Stay with me. I know the title of this recipe sounds a little odd. But I promise, these are delicious. Sort of like a deep-fried zucchini meets a pepperoni pizza. In one delicious mouthful. Not much goes better with a lazy Sunday watching football than pizza. Unfortunately, I’ve already way surpassed my quota for slices eaten this season. So, I set out to make myself something to munch that would be hearty and filling with the flavors of pizza and none of the guilt. Zucchini pizzas were born. These little babies are delicious and a mostly healthy alternative to cheese drenched bread on game day.
Most of these ingredients will look very familiar if you’ve ever made pizza before. Except the zucchini. Odd duck of the photo.
Start by slicing the zucchini lengthwise and scooping out the seeds. We’re creating a little hollow for all the yummy toppings.
Cut a layer off the bottom of each zucchini so it doesn’t roll around on your cookie sheet.
Lightly spritz with olive oil or non-stick cooking spray. Sprinkle with garlic salt and pepper. Bake until slightly softened.
Then layer your toppings. Sauce…
…mozzarella cheese…
…pepperoni (I used turkey pepperoni). You could do whatever you like. Next time I think I’ll do mushrooms or a Hawaiian version. Sprinkle with parmesan.
And bake again until the cheese is melty and delicious. Yum yum!!
Zucchini Pizzas
4 medium zucchini
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
8-10 slices turkey pepperoni, cut in quarters
1/3 cup pizza sauce (I just used my favorite jarred spaghetti sauce)
1/4 c parmesan cheese, grated
garlic salt & pepper (to taste)
Olive oil or cooking spray
1. Slice zucchini lengthwise and remove seeds with a spoon. Slice off a small part of the bottom of each zucchini half so it doesn’t roll around on the cookie sheet.
2. Place zucchini on cookie sheet and spray with non-stick cooking spray (or olive oil). Sprinkle with garlic salt and pepper to taste.
3. Bake at 350° for about 20 minutes until zucchini are slightly soft.
4. Remove from oven and top zucchini with sauce (about 1 tablespoon), a sprinkle of mozzarella, turkey pepperoni and sprinkle with parmesan.
5. Bake for 5 minutes or until cheese is melted. Broil briefly if desired to crisp cheese.
