TIP OF THE DAY: Easy Zucchini Pan Pizza
 [1] We can almost guarantee you’ll want to make this pizza over and over again (photo courtesy The Baker Chick)..
|
We buy zucchini year-round. It’s one of our favorite diet foods, easy to steam, turn into “pasta” noodles, slice into salads, and make into microwave zucchini parmesan (just top slices with sauce and cheese).
What we like even more is summer zucchini, which we can often find for half the price of the winter offerings. For a party or a family dinner—or to whip up quickly when friends drop by for a beer or glass of wine—try this cheesy zucchini pizza from The Baker Chick, one of our favorite food bloggers. Sign up for her emails at TheBakerChick.com. It’s well worth getting her recipe emails every week or two. Shredded zucchini and mozzarella are spread on pizza crust over a ricotta/garlic mixture. (We also made a version with red sauce and kalamata olives—equally delish.) The zucchini dries out a bit first, but it totally crisps up with the bubbly cheese. “This is really simple but just so good,” says Audra, The Baker Chick. “I didn’t quite realize how much I would love this.” You will, too! Audra made this as a pan (square or rectangle) pizza, but you can use whatever pan you have. We added a different garnishes on different slices of the pizza. We loved them all! We added the garnishes both after the pizza came out of the oven, and during the last 5 minutes of baking, with a slight preference for the latter (except for the fresh basil, which shows best then added out of the oven). Bonus Tip: You can mix the ingredients the day before. Then, it takes just five minutes to roll the dough, sprinkle them on top and pop into the oven. In 15 minutes, it’s ready. RECIPE: EASY ZUCCHINI WHITE PIZZA Ingredients |
|
|
Preparation 1. PREHEAT the oven to 500°F. Drizzle a quarter sheet pan with olive oil, using a paper towel, basting brush or your fingers to make sure the entire surface is coated. Set aside. (You can also use a pizza stone.) 2. GRATE the zucchini and squeeze out all the water, either by pressing in a fine mesh strainer or with a paper towel. 3. MIX the zucchini with the mozzarella, adding salt and pepper to taste. In another bowl… 4. COMBINE the ricotta and garlic. Add salt, pepper and red pepper flakes to taste. 5. ROLL out the dough on a floured surface and stretch into the pan. Spread the ricotta mixture over the dough, and top with the zucchini/mozzarella mixture. 6. REDUCE the oven temperature to 450°F and bake for 12-14 minutes, or until the cheese is golden and bubbly. |
||
