I don’t usually like to post two things in one day, but I just made something that I am so excited about – I just can’t wait! I was going to spiralize my zucchini, which is one way I love to eat it, when I came across a recipe for Pizza made with a Zucchini Crust. It sounded so intriguing I had to try it. Every element is unbelievably scrumptious and all together, it’s a marriage made in heaven!
I made a thin crust that is crispy on the edges and has a perfect texture. I topped it with an heirloom tomato sauce lightly seasoned with garlic, salt and pepper to let the flavor of the fresh tomatoes shine through. On top of that is some freshly shredded mozzarella cheese, pieces of cooked applewood smoked bacon and freshly grilled bi-color corn kernels. I garnished the pizza with some lacy green cilantro leaves giving it the final touch. This is the kind of dish I will be dreaming about!
There are a few tips on ensuring it turns out well. It is very important to make sure you get as much of the moisture out of the shredded zucchini as possible. This will help the crust stay together and give it the wonderful texture it should have. You can certainly use any combination of toppings that you prefer, making sure that you don’t use more than 3 toppings in total and keep the amount to a minimum. You don’t want to overpower the crust or make it too top heavy. I’d love to hear how you decide to top your pizza, so let me know!
GRILLED CORN AND BACON – ZUCCHINI CRUST PIZZA
Yield: 1 – 9″ pizza
Ingredients
Zucchini Crust
- 3 cups zucchini, shredded
- 1 egg
- 1/2 cup mozzarella, shredded
- 1/4 cup parmigiano reggiano (parmesan), grated
- 1/8 cup flour (fine ground, such as a nut, grain or OO pizza flour – I used chestnut flour)
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- salt and pepper to taste
Pizza
- 1/2 cup sauce (I used a fresh heirloom tomato sauce-directions below)
- 2/3 cup mozzarella, shredded
- 1 ear of grilled corn, kernels cut off the cob (or 1/2 cup corn)
- 4 slices bacon, cut into 1 inch pieces and cooked
- 1/8 cup red onion, thinly sliced
- 2 tablespoons cilantro, torn
Directions
- Preheat oven to 450•. Place a pizza stone in the oven and heat for 30 minutes.
- While the pizza stone is heating, microwave the shredded zucchini on high for 3 minutes, let cool, place it in a tea towel and squeeze as much moisture out as you can.
- Mix the zucchini, egg, mozzarella, parmesan, oregano, salt and pepper, press the mixture onto a sheet of parchment paper, pressing into a 9″ circle and transfer to the oven on top of the heated pizza stone and bake until lightly golden brown, about 13-15 minutes. (I just dumped the mixture on the parchment and used the back of a fork to spread it into a 9″ circle)
- Use a pre-made pizza or barbecue sauce or make your own by adding 3/4 cup chopped heirloom or plum tomatoes, 1 tablespoon olive oil and 1 minced garlic clove to a small saucepan. Cook on low heat until liquid is almost all cooked out, about 30 minutes. Blend with a stick blender (I used my NutriBullet) and season with salt and pepper.
- Spread the sauce on the pizza, top with the mozzarella, corn, bacon and red onion and bake until the cheese is bubbling, about 10 minutes.
- Top with cilantro and enjoy!
(Printable recipe can be found in my recipe index under Main Entrees)