Cauliflower casserole gives off that great pizza vibe

Cruising the web for recipes is a normal pastime for me. There are several sites I regularly visit for new recipes since they are very reliable (like epicurious.com).

To me, reliable means: if I make it exactly as written, my results will turn out just like the picture. Comments underneath recipes from people who made it are invaluable.

I get a daily newsletter from The New York Times Cooking website (https://cooking.nytimes.com) and have made several of those shared recipes and, importantly, frequently alter the recipe based on the recipe's commenters. Those comments add value to that and other recipe websites. Big plus.

Some websites send me newsletters that include recipes, even though they address non-cooking issues. I usually ignore those recipes since they have, generally, not been thoroughly tested (as are the ones on The New York Times website).

That was true until a pizza-flavored cauliflower casserole recipe showed up in a non-cooking newsletter. Intriguing idea.

For low-carb food plans, a cauliflower crust for pizza is nearly genius. However, that crust's hassle-factor is high. I've made and shared recipes for a cauliflower pizza crust with you which, at best, is a pain; that's why I rarely go there.

The casserole was doubly intriguing since it was baked in the same 12-inch iron skillet in which I make my Chicago-style pizza. Hmmm.

One early Sunday evening, wanting to turn intriguing into reality, I gathered together all the casserole's ingredients and re-read the recipe.

Jiminy, there were many things in the instructions that didn't make sense, such as sprinkling oregano and crushed red pepper over the cauliflower instead of including it in the sauce. And, even though I add dried basil to my pizzas, this pizza-flavored casserole used only oregano.

Since I believe so strongly in using organic ingredients when I can to avoid chemical pesticides and herbicides, I used organic sweet Italian sausage and organic pizza sauce, both came from my local supermarket.

Lucky me, fresh cauliflower was on sale, and cauliflower wasn't on the Environmental Working Group's famous "dirty dozen" list.

The only real hassle with this casserole was cutting the cauliflower head into florets, as well as the stem (yes, trimmed and chunked-up cauliflower stem works as well as florets and make fresh cauliflower an even better bargain).

Organic mozzarella cheese already comes shredded, so the only thing I had to shred was the fresh Parmigiana-Reggiano cheese. Why didn't I use parmesan cheese from the green can? Almost no flavor; fresh Parmesan is packed with flavor.

Browning-up the sausage in the same cast-iron skillet in which the casserole bakes made this a "one-pot" meal. I even used some of the fat left behind to keep the cast iron skillet in which the casserole bakes from sticking.

The ingredients assembled quickly in the skillet and it baked for just 30 minutes. My casserole came out bubbling and browned, just as I hoped.

The original recipe said it served four. This recipe easily serves six if salad and a little warm French bread accompany it.

My casserole tasted so much like a pizza I was amazed. Give it a try.

Cauliflower Pizza Casserole

1 large or 2 small head(s) cauliflower, cut into florets and the stem cut into similar size pieces (organic preferred)

1 cup organic pizza sauce

½ cup sliced black olives

½ cup chopped onion

2 teaspoons dried basil, crumbled

1 teaspoon dried oregano, crumbled

½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (or more, to taste)

Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

8-ounces sweet Italian sausage links

2 cups (8 ounces) shredded part-skim milk, low moisture mozzarella cheese

2/3 cup freshly grated Parmigiana-Reggiano cheese, plus more for garnish

1. Add cauliflower pieces to a 5- or 6-quart saucepan. Add enough bottled or filtered water so that the cauliflower is covered by about 1 inch. Place over high heat and bring to a boil. When water boils, remove from the heat, cover and let sit for 2 minutes. Drain and let cool.

2. Add pizza sauce, olives, onion, basil, oregano red pepper flakes and black pepper to large mixing bowl and stir together until combined. Set aside.

3. Place oven rack in center position and begin heating oven to 350 degrees.

4. Place a 12-inch cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Lightly brush or spray with olive oil. While skillet heats, remove casings from the sausage links; add sausage to the skillet and sauté, breaking up until sausage loses its pink color. Turn heat off, move skillet off the heat and transfer sausage and prepared cauliflower to bowl with sauce. Using a large rubber spatula, stir and fold until combined and coated with sauce.

5. Transfer half of cauliflower mixture to skillet, Distribute half the mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses over the cauliflower. Distribute remaining cauliflower and top with remaining cheese. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until cheese is bubbly and beginning to brown. Remove from the oven and serve immediately. Serves six.

Nutrition values per serving: 322 calories(54 percent from fat), 19.5 g fat(8.1 g saturated fat), 14.4 g carbohydrates, 8.8 g sugars, 4.7 g fiber, 22.4 g protein, 452 mg cholesterol, 884 mg sodium.

Speed up the process: Skip the fresh cauliflower. Defrost 2, 16-ounce bags of cauliflower florets. Add defrosted cauliflower to the bowl with the pizza sauce, along with Italian sausage. Proceed as instructed.