We have an overabundance of zucchini.
We’ve tried for the past 3 years to get this vegetable to grow and… squat. The seeds will sprout, the leaves will grow, and then nothing. The plant peters out when its just 1 foot tall and wide. We’ll get some flowers, which will bloom and pretend to make a squash, but nope. No such luck.
But this year! This year, AJ, the wonderful man that he is, has made our zucchini a success. A different gardening bed, a bunch of compost, and a lot of love later, we finally have some zucchini! Each plant (we have 2) produces a couple zucchini each week, if we’re lucky.
It seems like they like to do it all at the same time, which is simultaneously great (enough for a whole meal!) but also annoying (what the heck and I going to do with all this zucchini??).
And so, I have decided to put zucchini not just in my salads, but on my pizza. Since I think the zukes are veggies that like to be cooked well to bring out their best flavor, I decided to grill them first, prior to putting them on the pizza.
It only takes a few minutes and they look so pretty! I was lazy (and the BBQ grate is broken…) so I did them inside on our cast iron griddle, but do ’em on the outside grill if you so please.
Speaking of laziness, I also bought the crust from good ol’ Trader Joe’s. They make very convenient 1-pound packages of dough that happen to make 2 nicely sized personal pizzas. All of the varieties that they sell are good, but we usually go with the whole wheat to amp up the nutrition a bit.
If you want to make your own dough, you can try one of these recipes:
Also, the jalapeno is a must here. The spicy flavor really pulled everything together. Just remember to wear gloves while slicing and seeding it, especially if you wear contacts! We also topped the pizza with some mozzarella, which holy moly makes it taste good.
I usually forego the cheese on pizza because, come on, we don’t really need all that cheese in our lives. But it sure is good. Every once in a while is okay, right?
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Grilled Zucchini Pizza
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 2 pizzas 1x
Description
An easy and tasty way to use up that zucchini from your garden! The zukes are grilled first, then baked on top of some dough with onion, jalapeno, and mozzarella cheese. This is the perfect summer pizza!
Ingredients
- 1 lb pizza dough (store-bought or homemade)
- 1 large zucchini, sliced into 1/4″ rounds
- 1/2 cup pizza sauce
- 1/4 cup sliced onion
- 1 jalapeño, sliced and seeded
- 4 oz mozzarella cheese, sliced into 1/8″ rounds or shredded (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450°F. Prepare dough according to package directions (mine didn’t need much prep).
- Slice the zucchini and grill (on the BBQ or an indoor griddle) about 2-3 minutes on each side until mostly cooked. Set aside.
- Divide the dough in half and place on a flour-dusted cutting board. Dust the dough all around with flour and press into a rough circle about 8 or 9″ in diameter, handling it as little as possible (you can also roll it, but I find this makes for a less airy crust). If it is resisting your efforts, let it rest for 15 minutes and try again.
- Transfer the dough onto two separate pieces of parchment. Cut/tear the excess parchment off so it doesn’t burn in the oven.
- Spread half the tomato sauce onto each pizza and top each with half the grilled zucchini, onion, and jalapeno. Top with mozzarella and slide the parchment and pizza into the oven onto a hot pizza stone (or bake on a cookie sheet if you don’t have a stone).
- Bake for 15 minutes, until the cheese is nicely browned and the crust is golden. It is best to bake them one at a time. Let cool for 5-10 minutes, then cut and serve!
Notes
As an alternative, you can also cook your pizza completely on the grill. Spread your dough into a circle onto the back of a floured baking sheet, and slide it directly onto the oiled grates of your hot grill. Close the top and cook until brown, then flip, brush on a little oil, and put your toppings on as desired. Close and continue to cook. Avoid spreading your dough too thin or placing it on a grill that isn’t hot enough, or you might wind up with your dough in the coals. A pizza peel is best for removing it carefully from the heat, but sliding it onto a plate with tongs should work. Happy grilling!
- Prep Time: 20 mins
- Cook Time: 30 mins
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Baking, Grilling
- Cuisine: Italian
Keywords: pizza, vegetarian, zucchini, mozzarella
Do you have family members that need to eat a gluten-free diet? We also have a gluten-free zucchini pizza recipe!
For more ‘za inspiration, knead your way to more of our favorites:
And if you want to try your hand at growing your own in the garden, you’ll enjoy this growing guide from our sister site, Gardener’s Path.
What about you? Do you like lots of veggies on your pies? Let us know what kind in the comments below and please give this recipe a rating at the same time!
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Photos by Raquel Smith, © Ask the Experts, LLC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. See our TOS for more details. Originally published on July 16th, 2014. Last updated: December 31, 2019 at 4:35 am.
Nutritional information derived from a database of known generic and branded foods and ingredients and was not compiled by a registered dietitian or submitted for lab testing. It should be viewed as an approximation.
About Raquel Smith
Raquel is a whole foods enthusiast, an avid mountain biker, and a dog lover. She works by day at Food Blogger Pro and formerly maintained her food blog "My California Roots" (now merged into Foodal).
It’s so great to grow your own veggies! Last year we managed to harvest some amazing tomatoes and peppers, the taste is so much better if you know how much of your love and care went into them 🙂 I love adding grilled veggies to my pizza, just made some last week using zucchini and eggplant, delicious!
I agree – all the hard work makes the harvest taste that much better! Our eggplant plants have yet to produce any eggplants yet, but I can’t wait until they do! They will definitely make it onto some pizza.