Grain-free pizza with shiitake mushroom cream sauce topped with sweet Italian fennel-seed sausage, red onions and fresh basil satisfies any pizza lover.
Pizza is on your mind, but you're on a strict, lectin-free diet. Is it even possible? YES! But it has to be good, right?
Good pizza, takes a winning combination of perfect crust, sauce and cheese. Other toppings just enhance the already good pizza.
So, let's start with the crust. This is from a box — no kidding! I could make this grain-free crust from scratch, but this boxed brand is nearly perfect (just missing a little salt), and it's made from such pure ingredients, WHY BOTHER? Now understand, this crust is made from grain-free flours and no yeast, so it's going to be different from the crust you're used to. But with an open mind, and an open mouth, you will see that different can be delicious. And in this case, it definitely is.
The Recipe
Lectin Free Gourmet Pizza
(Crust)
1 Box Simple Mills Pizza Dough Almond Flour Mix
1/2 t Kosher Salt (mix contains no salt, but it needs it)
2 T Apple Cider Vinegar
2 T Olive Oil (don't use grapeseed or vegetable oil as box recommends)
6 T Water
(Sauce)
1 T Butter
1/4 C Shiitake Mushrooms (chopped)
1 T Red Onion (chopped)
1/4 t Salt
1 Clove Garlic (minced)
1/4 C Parmesan Cheese
1/4 C Grassfed Sour Cream
1 T a2 Milk or Coconut Milk
(Toppings)
1/2 C Buffalo Mozzarella (grated)
1/2 Lb. 100% Grassfed Ground Beef
1/4 t Salt
1/2 t Paprika
1/2 t Fennel Seeds
1/2 t Garlic Powder
1/2 t Onion Powder
1/2 t Herbes de Provence
1 Slice of Red Onion
6 Basil Leaves
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Make the dough. Pour the pizza dough mix into a medium bowl, add salt and prepare the crusts as directed (except use olive oil). It makes two 8 inch pizza crusts. One 8 inch pizza, two 8 inch pizzas or one big pizza. If making two pizzas or one large pizza, double the sauce. If making one small pizza, you can freeze the other half of dough for later. Bake the crust without sauce or toppings for 5 minutes. Take out and set aside. Increase oven temperature to 400 degrees.
Now make the sauce. In a small sauce pan, heat butter on medium flame. Drop in the chopped mushrooms and onions. Saute for a few minutes until glossy and tender. Add salt and minced garlic and saute for another minute. Add Parmesan cheese and stir until melted. Turn off heat and stir in the sour cream. Set aside. The sauce will thicken, and you'll add 1 T milk just before spreading it onto your crust.
Next make the sweet Italian sausage. Brown the grassfed beef with salt in a hot skillet. Add paprika, fennel seeds, onion and garlic powders and Herbes de Provence toward the end of browning. Set aside.
Add 1 T of milk to your shiitake cream sauce. Then, spread the sauce evenly on your prepared grain-free crust(s). Next, sprinkle mozzarella on top of sauce. Next, sprinkle the Italian sausage on top of cheese. Place sliced red onion all over the pizza. Bake the pizza(s) at 400 degrees for about 10-12 minutes or until cheese starts to bubble. Finish with a quick 500 degree broil with the door open so you can see when the cheese is brown and bubbly. Take pizza out of oven and add fresh basil leaves.
Pair with a glass of beefy red wine. Enjoy!