Pizza Zucchini Boats
These zucchini pizza boats give you all the pizza flavors you love, made lighter with tender zucchini. I make them all summer when zucchini is everywhere.
Servings: 8 pizza boats
Calories: 178kcal
Ingredients
- 4 large zucchini squash
- 1½ tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasonings
- ¾ cup pizza sauce
- 2 cups freshly shredded mozzarella cheese
- ⅔ cup sliced mini pepperoni
- fresh basil chopped, optional garnish
- Parmesan cheese optional garnish
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- Slice the zucchini in half lengthwise but do not cut off the tops. Use either a spoon or a melon baller to scoop out the insides of the zucchini. (Be careful not to pierce through the zucchini) Place the sliced and scooped zucchini halves, cut side up, on the prepared baking sheet. Blot the inside of the zucchini with a paper towel.4 large zucchini squash
- Use a pastry brush to brush each of the zucchini halves with the extra virgin olive oil.1½ tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- Sprinkle each halved zucchini with Italian seasoning, kosher salt and cracked black pepper. Bake for 5 minutes. Remove the zucchini from the oven. Pat dry with a paper towel.1 teaspoon kosher salt, 1 teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper, 1 teaspoon Italian seasonings
- Spread 1½ tablespoons of pizza sauce down the center of each zucchini.¾ cup pizza sauce
- Sprinkle each zucchini half with ¼ cup freshly shredded mozzarella cheese over the pizza sauce.2 cups freshly shredded mozzarella cheese, ⅔ cup sliced mini pepperoni
- Arrange 14-16 slices of mini pepperoni over the mozzarella cheese layer. Bake for 7-10 minutes or until the cheese is melted. Turn on the broiler and broil for another 2-3 minutes until the cheese is slightly charred. Allow the pizza boats to rest a few minutes before serving.
- Garnish with fresh basil and parmesan cheese.fresh basil, Parmesan cheese
Notes
Storage:
These are best eaten the day they're made, zucchini continues to soften the longer it sits, so I usually make them when I know they'll be finished that night. If you do have leftovers, store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Freezing isn't recommended here; they just don't hold up well.
Tips:
- Keep the prebake to 5 minutes, not 10. A longer prebake sounds like it would help, but testing proved otherwise, 10 minutes left the zucchini mushy by the time it went through the filling, second bake, and broiler. Five minutes softens it just enough while keeping it sturdy enough to hold its shape.
- Blot before the prebake and again right after. Zucchini releases a surprising amount of water as it bakes. That second round of blotting right when it comes out of the oven is what separates a firm, sturdy boat from a watery one.
- Season the zucchini itself, not just the toppings. Salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning go directly on the zucchini before anything else. If you rely on the toppings alone to carry the flavor, you'll taste the difference.
- Finish under the broiler. Baking melts the cheese, but a couple of minutes under the broiler is what gives you those browned, bubbly spots that make these taste like they came from a real pizzeria. Stay close, it goes from perfectly golden to overdone in a matter of seconds.
- Cut even halves. Try to slice your zucchini into halves that are similar in size and thickness so everything finishes cooking at the same time.
Nutrition
Calories: 178kcal | Carbohydrates: 5g | Protein: 10g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 31mg | Sodium: 732mg | Potassium: 378mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 490IU | Vitamin C: 19mg | Calcium: 167mg | Iron: 1mg
