Cauliflower Crust Hamburgers

I have to give full credit to Alan for this idea.
He’s so THE man — not only he "invented" this cauliflower crust hamburger but he's a triathlete and he's training for the Ironman too. Hello?
Basically Alan took my recipe for cauliflower crust grilled cheese and made it into a burger.
When he first posted it two weeks ago on Instagram I was like “Whooooooa, that’s awesome!”

And I knew I had to try it right away.
I mean, I’ve made burgers using tomatoes and mushrooms as buns, why not cauliflower crust?
It should have occurred to me before.
Thank Gawd there’s Alan for making me see the light!

Anyways, you guys know I’m completely bias when it comes to cauliflower crust.
So you can’t be surprised if I tell you that this Cauliflower Crust Hamburger is pretty solid.

You can think of it as some sort of ramen burger — not in the taste but rather in the texture and overall feeling of a beef patty tucked between two breadless and dense “buns".
If you haven't had a chance to try a ramen burger (and you don’t know what I’m talking about), good for you.

It means you didn’t bandwagon on the ramen burger hype. You should be proud of yourself (HA!)

Anyways, the cauliflower crust “buns” are moist and delicious, but unlike their flour-made counterparts they do not absorb the sauces, so don’t expect that.
On the other hand they’re so flavorful I can guarantee you won’t miss the bread.
And if you do miss it, just think about that you’re eating two servings of cauliflower.
Now that’s something, right?

Cauliflower Crust Hamburger                                                                                     Print this recipe!

Ingredients
Makes 2 hamburger

Cauliflower crust “bread” buns

1 small head cauliflower, cut into small florets (should yield 3 cups of cauliflower rice)
1 free-range organic egg, lightly beaten
½ cup / 1.7 oz / 50 gr shredded mozzarella cheese
½ teaspoon fine grain sea salt
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper

Hamburger

2 hamburger patties
Your favorite burger toppings

Directions

Cauliflower crust “bread” buns

Preheat oven to 450°F (220°C) and place a rack in the middle.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and liberally grease it with oil. Set aside.
In a food processor rice the cauliflower florets (it should be evenly chopped but not completely pulverized).
Transfer cauliflower rice (about 3 cups) to a microwave-safe dish and microwave on high for 8 minutes, until cooked.
Place the cauliflower rice in a kitchen towel (or cheesecloth or tea towel) and twist it to squeeze as much moisture as you can (I usually squeeze out over a cup of liquid). This is very important. The cauliflower rice needs to be dry, otherwise you’ll end up with mushy dough, impossible to use as hamburger buns.
Transfer the cauliflower rice to a mixing bowl, add egg, mozzarella, salt, pepper and mix well.
Spread cauliflower mixture onto the lined baking sheet and shape into 4 rounds.
Place in the oven and bake for about 16 minutes until golden.
Remove and let cool 10 minutes before peeling them off the parchment paper (be careful not to break them!)

Assemble cauliflower crust hamburger

Grill the burgers until cooked to desired doneness, about 4 minutes per side for medium-rare.
Assemble burgers with your choice of toppings (tomatoes, lettuce, onions, cheese, ketchup, mayonnaise, etc.)

Nutrition facts

One cauliflower crust bun (i.e., 2 slices) yields 158 calories, 8 grams of fat, 9 grams of carbs, and 12 grams of protein.