The Best Zucchini Gluten-Free Crust Pizza

The Best Zucchini Gluten-Free Crust Pizza

Move over whole wheat, move over cauliflower, the best zucchini crust pizza is here! I am obsessed with using zucchini in almost everything these days and a lot of my recipes like this one are inspired by one of my favorite food bloggers, Ambitious Kitchen.

The reason I like using zucchini more than cauliflower is because I think it is easier and quicker. You need to cook the cauliflower first but you don’t need to do that with zucchini. Cauliflower crust also requires flipping in the oven in order to actually get semi-crispy and not be soggy- here you don’t have to worry about that.

For those of you that are new veggie crusts, I will warn you that no crust will ever be super crispy or hard like one made from flour- you are talking about vegetables here which are made up of mostly water, so just keep that in mind. But in all honesty, I truly don’t mind because once you add all the delicious toppings, you will hardly notice the taste and you’re being that much healthier!

One more reason that I like zucchini over cauliflower is because cauliflower can make people gassy. It contains raffinose which our stomachs and small intestines can’t digest and so then it enters into our large intestine. Our large intestine breaks it down through fermentation- which is where the bloating and gas come in.

Okay, now that we know why I love it so much, let’s make zucchini crust pizza! You can alter the toppings however you like but these are how I like to make my pizza! ALSO, and this is a big one- please pay attention to the instructions of when I add the tomato sauce, it is very important to keeping your pizza from getting soggy.

*This recipe makes 2 medium to large pizzas
It make seem like a lot of steps but I’m just being very detailed and have a lot of toppings, don’t get discouraged =))

Ingredients

Crust

Zucchini (2 medium)
Eggs (2)
Almond Meal (3/4 Cup)
Salt and Pepper
Oregano
Mozzarella Cheese (1/4 cup)

Toppings

Pepperoni (1/4 cup)
Shredded Mozzarella (1/3 cup)
Buffalo Mozzarella (about 12 small pieces, I buy slices and then cut them in quarts)
Kalamata Olives (1/4 cup)
Cherry Tomatoes (1/2 cup)
Red Onion (1/4 cup)
Artichokes (Jarred or canned, 6 then cut into smaller pieces)
Arugula (handful)
Spinach (handful)
Ricotta Cheese (1/3 cup)
Tomato Sauce (canned, unsalted, 1/2 cup)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400F and line 2 pizza pans or baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. Shred the Zucchini on box grater. Then take the zucchini either in your hand or in a thin cloth (like a cheese cloth) and squeeze out any excess liquid. Do this well, the more you can squeeze out the better.
3. Add in the almond flour, salt, pepper and oregano to the zucchini.
4. Put 2 eggs in a bowl and lightly beat with a fork.
5. Pour the eggs into the zucchini, almond flour, salt, pepper and oregano and mix well with a fork.
6. Then add in the shredded mozzarella and mix well.
7. Put the “dough” onto the pans and spread out with your hands. You should have 2 large “pizzas”.
8. Bake at 400F for 15 minutes on a low rack.
   
9. While the dough is cooking, heat up your tomato sauce on a pan and add in salt, pepper and oregano. You want the sauce to be warm. Set aside.
   
10. After the 15 minutes, the crust should be looking crispy on the edges.
11. Take out of the oven and cover with your toppings EXCLUDING the tomato sauce, ricotta, arugula, spinach and buffalo mozzarella.
12. Put back in the over on a middle rack and bake for another 10 minutes.
13. Now add the buffalo mozzarella and bake for another 5 minutes. (Buffalo mozz can get watery once it starts melting and we don’t want that.)
14. Next Broil the pizza on LOW for 3 minutes.
15. Add the spinach and arugula over the pizza once it is done but still in oven and leave inside with oven turned off for about a minute (while you prepare the plates or call the family to the table). You don’t want the greens cooked, just warmed up.
16. Once you have taken it out of the oven, add spoonfuls of the sauce all over the pizza. Do the same with the ricotta cheese.

Enjoy!!