Buffalo cauliflower pizza is packed with flavor—buttery, hot sauce–coated cauliflower; creamy, pungent blue cheese, and grassy bits of fresh parsley on top.
Still haven't decided what you're making for your Super Bowl party? Need some new material for Meatless Mondays? Look no further.
This pizza has enough buttery hot sauce and blue cheese to make the traditionalists happy, but calls for cauliflower instead of chicken, which will earn you some extra points from vegetarians and those still clinging to their New Year's resolutions. Plus, Buffalo cauliflower pizza is more portable than saucy chicken wings, and it's much easier to eat when there are more guests than chairs.
If you're cooking for a crowd, roll out your dough to a large rectangle and bake the pizza on a large rimmed baking sheet as directed. Cut it into squares and serve it on its own or with some blue cheese dressing on the side.
And, of course, if you just can't shake your craving for the "real" thing, it's easy to turn Buffalo cauliflower pizza into Buffalo chicken pizza. Just roast or poach 2 or 3 chicken thighs, cut them into ½-inch cubes, and toss them in the sauce.
Need more pizza party ideas? Check out these fun recipes:
- Philly Cheesesteak Pizza
- Loaded Taco Pizza
- Tomato Soup with Grilled Cheese Pizzas
- Make Your Own Pizza Bar
Buffalo Cauliflower Pizza with Blue Cheese
Equipment
- large rimmed baking sheet
- Small saucepan
- Rolling pin (optional)
- Large rimmed baking sheet or baking stone/steel
- Pizza peel (optional)
Ingredients
- 1 small head cauliflower, broken into bite-size florets
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for brushing the dough
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
- ½ cup Franks RedHot sauce
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt, plus more as needed
- 1 (14- to 16-ounce) ball pizza dough
- 4 ounces creamy blue cheese, crumbled
- 1½ tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. If you're using a baking stone/steel to bake your pizza, place the stone/steel in the bottom third of the oven before you start preheating).
- In a large bowl, toss the cauliflower florets with the oil until evenly coated. Spread them out on a baking sheet, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and roast for 20 minutes, stirring halfway through, or until the cauliflower is tender and golden. Remove it from the oven and set aside.
- Increase the oven temperature to 500°F (if using a baking sheet to bake your pizza) or the highest temperature your oven will allow (if using a baking stone/steel). If you're using a baking stone or steel, once the oven has reached its highest temperature, switch the oven setting to Broil on high and let it heat up for about 15 minutes.
- While the cauliflower roasts, prepare the sauce. Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat, then remove the pan from the heat and whisk in the hot sauce and salt.
- Stretch or roll out your dough to a 12- to 14-inch circle, then transfer it to an oiled or parchment-lined baking sheet or a lightly floured pizza peel (if using a baking stone/steel).
- Brush the dough lightly with olive oil. Transfer to the oven and parbake for 2 to 5 minutes, just until the crust is light golden and slides easily on the baking sheet or stone/steel.
- Carefully remove the parbaked crust from the oven. In a large bowl, toss the roasted cauliflower with the Buffalo sauce until each piece is well coated. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the cauliflower to the par-baked crust; drizzle with some extra sauce if desired (but be careful not to add too much, as that will make the pizza soggy). Scatter the blue cheese on top.
- Transfer the pizza to the oven and bake until the crust is golden and the cheese has browned in spots—about 5 minutes on the baking sheet, 3 to 4 minutes on the baking stone/steel.
- Let the pizza rest for 5 minutes, then sprinkle the parsley over top; slice and serve.
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