If low carb pizza is an oxymoron, then this incredible zucchini pizza is a mystifying anomaly! Scrumptious zucchini recipes that taste like pizza are kind of a two-for! I mean, who doesn’t love pizza, right…
All that gooey, melted cheese and savory pizza sauce gently cradled by a mildly sweet zucchini boat is one of the best low carb recipes ever – AND it’s full of veggies, so your body will be stoked!
Zucchini pizza is one of those low carb snacks that taste so good it makes you tingle inside. I can’t WAIT to hear what you think!
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What I Love About This Recipe
Zucchini pizza is so simple to make that you can have it ready in under 30 minutes. There is no yeast, no flour and practically no mess – easy peesy! When friends pop over for a quick visit or the kids need after-school healthy snacks, zucchini pizza is your jam!
I absolutely LOVE that this recipe is:
- Dang delicious!
- Squeezes in veggies
- Inexpensive
- Super customizable!
Zucchini Pizza Crust Recipe Notes
This recipe comes together in a snap! Here are a few tips that’ll give you perfect results every time:
Important Tips
PRECOOKING. Baking the zucchini before adding topping will help to release some of this veggies liquid, while softening it up.
Cook the zucchini anywhere between 15-25 minutes. I prefer 25, but my taste testers prefer 15, as this maintains a bit of the zucchini’s natural crunch. If you plan to save most of this for leftovers, opt for 15 minutes, as the zucchini will continue to soften when you reheat it.
SCOOPING. Scoop the insides of the zucchini with a spoon, while maintaining a thin “crust” around the edges.
BROIL. We’ll melt the toppings into gooey form by broiling. This means your zucchini pizzas can burn easily, so keep a close eye on them!
Tools To Make
Making zucchini pizza doesn’t require a lot of crazy kitchen tools (thank goodness)! Of course, you’ll need a knife for chopping veggies and a sheet pan for baking — I like using a rimmed baking sheet, as the zucchini will release liquid as it cooks.
Line you baking sheet with parchment to cut down on clean up.
Use a heavy-bottomed skillet to cook your sausage, as this will distribute heat more evenly and prevent burning.
Storing This Crustless Pizza
Your zucchini pizza will keep in an airtight container in the fridge so you can have crustless pizza for lunch the next day (if there’s any left)!!
Can You Freeze This?
I know its hard to find a great low carb frozen pizza, but this one is Da Bomb!! You can freeze this zucchini pizza after you cook it.
Normally, you’d blanch zucchini before freezing it — this deactivates the enzymes that would otherwise cause the zucchini to become mushy and discolored (that’s what will happen if you freeze this pizza before baking it).
So, if you throw this zucchini pizza together AND bake it, you can freeze it and you’ll have an incredible low carb frozen pizza ready to go!
Meal Prepping Tips
This zucchini crust pizza is PERFECT for meal prep!
Cutting the pizza in half when it comes out of the oven gives you bite-sized portions you can pack in your favorite meal prep container. Plus, freezing it this way allows you to pull out exactly the right portions so there’s no waste!
I like to place 2 zucchini halves on top of each other (kinda like a keto calzone) for easier storing and cleanup.
Recipe Variations
There are so many ways to tweak this recipe it’s unreal!
Using different cheeses totally changes the flavor of the pizza, or try one of these healthy recipes variations:
What Are Some Low Carb Pizza Crust Toppings?
You can get pretty wild and crazy with your low carb pizza crust toppings. The sky is the limit! Here are a few of my favorite suggestions:
- Pesto
- Parmesan cheese or deactivated yeast
- Roughly chopped cashews (this is one you just have to try!)
- Balsamic vinegar
- Pumpkin seeds
- Pizza Sauce
- Low Carb BBQ Sauce, for a barbecue chicken pizza that just so happens to be scrumptious in these little zucchini boats!
How Can I Make Zucchini Pizza Bites?
Making zucchini pizza bites is suuuper simple and they’re really fun to eat. If you have any kiddos in the house, they’ll scarf them up quickly!
Cutting the zucchini boats into 3 or 4 pieces after scooping out the seeds typically makes the perfect little bite-sized zucchini pizzas that you can just pop into your mouth.
Psst — Cauliflower pizza bites are another yummy bite sized variation!
How Can I Make Zucchini Pizza Boats Heartier?
Depending on who you’re cooking for, or if the zucchini pizza will be your main course, you may want to protein them up a bit!
No problem — Try my Meatza recipe or my chicken crust pizza and put it right on top of the zucchini pizza boats. It’s healthy, hearty and absolutely de-lish!
Can I Turn This Into A Low Carb Pizza Casserole?
Turning your zucchini pizza into a low carb pizza casserole is a phenomenal idea! It’s a fantastic dinner casserole for the fam and for larger crowds when company comes to town.
Preparing a casserole with zucchini pizza isn’t difficult at all — just julienne you zucchini and layer your slices to cover the bottom of your sheet pan. Continue with the toppings. Voila!
Can I Use Vegetables Other Than Zucchini?
Absolutely!! This recipe is for zucchini pizza, but other veggies work too. Not everyone is crazy about zucchini (go figure), or maybe you may have other veggies on hand…
I’ve made portobello mushroom pizza using this same recipe and it’s amazing! Just be sure to drain all the juice from the mushrooms before adding the toppings. People also rave about eggplant pizza and it’s just as simple to make.
Lastly, cauliflower pizza crust is a 5-star no fail recipe. There’s just something about this one that even appeals to veggie haters!
Zucchini Pizza
Ingredients
- 6 Medium Zucchini or 6 Small Zucchini
- 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
- 1 Lb Italian Sausage
- 3/4 Cup Low Carb Pizza Sauce
- 2 Cup Mozzarella shredded + low moisture
- 1/2 Cup Onion sliced
- 1/2 Cup Bell Peppers sliced
- 1/2 Cup Mushrooms sliced
- 1/4 Cup Olives sliced
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 F.
- Cut off the ends of the zucchini, then cut them in half lengthwise. Scoop out most of the flesh, leaving about 1/4 inch thick wall -- I do this with a kitchen spoon.
- Drizzle zucchinis with olive oil, and place them on a baking sheet, cut side up.
- Bake zucchinis in preheated oven for 15-25* minutes.
- Meanwhile, cook the sausage in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Break the sausage into small pieces with the back of your spoon as it cooks.
- Once cooked, remove sausage to a paper towel lined plate to absorb excess grease.
- Remove zucchini from oven, and bring oven to a broil.
- Dab any accumulated water/oil from the center of the cooked zucchinis.
- Add pizza sauce to the zucchinis, followed by the sausage, cheese, onions, bell peppers, mushrooms and olives.
- Bake until the cheese is golden brown and melted -- items will burn EASILY at this heat so keep a close eye. I bake mine for 3-5 minutes.
- Cover with fresh herbs, and allow pizzas to cool slightly before serving. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
More Healthy Pizza Recipes
Living a healthy lifestyle doesn’t mean that you have to eat healthy pizza that tastes like a carboard box!! All it takes is a little creativity, an open mind and a little finesse and you can prepare a pizza fit for a king!
Here are some of my favorite pizza recipes:
Conclusion
If you’ve never tried zucchini pizza, you don’t know what you’re missing! This is an amazing low carb recipe that you’ve got to put in your recipe arsenal. Enjoy all the tantalizing flavors of the pizza you love without the carbs and gluten! Zucchini pizza gives you the best of both worlds…
Give it a try for yourself and let me know what you think in the comments below!
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