin. You may need to add additonal olive oil to prevent it from sticking so that you can roll it out flatter.

Before

After

Pre-bake in the oven for 15 minutes on each side. Your crust should be lightly browned on both sides. If your crust is on the thicker or larside, you may need to cook it longer before you are able to flip it over without it sticking to the surface.

For the Margherita Pizza: Add about 3 tablespoons of tomato sauce on each pizza. Top with several tomato slices and 5 halved mini mozzarella balls on each pizza. You can use other ingredients but be careful about adding too many toppings. The crust is thin and will fall apart if it is weighed down by too many toppings. Return crust to oven and cook for about another 15 minutes. Then broil for about 2-3 minutes to give the toppings a nice crisp. Oven times may vary so you may need to adjust the time. Sprinkle with freshly chopped basil. Serve with pesto drizzle, red pepper flakes, and ground pepper.

For the BBQ Cauliflower & Pineapple Pizza: Add bbq sauce on each pizza. Top with shredded mozzarella cheese. Add cauliflower, pineapple, and red onions. Return crust to oven and cook for about another 15 minutes. Then broil for about 2-3 minutes to give the toppings a nice crisp. Oven times may vary so you may need to adjust the time. Sprinkle with additional fresh cilantro. Serve with red pepper flakes.