Gad-zukes!
When life gives you zucchinis, make zuch-izza (hot dogs optional)

At my local farmers market the other day, I was watching the stand of a farmer friend as he made the rounds. I chatted with shoppers, taking their money as if I was the farmer and silently taking credit for all the amazing produce I did not grow. One customer bought a pile of 8-ball summer squash, a type of round zucchini. “What are you going to do with them?” I asked.

“Slice them up and cover the slices with pizza toppings,” she said, “and bake them into little zucchini pizzas.”

Move over cauliflower crust pizza, I thought. In the never-ending hunt to find ways to use zucchini, this was a brilliant addition to the arsenal.

I returned home laden with zucchini, including the normal ones, long and slender like cucumbers, as well as some of my friend’s 8-balls, and a few patty pan summer squash, which are shaped like flying saucers. When I had them back in the lab, I got to experimenting.

I tried several toppings, including a traditional style pizza with red sauce, cheese and sliced hot dogs, hoping to lure the children on board. I made some with fresh tomatoes rather than red sauce. I made some “white” pizzas without any tomatoes at all, which makes zero sense this time of year, but in the spirit of research, I gave it a shot. The best combinations were the aforementioned traditional style with red sauce and cheese, as well as a BLT-inspired one – aka BLTizza — with bacon, tomatoes, a mixture of fresh onions and mayo. But everyone’s favorite was the Caprese version with tomato, mozzarella and basil, which I call Caprizza.

Before I get into the recipes, here are some general tips on preparing zucchini pizza.

It’s mandatory that you salt the zucchini after you slice it. This step, called “disgorgement,” is worth doing on all watery vegetables, like eggplant and sometimes cucumber, depending on the context, as well as zucchini and other summer squash. The salt draws water out of the plant cells and prevents the dish from becoming a soggy, watery mess.

To disgorge zucchini, slice it and sprinkle the cut sides with salt. Let sit for 20-30 minutes, and then pat the slices dry.

If you’re using round, 8-ball-style zucchini, you will be able to salt both sides of each slice. If you’re using “normal” long, tube-shaped zucchini, slice them end to end into boats, and cut a flat spot on the opposite side of each slice so it can sit flat and not roll over. These slices will then also have two cut sides to salt. If using patty pan squash, slice them through their equators and cut off the blossom and stem ends to create flat spots to similarly keep them from rolling, and these, too, will have two cut sides to salt.

As zucchini come in so many shapes and sizes, it’s impossible to give exact quantities. Use your best judgment. If it looks like pizza as you’re making it, you’re on the right track.

With these recipes in hand, you may never suffer from too many zucchini again.

Normal Pizza (aka pizza margherita)

Zucchini

Salt

Olive oil

Tomato-based spaghetti or pizza sauce

Grated parmesan or Italian blend

Sliced meat or vegetable for toppings

Slice the zucchini as appropriate, with no slice being larger than 3/4-inch, and sprinkle with salt. Wait 20-30 minutes, and pat dry.

Arrange the disgorged zucchini on a baking tray. Add a tablespoon of olive oil to each piece and spread it around. Add a few tablespoons of sauce, spread it around, and then sprinkle with cheese. Add the toppings until it looks like pizza, and bake for 20 minutes at 400.

BLTizza

Zucchini

Salt

Olive oil

Sliced tomatoes

Sliced bacon

Minced onion

Mayo

Slice the zucchini as appropriate, with no slice being larger than 3/4-inch, and sprinkle with salt. Wait 20-30 minutes, and pat dry. Mix the onions and mayo.

Arrange the disgorged zucchini on a baking tray. Add a tablespoon of olive oil to each piece and spread it around.

Add the tomato slices and then bacon slices. Bake at 400 for 20 minutes. Remove, and allow to cool.

When cool, top with the mayo onion mixture, and serve.

Caprizza

Zucchini

Salt

Olive oil

Fresh basil leaves

Fresh tomato slices

Fresh, sliced mozzarella cheese

Aged balsamic vinegar (optional)

Slice the zucchini as appropriate, with no slice being larger than 3/4-inch, and sprinkle with salt. Wait 20-30 minutes, and pat dry.

Arrange the disgorged zucchini on a baking tray. Add a tablespoon of olive oil to each piece and spread it around.

Add the basil leaves to each piece of zucchini. Cover the leaves with mozzarella slices. Lay tomato slices over the mozzarella.

Bake at 400 for 20 minutes. Remove, and allow to cool. Drizzle with balsamic vinegar, if desired, and serve.