Friday night has been pizza night for us ever since we started dating back in 2008. If you think about it, that’s a lot of pizza that we’ve consumed over the years (not including weekends and the occasional week night over my parents’ house for my dad’s homemade pizza and mussels)!
So today I thought I would share an easy, low carb way to enjoy all of the great flavors of pizza on a zucchini base. I would love to tell you that this is an entirely healthy recipe. Sure, it’s a lot healthier than a large pie with everything on it. But it all really depends on what you choose to top your zucchini pizza boats with. I’m actually a big fan of veggie toppings, but I also love all kinds of cheese! I topped one of my zucchini boats with fresh mozzarella, sun-dried tomatoes, fresh basil, and shaved Parmesan. The other was topped with shredded mozzarella, fresh basil, and a sprinkle of red chili pepper flakes.
With Summer just a couple months away, I can’t wait to have zucchini fresh from the garden again to make these! But for now, I was able to find four perfectly sized zucchinis at the super marker this week. I have plans to spiralize some of it, but this zucchini pizza boat recipe was a quick and delicious lunch to whip up while I was hustling away at some blog work.
- Small zucchini, washed and dried, with ends trimmed
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Crushed tomato sauce, or favorite pizza sauce
- Shredded mozzarella, or other cheese
- Garlic powder
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- Pizza toppings
- Preheat oven to 400º and line a baking sheet with foil. Spray foil with non-stick cooking spray.
- Cut zucchini in halves, lengthwise. Use a spoon to carefully scrape out seeds.
- Place zucchini skin side down on prepared baking sheet.
- Brush a little extra virgin olive oil onto each zucchini and sprinkle with garlic powder, salt, and pepper.
- Spoon a little tomato sauce into each zucchini boat. Then top with shredded cheese and your favorite pizza toppings.
- Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until cheese starts to bubble.
- Remove from oven and add more toppings, as you wish.
The zucchini is still slightly crunchy around the outer edges, but softens inside. If you’re wondering how to eat these, a knife and fork will do. Eating them with your hands is messy, but fun! These zucchini pizza boats are smaller than your average slice of pizza, but quicker than takeout and better for you!
[…] small zucchinis in the fridge (I think I had intended to spiralize them). I remembered the Zucchini Pizza Boats I made and used that as inspiration to make stir fry zucchini […]