Zucchini Pizza?

[jj_deblock]

I have heard this a few times now. How exactly is the zucchini crust made? I'm assuming you shred it, but how do you form the crust. What are your favorite toppings for a zucchini pizza?

 

[DIna00]

I have only made cauliflower crust, but I'm assuming it is the same thing. You shred it, add shredded cheese, eggs, and spices. Then you lay it out, shape it into a pizza crust, and bake. After it's baked you treat it like a pizza crust, add your toppings and bake again.

One trick I found is to lay out the mixture on parchment paper placed over a baking sheet. After you bake it, it just comes right off like a pizza. The first time I tried it I laid it out on aluminum foil and it was stuck in places, burnt to the foil in places, and wouldn't come off neatly. With the parchment paper it is really neat and easy.

 

[missbishi]

Zucchini crust sounds like a great way to get some extra veg in your diet. I was intrigued so I found this recipe online...

8 cups shredded zucchini
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
2/3 cup flour (sub almond flour)
2 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
3 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp basil
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 550F with a pizza stone pre baking in it. In a large bowl, toss the zucchini with 1 teaspoon coarse salt and set aside for 15 minutes. Squeeze the excess moisture out of the squash by wrapping it up in a clean tea towel or piece of cheese cloth and wringing it out, discarding the water. Once all of the excess moisture has been wrung out and discarded, place the shredded zucchini back into the bowl and add the cheddar cheese, flour, garlic, oregano, basil, eggs, and salt. With your hands, incorporate all of the ingredients together. Place the zucchini mixture onto a piece of parchment paper at least 15” in diameter, set on something solid that will make it easy to transfer into the oven. Using your fingers, spread the zucchini crust mixture to form a circle about 14” in diameter, 1/2" thick. Pinch the edges up so that it forms a nice crust. Once the pizza crust has been shaped, transfer the crust on the parchment paper onto the heated pizza stone in the oven. Bake for 8 minutes or until the crust starts to brown. Once the zucchini crust has baked for 8 minutes, transfer the pizza on the parchment paper out of the oven, onto the solid surface you used before. Top the pizza with sauce and any additional toppings that you'd like. Once the toppings are on, transfer the pizza on the parchment paper back onto the heated pizza stone in the oven and bake for an additional 4 minutes.

Here's the link http://www.myhumblekitchen.com/2013/09/best-zucchini-recipe-ever-zucchini-crust-pizza/

 

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

Preheat oven to 550F with a pizza stone pre baking in it. I

Wow, that is a seriously hot oven. I don't think even the kitchens I have worked in have ovens that go that high! I even double checked your link and 550F is what she says

That is 290C or something like gas mask 12 or 13?

www.helpwithcooking.com/temperature-chart.html

Her photos do make our look very nice mind you, but I can't see any way a normal person would be able to cook something that hot unless ovens in America go a lot higher and hotter than in the UK!

 

[DIna00]

I think 550 is broil here? Maybe I am wrong. My oven only goes to 500.

I notice that recipe has flour in it. I haven't made the zucchini crust, so I don't know if it's exactly the same, but with the cauliflower it turns out fine without the flour. I think that's the point of it too, to have a flourless substitute.

If anything though I might try coconut flour, as it absorbs water well.

 

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

Most UK ovens stop at gas mark 7 or 8 which is around the 230/240C or 450F mark in my experience.

 

[DancingLady]

I've never seen zucchini crust either. That looks like it might be much more nutritious than cauliflower since zucchini is green. I'll have to put that on my list of things to try. Pizza is very challenging when you are gluten free, although I've been noticing some chains now having gluten free crusts.

 

[juliaintheclouds]

I've never tried a zucchini crust but the one in this thread looks good, minus the flour for me of course. Another good use for zucchini is gluten free lasagna. I slice zucchini really thin and use it in place of the pasta leaves. It can get somewhat watery after baking but tastes amazing. To prevent the wateriness you can lay the zucchini slices on paper towel for a bit before making the lasagna but I usually don't bother.