Throwback Thursday, Lighten up Pizza Night with Veggie Pizzas and Unique Pizza Crusts
One of my blogger friends, Kitty from Kitty’s Cozy Kitchen,
recently posted a pizza with a cauliflower crust
It sounded so good and it reminded me of a pizza
that I made with a zucchini crust
It is crazy good and the zucchini crust is simple to make
Shred zucchini in a food processor
Microwave it for 6 minutes on high,
drain in a colander
and wrap tightly in a kitchen towel and set aside for a while
so the towel can adsorb the moisture
Place zucchini in a mixing bowl,
add egg, cheeses and Italian seasoning
Mix well and place mixture on a silpat
[rubber baking mat] lined baking sheet
and pat it out in an even layer about 1/4″ thick
Bake at 450 13-15 minutes
Top this with Manchego cheese,
sauteed corn, red onion and Parmesan
Lower heat to 350 and return to oven and bake 15 minutes
ZUCCHINI CRUST VEGGIE PIZZA
Ingredients
Zucchini Crust
- 2 large zucchini
- 1/2 cup 2 oz. Manchego cheese, shredded
- 1/4 cup 1 oz. Parmesan cheese, shredded
- 1 egg
- Italian seasoning to taste
Pizza Toppings
- 3 slices red onion separated
- 1 cup corn
- olive oil
- 1 oz Manchego cheese grated
- 1 oz Parmesan cheese shredded
Instructions
Zucchini Crust
- Shred or grate zucchini in a food processor, you need 4 cups. Microwave zucchini in a bowl on high for 6 minutes. Drain well in a colander and place drained zucchini into a clean dish towel. Roll up and set aside. You can do this ahead of time and keep zucchini in the refrigerator until baking.
- Make sure zucchini is as dry as possible and mix with egg, cheeses and seasoning in a bowl. Turn out mixture onto a silpat lined baking sheet and form into a crust, patting with your fingers until you have an even crust about 14″ x 8″ x 1/4″ Bake at 450 for 15-20 minutes until set and starting to brown.
Pizza
- Give vegetables a quick saute in a drizzle of olive oil until cooked through
- Top baked crust with 1 oz Manchego, and then the veggies. Top all with a final layer of Parmesan. Bake at 350 for 15 minutes or until cheese has melted and begun to brown. Cut into squares to serve. Makes 6 large squares, or 2-3 servings
Notes
Another different kind of pizza crust is naan bread
Naan bread is great for making individual pizzas
This one features basil pesto, shredded Parmesan, pine nuts
and caramelized onions
Cook for a few minutes in the toaster oven or under the broiler…
Garnish with fresh basil
Basil Pesto Naan with Caramelized Shallot & Pine Nuts
Ingredients
- mini naan bread {I used Stone Fire naan}
- shallots diced {plan on 1/2 shallot per naan}
- 1 T butter
- 1 T olive oil
- basil pesto* {I used Giovanni Rana}
- shredded Parmesan or Manchego cheese
- pine nuts
- fresh basil leaves chopped
Instructions
- Caramelize shallots by slowing sauteing them in a skillet with butter and olive oil, about 20 minutes. Spread naan with a generous layer of pesto. Add shallots, pine nuts and sprinkle with cheese. Toast in toaster oven for about 4 minutes or until golden and cheese has melted. Garnish with fresh basil. You can assemble these ahead of time and refrigerate until toasting.
Notes
Crusty rolls make great crusts for pizzas too~
Cut rolls in half and top them with a mixture of caramelized onions,
sauteed pancetta, beef bouillion
*note: I used fresh french rolls from the deli bakery, they were already sort of crispy. You can use any sturdy bread or roll, and toast it before hand if you think it’s too soft
Give the pizzas a generous sprinkling of grated Gruyere cheese
Bake at 400 degrees F for about 10 minutes, until melted
French Onion Soup Pizzas
Ingredients
- 1-2 large yellow or Vidalia onions peeled, halved and sliced
- 3 oz diced pancetta
- 2 T butter
- 1 T olive oil
- 1 tsp concentrated beef bouillon [I use Better Than Bouillon]
- 1/4 cup hot water
- 4 oz Gruyere cheese grated
- 3 french bread rolls cut in half
Instructions
- Saute onions in butter and olive oil over medium low heat for 30-40 minutes, until golden and caramelized.
- Move onions to edge of skillet and add pancetta. Turn up heat to medium and saute pancetta quickly, stirring often, until brown and crispy. Combine with onions.
- Stir beef bouillon concentrate into water and add to pan. Stir to combine.
- Divide mixture between open face roll pieces on a baking sheet. Top with cheese. Bake at 400 for 10 minutes or until golden and melted. Makes 6
- optional: substitute sliced mushrooms for pancetta and saute in the same manner
I try to keep puff pastry in the freezer,
it’s great for last minute pizzas
This one has zucchini, yellow squash, grape tomatoes, pesto,
ricotta, Parmesan and pine nuts
Gently roll the pastry out a little on a floured surface
and transfer to a baking sheet lined with a silpat or parchment paper
Score the pastry around the edge about 3/4″ inside the very edge,
not quite cutting all the way through
Then prick the center of dough all over with a fork
Bake according to package directions until golden
While dough is baking, prep your veggies
Cut the squash fairly thin so it will be able to cook through
Top the baked crust with a layer of pesto sauce, dollops of ricotta,
and a generous sprinkle of Parmesan
Layer on the vegetable ribbons and top with halved grape tomatoes
Sprinkle with more Parmesan and top with pine nuts
Bake at 350 degrees F about 30 minutes
or until the vegetables are soft and the crust is golden
VEGGIE TART
Ingredients
- 1 box puff pastry
- 1/2-1 cup pesto sauce homemade or prepared
- 1 1/2 cups light Ricotta cheese
- 1/2 -1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese reserving some for topping
- 1 zucchini
- 1 yellow squash
- 1/2 pint grape tomatoes
- 4 oz. pine nuts
Instructions
- Prepare dough by rolling out gently on a floured surface. Make a border by scoring dough about 3/4″ from edges, not quite cutting all the way through, and prick inside with a fork. Bake until just done and lightly golden.
- Wash vegetables and cut lengthwise into very thin ribbons, discarding the outer peel. Halve tomatoes and drain on paper towels. Salt zucchini ribbons and drain on paper towels 15 minutes.
- Spread baked crust with a layer of pesto sauce. Top with even dollops of Ricotta cheese, then a sprinkling of Parmesan. Layer veggies on top. Sprinkle with more Parmesan and pine nuts.
- Bake at 350 30 minutes until veggies are done and crust is browned.
Cheesy Herb Mushroom Pizza is made with crescent roll dough
and it preps and cooks in under 30 minutes
It can be served as an appetizer, side dish or main meal
You can see more photos and get the recipe here
Enjoy!
I will be joining these fabulous parties and blogs:
Sundays on Silverado/ Happiness is Homemade
Between Naps on the Porch / Turn About Tuesday
Wednesday Linky Party / Karin’s Cottage Linky Party / Creative Crafts
RSS - Posts
Lots of tasty pizza ideas. I really like all the pizza dough alternatives.
Thank you Bernadette!
Low carb and delicious…love zucchini crust! I like to use tortilla wraps to make pizza.
I forgot about tortillas, they do make great pizzas! Thanks Angie~
Good morning, Jenna! My most favorite food is pizza. I do believe I could eat it once a week. A zucchini crust sounds scrumptious! Thanks so much for sharing! I will definitely be giving this a try. Happy Thursday!
Thanks Shannon, I love pizzas and flatbreads, endless possibilities!
Jenna, zucchini as a crust would have never entered my mind. What a great alternative and healthier! I love pizza and all of these look delicious. Thanks for all the pizza inspiration! Happy Thursday🍕🍕
Thanks Pam, the zucchini crust is really good!
I love cauliflower crust 🙂
Thanks IIze, I need to try it, I love the zucchini crust~
Oh my goodness, all of these look SO good! I’m going to try the zucchini one soon, because that one fits my gluten free diet. Thank so much for sharing all of these- if I manage to make a good crust I might just try all the topping variations from your other recipes. Thanks so much for the inspiration! Wishing you a beautiful day! Xo Lidy
Thanks Lidy, I think you’ll like the zucchini crust, it’s really good and guilt free!
Well, these are certainly different and very yummy looking!
Thanks Dorothy!
Love the idea of zucchini as a crust for pizza Jenna! So colorful with the green zucchini crust, red onion and yellow from the corn. Happy Thursday ♥
A veggie lovers delight!
BRILLIANT idea making a pizza with the zucchini crust. It looks great, and i have a freezer full of zucchini!
I hope you try it, it’s really good!
All of these sound good, but the zucchini crust is most intriguing. I love pizza on the weekend and the zucchini one is SO healthy.
Thanks Linda, the zucchini crust is really good!
So many wonderful ways to make pizza, Jenna! Thank you for the shout out on my cauliflower pizza crust. The Naan bread pizza would be fun to try and I just saw mini ones at Aldi’s today. I’ve even used tortillas or English muffins to make pizzas for kids.
Thanks Kitty, yes tortillas and English muffins are great for pizzas!
So many good options for delicious pizza! I would enjoy any of these and I love the idea of a low carb crust with your zucchini, I really want to try that. I love naan bread and love topping with fresh summer veggies. Now I’m hungry! Have a wonderful weekend Jenna…..
Thanks so much Emily, I love naan bread too, it makes a great base for pizza 🙂
Jenna what a great idea….I also like naan bread and english muffins. And I have used large flour tortillas for pizza crust. Have a wonderful week-end.
Thank you Kari, and yes I agree, English muffins and tortillas do make great pizzas too!
This is a marvelous idea, pizza with zucchini crust. I absolutely need to try it out. Thanks for sharing.
It’s really good, I hope you try it!