Pizza with Zucchini and Basil Pesto Recipe

A taste of summer awaits you in every bite of this homemade pizza with zucchini and basil pesto. The toppings of zucchini ribbons, basil and pizza sauce along with two different types of cheeses make this pizza a delicious delight.

And, if you’re looking for creative ways to use your abundance of zucchini, you’ll love these easy zucchini recipes!

Jump to:

• Introduction
• Pizza oven temperature
• Homemade pizza dough
• Mise en place
• How to make zucchini pizza
• Recipe variations
• Tips
• FAQ
• Easy pizza recipes
• Recipe origins
• Zucchini recipes
• Recipe

Introduction

One of the best things about Italian cuisine is the endless recipe variations. You can create a different, tasty dish by altering just a few simple ingredients.

Take, for example, pizza.

You can use whole wheat flour, bread flour, all-purpose flour or even cornmeal to create a delicious pizza crust that will serve as a wonderful base for so many toppings. 

And the toppings!

You can add anything from fish and vegetables to fruit and chocolate. You can even make a salad pizza!

These endless combinations make pizza one of our family’s favorite meals. There’s no wrong way to make a pizza with so many possibilities.

This Italian zucchini pizza recipe is a perfect example. The toppings are simple but combine to create a delicious flavor profile. This particular recipe for pizza with zucchini and basil pesto is a summer favorite in our house.

It is the perfect way to enjoy the summer bounty of zucchini and basil. Combining these fresh ingredients with two types of cheese and a homemade pizza sauce makes for a delicious and easy-to-make pizza.

Whether you are looking for a Meatless Monday option or want a lighter pizza option, this great recipe is sure to please.

Pizza oven temperature

The first thing we need to do is preheat the oven to 500°F (260 °C). Start preheating your oven one hour before you plan on using it to get a great pizza crust.

Place the oven rack in the bottom third of the oven. When it’s time to bake the pizza, we will lower the heat to 450°F (230 °C).

Next comes the pizza dough.

Homemade pizza dough

You will need about 550 grams of pizza dough, which we will separate to make two 12-inch pizzas.

Feel free to use whatever dough, homemade or storebought, is most convenient for you. Naturally, I use my mom’s pizza dough recipe since it is the best homemade pizza dough. Alternatively, you can also use this whole-wheat pizza dough recipe.

Since I already have pizza dough in my refrigerator, I’ll transfer it to the counter. Since we are making two pizzas, I will cut my dough in half and form two balls of dough. I’ll place each dough ball in a lightly greased bowl and roll the dough in the bowl to lightly coat the entire surface.

I will lightly cover it with plastic film and allow the dough to come to room temperature.  This will make stretching the dough a lot easier. Since this can take a couple of hours, it is important to plan. 

Mise en place

Prep the fresh zucchini: We need to slice, salt and dry the zucchini before we can use it on our pizza. 

Wash one medium zucchini under cool running water. Dry with a tea towel. No need for peeling or seeding the zucchini for this pizza recipe.

Trim the ends. Then, using a vegetable peeler, slice the zucchini lengthwise into one-sixteenth-inch thick slices. Sprinkle with a few pinches of kosher salt. Transfer to a colander set over a bowl. Then, gently toss the zucchini ribbons together. Take a look at the video to get a better idea of how this is done.

Allow at least 30 minutes for the salt to draw out any extra moisture from the sliced zucchini. 

Then, remove the zucchini slices from the colander and place them on a tea towel. Gently pat dry the top with another tea towel. You can also use paper towels.

Pizza sauce: For this recipe, you need ½ cup of pizza sauce to make the two pizzas. Feel free to use whatever pizza sauce, homemade or storebought, is most convenient for you. I strongly encourage you to try my mom’s no-cook pizza sauce. Not only does it taste great, but it is also easy to make and much more economical than storebought. Did I mention it tastes amazing?

Grate the cheeses: For this recipe, we will use about 60 grams of grated mozzarella cheese and 25 grams of grated Asiago cheese. Since we are making two pizzas, we will use half of the total amount per pizza.

Basil pesto: The recipe requires 2 tablespoons of basil pesto. Please note you can use either homemade or commercial pesto for this recipe. Once again, we will use half of this total amount per pizza.

How to make zucchini pizza

When the pizza dough is at room temperature, gently transfer each dough ball to a pizza pan lightly brushed with olive oil or butter. Lightly flour your work surface. Stretch the two pizza balls into a 10-12-inch circle. 

With a pastry brush or the back of a spoon, spread about ¼ cup of pizza sauce over the surface of each stretched-out pizza dough. 

Then, in a single layer, place the zucchini ribbons over the sauce, slightly overlapping each other. Divide the zucchini ribbons between both pizzas. 

With a pastry brush or the back of a spoon, spread about 1 tablespoon of basil pesto over the zucchini ribbons. 

For each pizza, spread about ¼ cup each of grated mozzarella cheese and Asiago cheese over the top of the basil pesto.

Reduce the oven temperature to 450°F (230°C) and bake for about 15 minutes or until the pizza’s bottom crust is golden brown and the sauce and cheese are bubbly. 

Please adjust the total time for your stove.

Transfer the pizza to your cutting board and allow the pizza to rest for a few minutes before slicing it.

This zucchini pizza with pesto is not just delicious but also beautiful! Top with a little more grated cheese and a pinch of black pepper, if desired. Garnish it off by adding fresh basil leaves. 

Recipe variations

• Use a different type of cheese. You can replace the Asiago cheese with either Romano or parmesan cheese.
• Use marinara sauce to replace the pizza sauce. If more convenient, you can also use tomato sauce.
• If you like spicy toppings, garnish with chili flakes or spread some homemade spicy sauce aka la Bomba Calabrese.
• For meat lovers, mini pepperoni or crumbled Italian sausage can be added to the pizza.
• Try different garnishings like caramelized onions, roasted bell pepper or finely chopped red onion.
• Alternate overlapping layers of yellow squash and zucchini for a pretty presentation.

Tips

• Always preheat your oven. Ensure the oven stays at 500 °F (260 °C) for about one hour before slightly lowering the oven temperature and baking your pizza. 
• There is no need to cook the zucchini as it is sliced paper thin. 
• Quantities for the ingredients are for 2 (10- 12 inch) pizzas. 
• For a thin-crust pizza, spread toppings and bake immediately. Allow the dough to rise for a thicker crust for about 20-30 minutes. The longer the waiting period, the thicker the pizza crust. Experiment for yourself to suit your personal preferences.
• If using a pizza stone, you may need to reduce the total baking time.

FAQ

Easy pizza recipes

Homemade pizza never tasted so good! With these pizza recipes, you’ll have great results every time. Whether you make my mom’s traditional slab pizza pie, a grilled Margherita pizza, or this seafood pizza, we’ve got you covered for pizza night! 

If you are looking for more easy pizza recipes? Make sure to visit my Pizza page!

Recipe origins

I remember my mom making pizza for us at least once a week when we were kids, and now as an adult with a family of my own, I will also make it at least once a week. It’s one of those meals that is pure comfort food.

Like my mom who would use seasonal ingredients like zucchini from her backyard garden to garnish her pizza, I am doing the same. The only thing I’ve changed is using a vegetable peeler to slice the zucchini into ribbons instead of slices of zucchini and a bit of basil pesto for added flavor. 

A few years ago, I created a series of pizza videos with a good friend. If you haven’t already done so, be sure to join us on YouTube where we share how to make tasty pizza recipes from start to finish.

★★★★★ If you have made this zucchini pizza with basil pesto, I would love to hear about it in the comments below and be sure to rate the recipe!

Zucchini recipes

Recipe