Rice Crust Pizza

I was around 12 years old when my mother rocked our world by doing away with white flour, white rice, white sugar, and marshmallows. Iceberg lettuce became the enemy, as did margarine, velveeta and the microwave you melted it in.

Instead of Cheerios and doughnuts for breakfast, she fed us brown rice bathed in milk, honey, and cinnamon, which was actually very good. She tried to convince us kids that we would perform better in sports if we ate a bowl of brown rice in the morning instead of sugared cereal. She didn't have to work too hard to convince us, because deep down we knew it made good sense.

Since brown rice is such a fabulous grain - rich in fiber, amino acids, and vitamins and minerals - my mother used it a lot! Whenever a recipe called for pasta, she used rice. She found this recipe in a cookbook that is no longer in print, called "Whole Foods For the Whole Family" by the LaLeche League. It was surprisingly one of my favorites growing up and when my older sister made it for lunch over the July 4th weekend, it brought back yummy memories.

As with most of our recipes on this blog, there is plenty of wiggle room and creativity encouraged here - we are making pizza after all, so anything goes once the crust is made, because this very healthy and tasty crust is the star of the show!

Rice Crust Pizza

To Prepare Crust:
One Cup Uncooked Brown Rice
2-1/4 Cups Liquid (water or broth)
One Teaspoon Salt
Combine all three ingredients in a medium pan and bring to a boil. Once boiling, lower heat and allow to simmer with lid on for approximately 45-50 minutes or until liquid evaporates.

Add and Mix:
2 Eggs, beaten
One Cup Mozzarella Cheese, grated

Spread rice mixture thinly on a round 10" pizza stone or cookie sheet. Bake at 450 degrees for 20 minutes.

Remove from oven and "decorate" with desired toppings. Return to the oven for ten minutes longer or until heated through.

On the gorgeous pizza showcased above, my sister used pizza sauce, mozzarella and sharp cheddar cheese, mushrooms, red peppers, and hamburger seasoned well and cooked with onions.


What will you do?