Zucchini Crust Pizza
My mother-in-law shared the recipe for this unique pizza with me. It's just right for brunch, lunch or a light supper. Loosen the nutritious zucchini crust from the pan with a metal spatula. —Ruth Denomme, Englehart, Ontario
Ingredients
- 2 cups shredded zucchini (1 to 1-1/2 medium), squeezed dry
- 1/2 cup egg substitute or 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese, divided
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided
- 2 small tomatoes, halved and sliced
- 1/2 cup chopped red onion
- 1/2 cup julienned bell pepper
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
- Chopped fresh basil, optional
Reviews
This is a really great recipe and super easy to follow! The only thing I do differently though, is I do 3/4 cup of flour instead of 1/4. The crust comes out thicker and the pizza slices will hold together when picked up.
I wanted a firmer "crust" so I shredded 5 medium zucchini, mixed the shreds with 1 teaspoon kosher salt and let it sit for 15 minutes. I then put all in a clean dish towel and squeezed out all of the liquid (there's a lot!!!). I got about 3 cups of drier zucchini. I proceeded with the original recipe except I used 1/3 cup AP flour and 1/3 cup white whole wheat. I baked the "crust" for 10 minutes and then added the toppings and baked it for an additional 20 minutes. SOOOOOO delicious!Next time I will use some fresh garlic!I made this again with a few changes. I added 2 cloves of garlic to the 3 cups of dried zucchini. I used coconut flour, and I spread the mixture into a rectangle onto a well greased, tin foil lined baking sheet. Proceeded with the recipe. Again, delicious, and easier to cut into portions using a wide spatula. Definitely a keeper!
I loved this crust and so did the family. I cook the harder veggies a bit first and everything is great when put together and finished. Next time however, I will double this and use two pans. Yummy!
This is a keeper recipe! I did make sure the zucchini was as dry as possible and pretty finely shredded (but not pulpy). I put it in the dry towel and squeezed out the water and then repeated again with another dry towel. I also used parchment paper without oiling and spread it a little bigger than 12". The Parmesan cheese helps crisp the crust so I added a little more as well. It came out as a crust but don't expect it to be like a bread crust. I will experiment with other toppings when I make it again (soon). Thanks for a great recipe!
For the people who say that this came out too wet... What I do when I make cauliflower crust is a microwave the vegetables for a few minutes to start to release the moisture then I let them cool. Then I put them in a towel and squeeze out as much water as I can get. That makes it very dry so you crust is very dry. With the zucchini you might not even have to heat it first you may be able to just squeeze it out in the towel once it's grated straight away..try that and im sure it will solve the issue! Oh..and with the cauliflower if you wanted to get at all crispy you have to make sure it's as thin as you can possibly get it on the pan and I'm sure it's probably the same with this flatten it out and make it as thin as possible and that should help it to crisp up
I could tell the crust was not going to crisp up after the first 8 mins...so I gave it an extra 5 at 450 degrees, and it was still wet at the end. The pizza piles we ate had good flavor, but were not serveable as slices at all. I think the culprit is too much egg, 3/4 cup seems like a lot. I even squeezed out the liquid from the zucchini even the recipe didn't say to, how soggy would it have been if I hadn't? Added pepperoni so the husband wouldn't roll his eyes and say, where's the meat?? Probably will not make again.
I wouldn't title this a pizza or a crust. This is a quiche for sure. Crust is soggy and eggy. Wasn't a winner in our house.
I was very pleasantly surprised with the outcome here. I have just started a new diet and very much miss pizza and decided to try this. I made a few variations by adding a thin coat of marinara sauce as well as some cilantro. This tastes very good. Next time I will use a little bit more olive oil to coat the pan because it really sticks, but overall, this was a winner.
I used 3 eggs instead of egg substitute and added carrots broccoli. delicious.
Can I use egg instead of egg substitute?