Spaghetti Squash Collagen Crust Pizza

Do you love pizza?

Like…LURVVVV pizza?

Duh! Me too!

But just like last week I wanted to see if I could challenge the normal super carby version for one that would make my body feel good, look good, but be just as tasty and satisfying as the original. No joke, I think I’m onto something.

Now granted, this will take a bit more time and effort to make than a frozen pizza, BUT the payoff is huge!

By swapping out the crust, your indulgence in this beautiful beast becomes the toppings (Fancy Figs, Balsamic Onions, Peppery Arugula, Tangy Feta, and smooth Mozzarella) a top a tender NY Style Spaghetti Squash Collagen Pizza Crust! The net nutritional result is only 374 calories per serving (3 slices) and 30g power-packed-protein and only 16 Net Carbs and 9g of Sugar!

And if you swap out the fig for mushrooms, and use a little less cheese, or an alternative nut cheese, the numbers only get better from there!

Like many of my savory dishes, I’ve replaced the use of alternative flours like almond or coconut with CB Supplements multi collagen powder.

See: Collagen’s Health Benefits

That’s because collagen ‘gels’ when mixed with liquid. So it makes an ideal binder for recipes like this one. I love using collagen in baking because it not only lowers the caloric value of a dish, it reduces excessive inflammatory carbs, increases the amount of reparative collagen, and balances out the macros with some additional high-quality protein.

Prep Time

15 minutes

Cook Time

35-45 (spaghetti squash)
28-38 minutes

Total Time

1.25 hours-1.45 hours

Yield

3 cups

Ingredients

• 2 Medium Oven Roasted Spaghetti Squash, cooled (note: this is measure after you squeeze the liquid. Before you squeeze the liquid, it’s about 3-4 cups)
• 2 Scoops CB Supplement Multi-Collagen Protein Powder
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp oregano
• 1/4 tsp pepper

Toppings

• 1 red onion- very thinly sliced into rings
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• pinch salt
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• pinch pepper
• 1 teaspoon Monk Fruit
• 1 garlic clove- Diced
• 1 cup grated mozzarella
• 1 cup crumbled feta
• 4 figs- Cut into eighths
• handful arugula

Note

If on strict Keto or 5:1, feel free to sub sautéed mushrooms (seasoned with salt and pepper) for the figs.

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400°
2. Cut Squash in half, scoop out seeds, drizzle with EVOO and place, flesh down, on parchment lined baking sheet, transfer to oven for 35-45 minutes or until lightly browned on the outside, fork tender. (time will vary depending on squash size.)
3. Remove from the oven and flip so that it’s flesh side up. When cool enough to touch, use a fork to pull and fluff the strands from the sides.
4. Place pulled spaghetti squash in cheese cloth squeeze to get as much liquid out as possible.
5. Place squash in a bowl, make a divot in the middle and add collagen, beaten egg, salt, parmesan cheese, oregano and pepper.
6. Using a large spoon, incorporate everything. together until well combined. The mixture will be tacky. If it’s too runny, add a Scoop or 2 more Collagen at a time.
7. Place a piece of parchment paper (my favorite kitchen tool ) on a baking sheet; lightly spray with coconut oil or avocado oil nonstick spray.
8. Place the mixture into the middle of the parchment paper and using damp hands (so the mixture doesn’t stick to your skin) gingerly spread mixture into a 12” circle, 3×4” circles, or a 10-12” rectangle building up the edges to form a crust. The crust should be about 1/4-1/2” thick.
9. Bake for 20-30 minutes or until the crust edges and bottom are golden brown. The crust should be firm to the touch with little to no give.

Toppings

• Well pizza is cooking, in a large skillet over medium heat, saute onion in oil, stirring frequently 3 minutes. Lower heat to medium, add a pinch salt. Continue sautéing 10 minutes or so until onions begin to caramelized and become soft. Add balsamic, monk fruit and pepper. Continue to cook about 3-4 more minutes, until balsamic reduces. Set aside.

Put it Together

1. Once pizza crust is baked, remove from oven and let cool for one-two minutes, then lay 2nd piece of parchment paper over the top of cooked pizza crust, and flip the crust. place back in the oven for 2-3 minutes
2. Remove crust from oven and Add diced garlic, cheeses, figs and onions
3. Place back in the oven for 5-8 minutes or until the cheese slightly browned and melted
4. Remove from oven and top with fresh basil and arugula, and a slight drizzle of olive oil and final pinch of salt.

Recipe Tips

If you feel like you might try this more than once, I’d invest in cheesecloth to strain the liquid from the spaghetti squash. Without it you’ll need to use a towel, and that can get pretty messy if you plan to make this on the regular. You can purchase some on Amazon for about $8 dollars. And you can get 20 or more uses out of it.

I suggest getting 4-6 spaghetti squash, baking them all at one time, and freezing what you don’t use. That way if you don’t want to use it all at the same time, you’ll have already tackled half the battle for future recipes by having squash baked and ready to incorporate.

I used a bit of Parmesan cheese as an additional binder and to give the crust a more doughy texture. If you are strict Paleo or Vegan, you can substitute one additional scoop of Collagen powder for the parmesan cheese.

You can make one big pizza crust or make smaller personal sized crusts, and freeze them for future use up to 8 months!