Cheesy Zucchini Pizza

I’d like to begin this post by mentioning that Jenna is a genius.

I came.

I saw.

I conquered.

I followed Jenna’s recipe pretty closely but made a few changes based on the ingredients I had on hand. These changes are shown below. To see her original pizza dough recipe, look here. To see her original cheesy zucchini pizza recipe, look here .

Dough before rising.

Dough after rising.

Use half of the prepared dough for this recipe and save or freeze the other half for later use.

My grater fits perfectly inside a cereal bowl; great for grating management.

Ricotta and garlic ready to mingle.

Fresh mozzarella and goat cheese.

Add the cheeses to the shredded and drained zucchini.

Mix by hand.

Form half of the dough onto a a cornmeal-dusted baking sheet lined with baking paper.

Top the dough with the ricotta mixture.

  Spread and season with salt and pepper if your forgot to do it earlier.

Top the pizza with the cheesy zucchini mixture.

Sprinkle with some spice.

  Bake to perfection.

Eat alone as a complete meal or…

together with something else.

Either way, this recipe is a winner!

Cheesy Zucchini Pizza

Ingredients

For 2 pizza dough

• 1 packet active dry yeast
• 1 1/3 cup warm water
• 1 tsp. sugar
• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
• 1 1/2 tsp. sea salt
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• cornmeal for dusting

For the cheese sauce

• 1 cup ricotta cheese
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• salt and pepper to taste

For the zucchini

• 2 zucchinis
• 1 ball fresh mozzarella, about 3/4 cup
• 3/4 cup soft goat cheese
• crushed red chili flakes, salt and pepper to taste

Method

1. Proof the yeast in a small bowl with the warm water and sugar. Wait 10 minutes, or until bubbly. Mix together the flours and salt.
2. Create a well in the dry ingredients and pour in the proofed yeast and olive oil. Mix well. Kneed on a floured surface for 5-8 minutes, or until elastic.
3. Put the dough in an oiled bowl and let rest in a warm place, covered with plastic wrap for 1 hour.
4. Meanwhile, prepare the sauce by mixing the ricotta and garlic. Season with salt and pepper then set aside.
5. Grate the zucchinis into a clean kitchen towel. Squeeze out any extra liquid. Add to a medium-sized bowl and mix together with the torn mozzarella and crumbled goat cheese- hands work well for mixing!Season with salt and pepper.
6. Dust a large baking sheet with cornmeal. Shape half of the pizza dough and place it on the prepared pan.
7. Spread the cheese sauce over the dough and top that with the zucchini mixture. Sprinkle with crushed red chili flakes, if desired.
8. Bake in an oven, preheated to 450 F, for 12-15 minutes or until the crust is golden and the cheese is melted. Cool slightly, cut and enjoy with a glass of wine!

Even Sebastian, the zucchini hater thought this recipe was fantastic. “Much better than frozen pizza.”

I’d have to agree whole-heartedly!

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