Marco’s pizza offers a cauliflower pizza crust as a gluten-free alternative to traditional pizza crusts. Cauliflower crusts have become increasingly popular in recent years as more people adopt gluten-free diets or look for low-carb options. Marco’s cauliflower crust is made with a blend of cauliflower, eggs, cheese, and seasonings, giving it a crispy, chewy texture that mimics traditional pizza crust.
Main Ingredients
The main ingredients in Marco’s cauliflower pizza crust are:
- Cauliflower – Cauliflower provides the base and bulk of the crust. The cauliflower is riced and pulsed to create a dough-like texture.
- Eggs – Eggs act as a binder to hold the cauliflower together and add structure.
- Cheese – Marco’s uses a blend of mozzarella and cheddar cheese in the crust. The cheese helps bind the ingredients, adds flavor, and gives the crust a nice golden color when baked.
- Seasonings – Seasonings like salt, pepper, garlic powder, and oregano are added to give the crust more flavor.
- Cornstarch – A small amount of cornstarch helps bind the ingredients together.
By combining riced cauliflower with eggs, cheese, and seasonings, Marco’s is able to create a pizza crust that is gluten-free, low in carbs, and has a very similar texture and taste to traditional pizza crust.
Nutrition Information
The nutrition information for Marco’s 12″ cauliflower pizza crust is:
Serving Size | 1/4 crust (74g) |
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Calories | 180 |
Fat | 9g |
Carbohydrates | 16g |
Fiber | 2g |
Protein | 11g |
The cauliflower crust is lower in carbohydrates compared to a traditional pizza crust, with only 16g net carbs per serving. It provides 11g of protein per serving as well. So Marco’s cauliflower crust makes a good gluten-free, low-carb option for people monitoring their carb or gluten intake.
Preparation Process
To make the cauliflower pizza crusts, Marco’s goes through the following process:
- Rice the cauliflower – Fresh cauliflower is processed into tiny rice-like pieces to create the base of the crust.
- Squeeze out moisture – The riced cauliflower is wrapped in cheesecloth and squeezed to remove excess moisture. This helps create a drier dough.
- Mix in remaining ingredients – Eggs, cheese, and seasonings are mixed thoroughly with the riced cauliflower.
- Portion and shape – The dough is portioned out and pressed into crust shapes.
- Par-bake – The crusts are par-baked to set the shape and get them crispy.
- Cool and freeze – The par-baked crusts are cooled and then frozen to ship to stores.
- Finish baking – Stores finish baking the frozen crusts on-site when customers order cauliflower crust pizzas.
By par-baking the crusts at the factory, Marco’s is able to achieve the taste, texture, and quality they want. The flash freezing process also allows the crusts to be shipped and stored without losing freshness or becoming soggy. This makes the cauliflower pizza crust conveniently available at all Marco’s locations.
Taste and Texture
Marco’s has carefully developed their cauliflower pizza crust recipe to replicate the taste and texture of traditional pizza crust as closely as possible. Here is how they describe the crust:
- Golden brown and crispy on the outside
- Soft and chewy on the inside
- Buttery, savory flavor from the cheese
- Pleasant cauliflower taste without overpowering other flavors
- Sturdy enough to pick up a slice without falling apart
- Bubbly and charred in places like traditional pizza crust
The use of egg and cheese provides richness and binds the cauliflower, while the seasonings enhance the flavor. Even though the crust is made mainly of vegetables, the cheese and seasonings give it a savory pizza taste. The crust has enough structure to hold toppings and be picked up for a slice.
Benefits of Cauliflower Crust
Marco’s cauliflower pizza crust offers several benefits that make it appealing to customers looking for pizza alternatives:
Gluten-Free
The crust is made without any gluten-containing ingredients, making it safe for people with celiac disease or gluten intolerance.
Low Carb
With only 16g net carbs per serving, the cauliflower crust has significantly fewer carbs and calories than a traditional pizza crust.
High Protein
The addition of eggs and cheese gives Marco’s cauliflower crust 11g of protein per serving for a nutrition boost.
Vegetable-based
The main ingredient is cauliflower, a nutritious vegetable. This increases the nutritional value compared to a standard pizza crust.
Customizable
The cauliflower crust can be topped with any of Marco’s pizza toppings just like a regular pizza. So customers don’t have to miss out on flavor or customization.
Customer Reviews
Most customer reviews of Marco’s cauliflower pizza crust are positive. Here are some examples:
Rating | Review |
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5 stars | “This crust tastes delicious! You’d never guess it was made from cauliflower. It baked up perfectly crispy.” |
4 stars | “Surprisingly good cauliflower crust. It has a nice flavor and holds up well to toppings. Much better than other cauli crusts I’ve tried.” |
3 stars | “It’s okay, but not as tasty as real pizza crust. I missed the yeasty flavor. But it did satisfy my pizza craving without upsetting my stomach.” |
5 stars | “I’m gluten-free so I was thrilled to have a pizza option. This crust tastes great and feels sturdy like ‘real’ pizza.” |
4 stars | “Surprisingly delicious! My family couldn’t believe this cauliflower crust actually tastes good. We will be getting it again.” |
As you can see, most customers agree that Marco’s cauliflower crust has excellent flavor and texture compared to other cauliflower crusts. People are pleasantly surprised at how much it resembles traditional pizza crust. Some gluten-free customers are thrilled to have a pizza option that tastes this good. While it may not be a perfect substitute for regular crust, it provides a satisfying gluten-free, low-carb pizza experience.
Cooking Recommendations
Marco’s has some recommendations for cooking their cauliflower crust for best results:
- Cook on a pizza stone or pizza pan – This helps crisp up the bottom of the crust.
- Don’t overload with toppings – Stick to 1-2 toppings plus cheese so the crust doesn’t get soggy.
- Cook thoroughly until golden brown – Make sure to cook it long enough to crisp and set the crust.
- Finish cooking toppings on pizza – If adding raw meats or veggies, put them on halfway through cooking so they get cooked through.
- Cut into slices promptly – Slice it immediately after cooking so the crust maintains its crispiness.
Following these tips will help ensure you end up with a nice crispy cauliflower pizza crust! It takes a little practice to get the cooking method just right.
Conclusion
Marco’s cauliflower pizza crust is made primarily from riced cauliflower, eggs, cheese, and seasonings. It offers great gluten-free, low-carb nutrition in a crust that mimics traditional pizza dough. The preparation process of ricing, pressing, par-baking and freezing the crust helps achieve a crispy texture and fresh taste. Customer reviews indicate most people find the crust delicious and surprisingly similar to regular pizza. The cauliflower crust provides a flavorful plant-based option for anyone looking for a nutritional pizza alternative they can enjoy.