Fake pizza is an exercise in creativity and taste, trying to reinterpret one of the great classics of Italian cuisine in a different way, maybe for those who cannot eat gluten or flour, or simply for those who love to experiment, even with pizza.
Here are 5 alternative recipes to make delicious fake pizzas, different from the one we are used to but equally as tasty.
Fake pizza with cauliflower
Among the great classics of “fake pizza” is pizza made with cauliflower. Ideal for those on a diet or perhaps who are gluten intolerant and don’t want to give up the taste of pizza. True, it won't be like the original, but cauliflower fake pizza is really similar to its sister with flour… you need to try it to believe it! Here's how to make it.
Ingredients:
2 lb cauliflowers
2 eggs
oregano, salt and pepper
tomato puree
mozzarella or fiordilatte
parmesan cheese
extra virgin olive oil
Method:
Cut the cauliflowers into pieces and put them in a mixer to chop them into small pieces, then dry them. In a large bowl beat the eggs with the Parmigiano Reggiano or Grana Padano cheese, salt and pepper and then add the cauliflower. After making a nicely blended dough roll it out just as you would with a classic pizza on a baking tray with baking paper, trying to make a disc as homogeneous as possible to avoid the pizza needing different cooking times. Bake in the oven at 360° for about 15 minutes and top it with the tomato sauce (better if already cooked halfway), the mozzarella and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and put it back in the oven for 6/7 minutes at maximum temperature. Take it out of the oven and enjoy your fake pizza made with a cauliflower base.
Quick pizza with sandwich bread
How often do you suddenly feel like pizza and have nothing in to make it? Perhaps every night! Did you know that you can replace pizza dough with sandwich bread and still make a delicious pizza? It only takes a few minutes to make all your diners happy. This is the recipe of the classic margherita, but you can change the topping with what you have at home at the time… the result will still be delicious!
Ingredients:
1 lb 6 oz sandwich bread (remove the edges from each slice)
9 oz mozzarella
9 oz tomato puree
oregano, salt and oil
Method:
Start by preparing the sauce for your fake pizza by cooking the tomato puree with salt and extra virgin olive oil. Take the slices of sandwich bread and crush them with a rolling pin trying to get - maybe getting the help of the baking pan – the sides higher than the center that allows you to add the topping without it going over the edges. When it’s nicely rolled out, add the tomato sauce and mozzarella cheese (or your preferred one and what you have in at the time) and bake in the oven at 420° for 10 minutes.
Fake pizza with piadina
If you are tired of the traditional piadina with squacquerone and rocket, you can reinvent this classic Romagna food by preparing a delicious fake pizza. Simple and quick to prepare makes for a very tasty lunch or dinner. The recipe we recommend is a margherita with sausage, but you can decide the topping based on your taste preferences, the approach doesn’t change! Here’s how to proceed.
Ingredients:
1 classic piadina
readymade tomato sauce
1 sausage
smoked scamorza cheese
salt, basil and extra virgin olive oil
Method:
Lay a layer of tomato sauce and the pieces of sausage on a piadina. Put it in the oven at 400° for 5 minutes. Add the sliced smoked scamorza cheese and bake in the oven for another 5/6 minutes. Add a basil leaf and your fake pizza with the piadina is ready to bring to the table.
Fake pizza with stale bread
You've had bread in the house for a few days now and it's become hard and impossible to eat? Don't worry, it's perfect for making a really good fake pizza. With this recipe you only need a quarter of an hour to dish up a simple but tasty plate of food reminiscent of the pizza. If you have bacon and porcini mushrooms at home, you can prepare a wonderful taste of the the forest with a boscaiola.
Ingredients:
stale bread or panini sandwich bread
readymade tomato sauce
mozzarella, scamorza or fiordilatte
5 oz speck
4 oz porcini mushrooms
Extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper
Method:
Cut the bread into slices and put it on a baking tray with baking paper. Wet it with oil, salt and pepper. Bake it in the oven at 400° for 5 minutes. Add the tomato sauce and cook it for another 5 minutes at the same temperature. At this point lower the oven to 350°, add the mushrooms and bacon and keep it in the oven for another 5 minutes. A drizzle of olive oil at the end of cooking and your fake pizza with old bread is ready to enjoy.
Zucchini fake pizza
Totally vegetarian, it’s a tasty and delicate dish, perfect for those who want to stay light and don’t want to give up the taste of pizza. This recipe is gluten-free and is ideal for those who are on a low-calorie diet. To prepare the zucchini fake pizza you will need the following ingredients.
Ingredients:
1 lb 8 oz zucchini
5 oz grated Parmigiano Reggiano
1 oz potato starch
3 egg whites
5 oz ready made tomato sauce
4 oz mozzarella
salt, pepper, extra virgin olive oil
Method:
Shred the zucchini in a mixer after cutting them into small pieces. Dry them properly and put them in a large bowl with the egg whites, salt and pepper, then add a drizzle of oil, potato starch and grated cheese. Prepare a uniform mixture and spread it on a baking tray with baking paper. Cook the base of the fake pizza with the zucchini in the oven at 350° for about 20 minutes. At this point add the tomato sauce and mozzarella cheese and cook the pizza for another 10 minutes at the same temperature. Take it out of the oven, wait a few minutes and your fake pizza is ready.