Son of Grok’s Primal Pizza Recipe
I was at the gym yesterday when a fellow weightlifter and I got to talking about diet (for lack of a better word) and nutrition. He listened intently, interested in the philosophical foundation upon which the Primal eating plan is based. At the end of the conversation he had the same response I get from many people new to the Primal Blueprint. It started off with “I could never…” and ended with admiration in my ability to be so diligent about what I put in my body. It seems that most people get hung up on a couple things they think (and maybe they’re right) they could never “give up”. For some people it’s tortilla chips or ice cream. For others it’s fast food or pizza.
This reaction bothers me for a number of reasons. First off, I never feel short-changed, cheated or deprived, and I think most people on the PB feel the same way. The overwhelming variety of fresh and clean vegetables, fruits, meats and fats as mother nature intended satisfy me to my heart’s (and belly’s) content. Yes, there is a life after bland bread, tasteless grains and processed junk food. As I’ve said before: Once you go Primal, you’ll never go back.
Secondly, people use the “I could never…” statement as a reason to not try at all. Because they think they could never do one part of the program they don’t give the rest of it a chance. They neglect to realize that it isn’t an all or nothing proposition. For one, we have Sensible Vices and understand that even the most indulgent foods in moderation won’t completely derail your health and wellness. For two, sometimes there are alternatives that provide the same satisfaction without any compromises whatsoever. Case in point this extremely timely email I received from our faithful reader, commenter and friend, Son of Grok. (By the way – Check out Son of Grok’s story about going Primal here.)
Now I don’t mean to come down too hard on my workout buddy, because I completely understand the knee-jerk reaction. But it is such a common response I thought I’d do a little venting. Do you have similar experiences with people you’ve told about the Primal Blueprint? I’d love to hear your stories and the ways in which you’ve handled them. And for all those people that respond with “I could never… give up pizza,” here is your Primal response: Son of Grok’s Primal Pizza Recipe.
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Mark,
I have to admit that I have been selfishly hoarding many of my recipes with the idea that if I start a blog myself, I will have some material. This recipe that my wife and I created last night was just too good to pass up though!
One major weakness for me that I crave and miss since going Primal is pizza. I just love that warm cheesy goodness. Anyways, want to know what we ate last night?
I can sense you cringing from here, but wait! I assure you that you will 100% approve of this pizza as Primal! Let me assure you as well… this one is delicious!
The recipe:
As you can see, this makes a large pizza. Feeds about 4 so plan accordingly! This recipe is high in dairy but for pizza, I will make the exception!
Ingredients:
Crust:
2 Cups Almond Meal/Flour
2 Eggs
2 Tsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 Tsp salt
Sauce:
1 Can Tomato Paste
1-2 Cups Water (To desired thickness)
1 Tsp Dried Oregano
1 Tsp Garlic
Toppings:
Whatever you want!
We used fresh shredded swiss and mozzarella, chicken, bacon and onion!
Instructions:
Crust:
1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees
2. Mix all ingredients in a large mixing bowl. This should give you a ball of “dough”. If your dough is too “mushy” (like mine was), continue to add almond flour until you get a good consistency.
3. Make a pizza sheet or baking tray non-stick. This is VERY important if you want your pizza slices to come off in one piece.
4. Press your dough on the sheet nice and even about 1/4 inch in the middle and 1/2 inch at the edges.
5. Put crust in the oven for 15 minutes. It should look slightly golden brown when you take it out.
Sauce:
1. In a saucepan, combine all ingredients. Use water to desired thickness. We like ours pretty thick. Feel free to add more spice if you want it, too.
2. Simmer on stove for approximately 15 minutes.
Toppings:
You will want to pre-cook any meat going on your pizza. Veggies can go on fresh and raw, or cooked depending on your preference. Your favorite cheese will do, but I recommend the 50/50 mix of mozzarella and swiss that we used. It melted perfectly and tasted great!
Put it all together:
1. After crust comes out of the oven, spread sauce evenly over crust.
2. Add your cheese and toppings evenly on top of sauce.
3. Put back in the oven and bake at 350 degrees for approximately 15 more minutes. Cheese should be evenly melted.
4. Slice and enjoy!
Further Reading:
Recipes: Alternative to Grains
How to Eat More Chocolate and Drink More Wine Every Day
Is All Chocolate Created Equal?
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Posted By: Mark Sisson
I made this for lunch today and it was terrific!! I made a half recipe and rolled out the dough with a pin to reduce thickness (though personally I like thicker pizza). I’m very sensitive to sugar so I just diced whole canned tomatoes with peppers, onion, garlic and the rest of SOG’s ingredients.
I topped with the sauce and a little goat’s cheese. I will definitely be making this for non-primal friends as well.
Thanks SOG!
Does this work as well with other non-grain flour types?
I had coconut flour and tried that. The ‘crust’ came out really mealy and crumbly. Had to eat it with a fork =/
I usually do veggie based. If cooked properly, they can be held and eaten just like normal pizza. See my pizza section: http://castlegrok.com/tag/pizza/
Ever try making a meat crust or… cauliflower/zucchini crust?
Sounds good!! Make it as a “white pizza” too….olive oil, spices to taste, garlic and cheese, that’s it. No sauce. Yummy!!!
What exactly is in the can of tomato paste? Since I’m in Ireland, we don’t seem to have everything you guys have over there. Can you list the ingredients for it please?
Tom, I’m in Ireland too, I’m guessing “tomato paste” would equate to tomato puree, which you can get in tubes and small tins here.
It’s essentially a very thick tomato puree. It has about the consistency of paste and is often used as a thickener or sauce base.
There was no cans of tomato sauce in the paleolithic age, and there was no cheese either. Dairy products never existed. This is far from “Primal.”
There were no computers in the paleolithic age, and there were no blog posts or comments either. Emails never existed. Just get out of the cult wagon please
This looks and sounds great! I have eaten pizza once since I have been primal and it was during the first month. I have been primal for 3 months and have zero cravings for pizza even though I used to LOVE it.
Nonetheless, I will be sure to give this a try soon when the time is right.
Has anyone tried this with Chickpea flour? I am primal newbie so not sure if that would be ‘primal’?
I made this pizza. It was pretty solid. I made a “traditional” pizza with a little pepperoni (yeah, yeah) and green peppers.
The crust had a pretty nice consistency. It was good but I wouldn’t eat it all by itself. It is much better combined with the other ingredients. I think it they all compliment each other nicely.
Wish I had read the calories before I ate 3 slices…haha! Oh well, long walk with the dog tomorrow and a couple big greens salads and egg omelette or frittata.
Almond flour is pricey though. As someone who is trying to get healthy, drop the pounds and go debt free, it can be a bit challenging with a tight budget.
Anyway, try this recipe and post back any tips about how to perfect the dough or any new tips, please. I will do the same.
Hi there- I made this pizza crust tonight too! I had some frozen homemade sloppy joe mix that I wanted to use up, so that was our sauce. Topped with fresh bell peppers, green onions and a mix of “mexican blend”/parmesan and goat cheeses. Came out fantastic and so guilt-free!
Hubby thought it was great- very sturdy and can be eaten with your hands like traditional pizza. I thought it was a bit dry/”mealy” although it WAS good! I think next time I make this (and there WILL be a next time) I will add in some pizza seasoning/spices to the crust itself, and maybe brush it with some butter before baking. This is definitely worth trying folks!
Thanks for sharing SoG!
Just made this pizza for the first time. I added some oregano, some basil and a little garlic to the crust and all that i have to say is “goodbye pizza craving”. This was a good pizza even compared to the real (i.e. full of wheat and grease) pizza. I topped one half with homemade, unsweetened bbq sauce some light mozzarella, a little cheddar to stiffen the cheese up, blackened chicken, a little broccoli and some green onion. On the other half I did the sauce mentioned in the post, (organic) steak, red bell pepper and red onion. If I had to pick one word to describe this pizza it is AMAZING.
For a cheeseless topping, you can spread the crust with homemade pesto (basil, cilantro, or mint pesto), add fresh or bottled artichoke hears, strips of sun dried tomato slices, a sprinkle of pine nuts, then warm very briefly.
As some of you noted, almond flour crusts can go from almost done to burned in mere minutes, so stay close. You may have to turn down the temp or lower the rack in the oven.
I like Castle Grok’s idea of adding cauliflower or carrot pulp to the crust. Neat!
WOW!
Thank you so much for this
I love it!
Has anyone figured out the nutritional info for this pizza in carbs, protein, fats, etc?
I imagine this can be made even more primal by subbing out the cheese for even more primal toppings!
Can someone further explain the almond flour crust as opposed to regular pizza crust? I’ve gotta try this!
Thanks!
Just FYI, this with almond flour this is very heavy on calories. Using two cup of almond flours is 1,280 calories. Using regular tomato sauce and mozzerella cheese this recipe comes out to about 1,800 calories! I know you can eat an eighth but it is really small. I think to equate it normal pizza size you would eat about half which is like 900 calories. Very filling (and yummy!) but just be aware it is calor-ific. There’s another pizza crust recipe on here that uses eggplant to cut the almond flour that you may want to look into if you are watching calories.
Hi, my name is Rosie and I’m a recovering junk food junkie.
I was diagnosed with Graves Disease in 2007, plus have history of diabetes on both sides of my family. My Graves medication slows down my metabolism, so my doc said I needed to change my diet – I thought two less burritos and soda on the weekend would be enough. Then my gluten-allergic boyfriend found the Paleo diet. He lost more weight faster going caveman than he did with P90x. He gently suggested I try this “diet” for 2 weeks; if I didn’t like it, then nuff said.
Really, how could a Mexican/Filipino woman give up tortillas, rice, bread, corn, beans & cheese? I live on bean & cheese burritos (fruit & veggies were few & far between). Being a stubborn latin woman, I decided to at least prove it wasn’t for me.
I started in April, it’s now almost September and I love my new healthy lifestyle. I have lost 15 lbs of fat, cellulite & flab with minimal exercise and my doc decreased my medication. I feel better, look better and my skin is smoother – I’m loving 40!!! I threw out my 1 piece black bathing suit and bought a 2 piece bathing suit this summer.
I don’t miss anything from my pre-paleo life – however, I’m looking forward to making your pizza
) I’m a single mom of a 10 yr old boy – which I’m trying to find kid-friendly healthy meals; this will be another yummy addition to his menu. Thank you!!
I have never been on a “diet” and Paleo definitely isn’t one. It’s a choice about what you put in your body; it’s not a crutch to get skinny. Losing the weight was just a bonus, I really wanted to be healthy and be an example for my son. Other bonuses: my new passion for cooking AND feeling sexier with my boyfriend – it’s been our best year ever. He caveman, me cavewoman.
Loving fruits & veggies with every meal,
Rosie
Hi Rosie,
I am dipping my toe in the water with PB, and wondering what kind of body/weight you had before. Could you tell me your before height/weight?
I probably need to lose 30 lbs to look slim/regular.
Thanks!
My fiance and I tried this recipe last night and were pretty exited about it, as we’re both pizza junkies.
Overall I was really not impressed, it is certainly not a perfect substitute for pizza crust. It wasn’t awful, I guess… I ate the first slice just fine, but every slice after that I scraped the toppings off and left the crust behind. I had to laugh when I picked up fiance’s plate, because he had done the same thing.
I think I’ll stick with traditional crust or lavosh for my pizza cravings.
Just made this for my son and myself very yummy! Baked it on unglazed bricks in my oven. Only problem was I used the heat temp of 500 like I normally use for regular pizza dough and the underside kinda burnt and the middle not completely cooked but still came out delicious! Next time I’ll try cooking at 350! Thanks for recipe!
When I’m craving pizza I’ll take some homemade sausage, or pepperoni, slice it nice and thick, put a dab on tomato paste w/ seasonings, and lay a slice of mozzarella cheese on it. Put it under the broiler. Then I’ll just eat a spinach salad with tomato, olives, onions and a dab of feta w/ homemade vinaigrette.
I really do not miss the crust at all.