This seems to be the summer for pizza crust experiments at Chez Kalyn, and this recipe for Vegetarian Zucchini-Crust Pizza Margherita was inspired by the Cauliflower-Crust Vegetarian Pizza I made last month. After trying that pizza with a crust made of cooked cauliflower, cheese, almond meal, and an egg, I started wondering why you couldn’t make a similar type of crust with zucchini. Jake was skeptical, and it did take us two tries to get a crust we were happy with, but we both loved the way the zucchini added flavor to this crust and really complemented the simple tomato sauce, fresh basil, and fresh Mozzarella that are the traditional toppings for Pizza Margherita. This is a pizza recipe that’s not only vegetarian, but also gluten-free and low carb and it’s another answer to that zucchini problem that so many people have this time of year.




Put the zucchini in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave for about 5 minutes on high.



Saute the garlic in half the olive oil, just until it’s fragrant.




Spray a baking sheet with olive oil or nonstick spray and divide the crust into two balls.


Cook the crust on a pizza stone on a grill (or in an oven) that’s been preheated to 450F/230C.

Here’s how the crust looked when it came off the grill.

Top each pizza with half the sauce, fresh basil leaves, and chunks of fresh mozzarella.

Let the pizza cook a few minutes longer, just until the cheese has melted nicely. Serve hot.
Zucchini-Crust Vegetarian Pizza Margherita (on the grill or in the oven)
(Makes 2-4 servings, depending on what you serve with it.)
Crust Ingredients:
4 cups grated then chopped fresh zucchini (one large zucchini about a foot long, or several smaller ones)
1/2 cup finely grated low-fat Mozzarella blend
5 T almond meal
3 T finely grated Parmesan
1 tsp. dried Greek or Turkish oregano
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
pinch of salt
1 egg, beaten
Sauce Ingredients:
1 can (14.5 oz.) good quality petite diced tomatoes, drained
1 T olive oil, divided
2 large garlic cloves, minced
1/2 tsp. Italian seasoning
salt and pepper to taste
Pizza Toppings:
3 oz. part-skim fresh Mozzarella, sliced and then pulled apart into chunks
10-15 large fresh basil leaves
Instructions:
[…] Recipe for Zucchini Crust Vegetarian Pizza Margherita (on the grill or in the oven) […]