Scrolling through the list of blogs I sometimes read, my eye caught on the title at Pioneer Woman at Heart’s blog—Zucchini Pizza Bites. As zucchini produces so prolifically for many of us, I am always on the lookout for great new ways to use this versatile vegetable.
Unfortunately, she didn’t include a recipe for it at the time, so I turned to the internet. Food.com yielded one result, and the Recipe Critic offered another. I tried the latter recipe first; it was less involved and looked absolutely fabulous. And even though I followed the directions exactly—and topped it with fresh basil from the garden—it was a pass for the entire family. Not quite a hard pass—it didn’t make us gag, but it just wasn’t delicious.
So a week later I tried the Food.com recipe. It did not look as good. And what was pictured didn’t match the recipe, which involves dipping in egg and bread crumbs and frying. The zucchini in the picture had none of that. Anyway, the recipe as written involves basically making deep fried zucchini slices and then topping them with pizza sauce, cheese, and your favored toppings. In a bid to keep things simple since there were only three of us eating that evening, I just went with pepperoni. I also didn’t quite follow the instructions, since author said to only use 6 large zucchini slices; I used the whole zucchini.
Zucchini Mini Pizzas
1 very large zucchini, cut into ½” thick slices (slice at an angle if necessary to make larger slices)
¾ cup Italian bread crumbs
½ cup Parmesan cheese
1 egg
1 tablespoon water
1 cup pizza sauce, recipe below
1 ½ cups shredded mozzarella
½ cup cooking oil
Preheat oven to 425°F. Spray a cookie sheet with non-stick spray. (You may need a second cookie sheet.) Place a skillet on the stove over medium heat, and add the cooking oil.
In a small bowl, combine the bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese. In another bowl beat the egg and water together. Dip each zucchini slice into the egg mixture and then the bread crumb mixture to coat.
Lightly brown the zucchini slices in the oil for 3-5 minutes on each side. Drain and place on the prepared cookie sheet. Top each slice with a layer of pizza sauce and then sprinkle with mozzarella. Add desired toppings. Bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes or until cheese is melted and lightly browned.
Pizza Sauce
15 ounce can tomato sauce
6 ounce can tomato paste
1 tablespoon ground oregano
1 1/2 teaspoons dried minced garlic
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 tablespoon basil
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
Combine all ingredients in a small bowl.
Family reviews: Success! My dear husband just couldn’t quit scarfing these down and wanted them in his lunch the next day. I thought they were a little oily from the melted cheese and perhaps a little watery from the zucchini. Next time I will bake them on a wire mesh rack so that the excess liquids can drain off.
Links to related posts:
The Incredible, Edible Zucchini
References
https://therecipecritic.com/zucchini-pizza-bites/
https://pioneerwomanatheart.blogspot.com/2023/09/zucchini-pizza-bites.html
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