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.
2tablespoonsbasil pestoseparated, homemade or commercial
60gramsmozzarella cheesegrated, separated (about ¼ cup per pizza)
25gramsAsiago cheesegrated, separated (about ¼ cup per pizza)
basil leavesa handful, to garnish
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 500 °F (260 °C).
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.
Allow at least 30 minutes for the salt to draw out any extra moisture from the sliced zucchinis.
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.
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.
Spread the basil pesto over the surface of 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 own stove.
Transfer the pizza to your cutting board and allow the pizza to rest for a few minutes before slicing it.
If desired, garnish with extra grated cheese and torn basil leaves.
Video
Notes
A step-by-step photo tutorial can be found in the text. Simply scroll up to find it.
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. For a thicker crust, allow the dough to rise 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.
Resting and prep time exclude time to make the pizza dough.
The nutritional value is per 12-inch pizza.
Please keep in mind that the nutritional information provided below is just a rough estimate and variations can occur depending on the specific ingredients used.