Almond Meal Pizza Crust

I’ll be honest. It has been quite awhile since I cooked anything new or exciting. First I was away in New Jersey and then I was eating loads of pasta and other carbs plus lots of kale smoothies, prepping for the Boston Marathon. Once the marathon was over, I had almost no appetite, and when I did, I was starving and eating pretzels, chips, pudding, and other snacks or takeout.

After a week of that, I not only started to get bored with my eating, but I also realized that without the training, I need to adjust the way I eat. I am also going to be in and out of a new office for awhile, so eating real meals and planning is going to be key.

On Monday night, I decided to get back in the kitchen with a new ingredient I picked up at Trader Joe’s, Just Almond Meal. My original plan was to add it to yogurt for an extra boost of protein, and I did that for breakfast. After spending some time googling, I also decided to make a pizza crust.

almond meal

Pizza crust made with almond meal is gluten free and has a nice amount of protein. Making the crust is easy, just 2 cups of almond meal, 3 eggs, a few drops of olive oil, and a pinch of salt. I added some garlic powder for seasoning, mixed it all up, and then formed it into a pizza on an oiled pizza pan.

almond meal

To dry the dough out, I baked it for about 6 minutes in a 425 degree oven. The recommended temperature is 350, but I was roasting perfect Brussels sprouts at the time too.

While the dough got nice and dry for the toppings, I chopped leeks and melted them down in some nice brown butter. I also made a quick pizza sauce with canned plum tomatoes with basil, salt, and a pinch of sugar.

leeks

When the dough was dry, I topped it with the sauce, goat cheese, and leeks. I cooked it for about 15 minutes, until it was brown at the edges and the cheese was melted.
gluten free pizza

I served the pizza with roasted Brussels sprouts that had been drizzled with honey. I was trying to recreate the Russell House Tavern sprouts. Mine were good, but not that good.

Brussels sprouts

The pizza? It was delicious. It definitely had a hefty crust that filled me up quickly, but I really enjoyed how buttery it was and how easy it was to make. The toppings were perfect. You can’t go wrong with leeks and goat cheese! I didn’t tell my husband about the crust until he finished and was raving about the pizza. We were both pleasantly surprised at how good this nutrient-rich option was. I’ll definitely be using almond meal to make crust and other baked goods in the future. But don’t worry, I am not going all Paleo on you, just mixing things up a bit.

Have you tried any new-to-you ingredients or cooking methods lately?

Tags: brussels sprouts, dinner, Food, leeks, pizza, vegetables, Vegetarian

  1. Megan’s avatar

    Neat idea. I wouldn’t think to use almond meal for pizza. I like how the bag says for breading though. I think it would be a nice alternative to panko or bread crumbs.

    Reply

  2. Elizabeth’s avatar

    That crust sounds really good, I’ve actually never cooked with almond meal. Love your toppings too.

    Reply

  3. Michelle’s avatar

    I haven’t really been doing much creative work in the kitchen these days. A lot of my meals have consisted of reheating previous meals that I made and froze!

    Reply

  4. Daisy’s avatar

    mixing things up in the kitchen, i like it!

    Reply

  5. Emily @ A Cambridge Story’s avatar

    Sounds like a really interesting and hearty combo! I love experimenting with new ways to make crusts, flatbreads, etc!

    Reply

  6. Beth’s avatar

    I’ve used almond meal in cookies a lot, but never in pizza crust. Sounds good. I’ve been eating a lot of brussels sprouts lately, and I can vouch that they are most delicious when roasted and then covered with warm buffalo sauce. Or, covered in buffalo sauce, roasted, then covered in more buffalo sauce. 🙂

    Reply

  7. Colleen @ Culinary Colleen’s avatar

    I have some almond meal in the freezer that I used for baking last year. I never thought to use it in a crust. Good idea!

    Reply

  8. melissanibbles’s avatar

    Sounds interesting. I like trying new crusts and this sounds very flavorful!

    Reply

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