Breakfast Cauliflower Pizza with Eggs and Leek Bacon Pesto

Preheat oven to 400ºF and line a pizza pan with parchment paper.

In a large food processor, process cauliflower into it is fine and the texture of rice. Place the cauliflower into a large bowl and microwave for 7 minutes; stir, and microwave for an additional 7 minutes. Then, let the cauliflower stand until cool enough to handle, 10–15 minutes.

Dump the cauliflower into a thin kitchen towel (see note) and wring out all the excess moisture. Once you think you’ve gotten all the water out, transfer it to another thin towel and wring out again. Put some muscle into it and really get out as much as you can, as this is the key to a not-soggy crust.

Transfer cauliflower back into a large bowl and add in 1/2 cup of the cheese (reserve the rest for later), 1 1/2 teaspoons garlic, Italian seasoning, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Stir until well combined then add the egg white, mixing until well combined.

Divide the cauliflower into 2 balls (about a heaping 1/2 cup each) and flatten each onto on the pizza pan, leaving a ridge for the crust. Your crust should be roughly 5 1/2 inches across. Bake until golden brown, about 20–25 minutes.

While pizza cooks, heat a large pan on medium-high heat and cook bacon until golden brown and crispy, flipping once. Transfer to a paper-towel-lined plate and blot off any excess fat.

Turn heat down to medium and add mushrooms into the reserved bacon fat. Cook until soft and brown, about 3–4 minutes. Transfer to the paper-towel-lined plate and blot off any excess fat.

Crumble the bacon in a small food processor (this will not work in standard, large food processor—mine is 3 cups) and process until crumbly and broken down. Add parsley, leeks, lemon juice, remaining 1 teaspoon garlic, and pinch of salt and pepper. Process until herbs are broken down and well mixed. With the food processor running, stream in olive oil and water. Blend until smooth and creamy. (See note.)

Once pizza is golden, remove from the oven and increase oven temperature to 500ºF. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of the remaining cheese onto each pizza and bake until melted, only about 1 minute.

Spread 1/4 of the pesto onto each of the pizza crusts, then sprinkle each with 1 more tablespoon of cheese. Line the outside ring of the pizzas with the cooked mushroom slices and gently crack an egg into the center of each pizza. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Cook pizzas until eggs reach your desired doneness. We like our egg yolks runny, which took about 6–7 minutes. Devour.

Notes:
1. I find the thinner the towel, the more water you are able to squeeze out.
2. You will only use half of the total pesto in this recipe – 1/4 of it per pizza – but making 1/2 of this recipe is just too small for the food processor to blend. If you decide to double the pizza crust, and make 4 pizzas, you do not need to double the pesto.