Painted Preppy: June 2011

This idea of grilled zucchini used as a base for pizza toppings is one of those cooking ideas that swirl around in my head, and sometimes I'm never sure if I thought of it or saw it somewhere else.

Even so, this is only a recipe in the very loosest sense of the word, because anything you like on pizza could be cooked on top of a thick slice of grilled or broiled zucchini. I'm a pepperoni girl, so of course I had to have that, but the topping options are endless here. Admittedly, this is not a pizza in the truest sense of the word, but if you'd like pizza flavors with a "crust" that's gluten-free, low-glycemic, and low-carb, this is an idea you may end up liking just as much as I did!

I used an over-sized 8-Ball zucchini to make my pizza, but any large zucchini could be used here. You may want to slice it lengthwise if it's a long zucchini. (I wouldn't use the enormous zucchinis that are mostly seeds inside.) In an earlier post I shared the types of sauce, pepperoni, and cheese I use to make South Beach Diet Friendly Flatbread Pizza. I do like the Muir Glen Organic Pizza Sauce I used in that recipe, but this time I didn't want to drive to Whole Foods, so I was pleased to discover that this sauce from my neighborhood grocer also only had 3 grams of sugar per 1/4 cup.

Cut slices of zucchini about 3/4 inch thick, then brush both sides lightly with olive oil.

Grill the zucchini slices on one side for about 7-8 minutes, or until there are some grill marks and the zucchini is starting to get tender. (If the slice has one side that's larger, grill that side first so it's the top of the pizza.) If you don't have a grill, this could definitely be cooked under the broiler.

Remove the zucchini slices from the grill and put on a cutting board with grilled side up so you can carry them into the kitchen to add the toppings.

I put about 1 T pizza sauce on the top of each zucchini slice, but the amount will depend on how big your slices of zucchini are. You can heat the sauce if you'd like, but next time I might not bother. (I think Basil Pesto or some type of white sauce would also taste great on this.)

Then put other toppings as desired on top of the sauce. I added a pinch of pizza cheese, a few slices of turkey pepperoni, and then a slight sprinkle of additional cheese. (I used to laugh when Emeril said on TV "We're really cooking here," but you can see there was no food stylist for this shot. Sorry about the messy photo, but you get the idea.)

Then put the topped pizzas back on the grill (or under the broiler) and cook for 7-8 minutes more (or probably less time for broiling.)

Remove pizza from the grill and serve hot! This pizza will be a hit with zucchini-loving adults who like pizza. I'm not sure if kids who were real picky about veggies would eat this, but I'm guessing quite a few kids would like it.