I’m just gonna come right out and say it: I may have struck gold with this one. I’d barely had a bite of my own slice when I caught hubs trying to steal another piece from my plate after he’d had HALF a pizza already! I really just experimented with this zucchini crusted pizza – made some mistakes, fixed them, made more mistakes, fixed those, and was quite surprised at how unbelievably delicious this was! And hello, zero carbs! Zucchinis are currently competing with aubergines for first place on my Favourite Vegetable Ever in the Universe list.

I’ve included here the mistakes I made so you can avoid them yourself, and hopefully you’ll have on your hands the crowd-pleaser that I’ve had. Aside from being stupid-easy, the only bit of multitasking you’ll need is stirring with one hand while staving off the ravenous fiends with the other. Good luck.

 

NOTES: Zucchini crusted pizza is not the dough pizza crust we all know and love. It’s wet and thin. A slice is harder to lift like a dough pizza, so it’s best eaten with a fork (I know, I know…). You can of course use more flour in the preparation of the crust to make it thicker and sturdier, but I like mine light. You do you, boo.

METHOD

01. Preheat your oven to 180ºC. In a colander over a big bowl, grate your zucchinis. Don’t be surprised by how much liquid will come out of this. There’ll be A LOT. To help extract the water quicker, sprinkle salt all over the grated zucchini and line up flat in a thin layer on your baking sheet. Allow to sit for about 20 minutes, and then blot with some kitchen towel to help speed up the process. Scoop the zucchini back into the colander, clump small patties in your hands and S Q U E E E Z E the rest of the water out. Imagine someone who really deserves a bit of a neck-wringing while you do this.. it’s cheaper than therapy.

02. While the zucchini dries out, you can roast your tomatoes for the topping if you’re having them, but trust me, you’ll want them. In a small roasting pan, add your quartered rosa tomatoes, garlic, olive oil and dried thyme. Roast for about 20 mins and then remove from the oven. For my chilli relish, just slice up some red chillies with seeds and add a few glugs of olive oil, salt and pepper, and then drizzle this all over the pizza when it’s cooked.

03. Now that your zucchini is drier (it won’t be totally dry, but that’s okay), place in a mixing bowl along with the grated mozzarella, beaten egg, flour and seasoning. Mix together until a nice, thick paste forms. If it’s too wet, add in some more flour to the mix. You can really just eyeball this process – if you need another egg, go for it. It’s really up to preference.

03. The first time I made this pizza, I laid down some wax paper on my baking tray. MISTAKE!!! I didn’t grease the paper, since I didn’t think something so wet would stick. Well, believe me, this stuff sticks and you’ll end up with paper in your mouth. GREASE THE PAPER, PEOPLE. Or, better yet, just grease the tray and dust with flour like you would a cake pan. That’s what I did this time and it worked a charm. If you have one (you lucky bugger), use a pizza stone (next on my wishlist…). Spread out your zucchini mixture on the baking tray into a thin, large base. Mine was a lot bigger than expected, which was great because husband is a thief. Bake the crust for about 20 mins at 180ºC, and then, for another few minutes, broil under the grill until the edges and top are brown and bubbly. Yum.

04. While the crust is baking, get onto your sauce. You can use store-bought if you have to, but I don’t recommend it. You’ve come this far! Keep going! For the sauce, bring to the boil the tinned tomato relish, chilli, garlic, oregano and a bit of seasoning. Let simmer for a few minutes until thickened. The aromas emanating from your kitchen will elicit eye twitches from your drooling family… Get rid of them hooligans.

05. Now that the pizza crust is ready, whip that handsome guy out of the oven and quickly top with the sauce, mozzarella and toppings of your choice. Pop the pizza back in the oven at 180ºC for about 10 – 15 minutes or until the toppings are cooked. Remove from the oven and tear some fresh basil, Grana Padano shavings and an extra crack of salt and pepper for luck ;)

And that’s it! Zucchini crusted pizza in a flash! Prepare to fight off the pack of rampant neanderthals this mind-bendingly delicious pizza will render of your once-loving family. Don’t say I didn’t warn you!

♥ Dani