Zucchini Crust Pizza

Yeast has become a super-rare commodity in US during this Quarantine period. Apparently, the whole country is baking now 😀 But how could we not eat Pizza until the lockdown is over?? We cannot even make one without yeast. That’s when I came across this recipe in The Recipe Critic. Oh my!! The taste was delicious and it’s a low-carb option too 😀 Win-win!!

I wasn’t sure about the taste or the texture as I was trying it for the first time. But it turned out perfect. I made a few changes to the original recipe. The crust is super-thin and crispy. It would make a perfect Friday/Saturday dinner. You can even surprise the guests with this special Pizza! See notes for egg substitutions. Let’s see how to make it

Ingredients

Makes: 1 12-inch pizza

Prep time: 10 mins Cook time: 30 mins

For Zucchini Crust

Grated Zucchini	2.5 cups
Eggs	2
All-purpose/Wheat flour	1/4 cup
Shredded Mozzarella cheese	1/2 cup
Shredded Parmesan cheese	1/4 cup
Salt	1 tsp
Olive oil for brushing	1 tbsp

For the topping

Pizza/Pasta sauce	3/4 cup
Shredded Mozzarella cheese	1 cup
Mushrooms	2 tbsp
Bell peppers	2 tbsp
Pickled Jalapenos	2 tsp
Red onions	3 tbsp
Chopped Pineapple	2 tsp
Olives	1 tsp

Method

• Pre-heat oven at 450F.

• Wash and chop the ends of the Zucchini and grate them. You don’t have to peel the skin.

• Squeeze out as much liquid as you can from the grated zucchini. This step is very important because zucchini being a squash holds a lot of water and it has to completely squeezed out before making the crust. I tied the grated zucchini in a cheese cloth and squeezed out the water.
• It might look like the volume has gone down completely after wringing out the water. But don’t worry, that is exactly what we need!
• In a mixing bowl, add the eggs and beat them lightly. Then add the zucchini, flour, salt, mozzarella and parmesan cheese. Mix everything together.

• Apply olive oil generously on a 12-inch pizza pan(You can also use parchment paper at the bottom, but sticks to the pizza sometimes. So I have used olive oil to the pan). Now, spread the zucchini mixture on to the pizza pan. Spread them as thinly as possible with.out leaving any gaps

• Bake the zucchini crust in the oven for about 14 minutes. Check once after 12 minutes to avoid burning. Remove it from the oven.

• Meanwhile, chop the veggies and keep them ready. You can also coat the veggies in olive oil for crispiness.

• Reduce the oven temperature to 400F. Spread the pizza sauce on the crust and add the cheese. Then add the chopped veggies on top.

• Bake them for 13-15 minutes until the cheese has melted and the veggies are browned.
• Your yeast-free Zucchini crust pizza is ready to feast on!!Slice and enjoy hot:-D

Notes: For an Egg-less version, substitute the eggs with 1/4 cup flour and 2 tbsp butter. Don’t skip without adding any substitutions. Egg is used as a binding agent to hold the crust. So use the egg substitute in it’s place.