I have been captivated with the Pinterest craze of zucchini pizza boats for some time now. But, here’s the thing, they sounded like a lot of effort and like I might just rather eat pizza. I’m sure I’ll try them at some point and prove my assumptions wrong like with the sweet potato boats, BUT today my combination of laziness + skepticism produced a much easier alternative: zucchini pizza poppers.
They take 5 minutes of prep, 5 ingredients, and 15 minutes in the oven. Other recipes call for mozzarella and pizza sauce. I’m sure they’re great, but I was looking for something I could make with ingredients I already had on hand so I didn’t have to go to the store. Enter: your new best friend to combat pizza cravings, health inclinations, and inertia.
Ingredients:
(Serves 2 as a snack)
- 1 large zucchini, sliced in 1/4 inch circles
- 1/2 cup preferred marinara sauce (I used Rao‘s)
- 1/2 cup parmesan cheese, shredded
- Canola oil for spray
- Salt
Directions:
- Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil, and lightly oil. Put your zucchini slices on the sheet and sprinkle with salt. Preheat oven to 375F.
- Top each slice with one spoonful of tomato sauce and a sprinkle of cheese. Bake for 15 minutes and enjoy hot!
- I went for easy and what I had on hand BUT if you’re feeling adventurous throw on some pepperoni, sausage, black olives, tomato— whatever your go to pizza toppings are!
Notes:
On my sauce: I buy my Rao’s from Costco! This tomato sauce is pricy, but it’s so slow on sugar and truly tastes homemade. And… even better… you can get a 2 pack at Costco for what you’d pay for a one pack elsewhere!
On using pizza sauce: It is going to yield slightly less watery poppers. pasta sauce tends to be thinner. It doesn’t bother me at all, but if you’re looking for an authentic sauce (picture a chefs kiss and Italian accent saying that), pizza sauce may be your best bet. That being said, this recipe is for those of us who CANNOT DEAL WITH ANOTHER STORE RUN, in which case unless you hoard pizza sauce, the pasta sauce in your cupboard may be best.
What am I listening to as I make this? “Dying Breed” by the Killers
What can I learn while I make this? Though zucchini are a type of squash, yellow zucchini are NOT the same as yellow squash. The tell? Zucchini are straight from end to end, whereas squash have that tapered, usually crooked neck.
What if I want a recipe with zucchini but not this one? You’re in luck, this recipe was a part of Zucchini week! Check out the options below-
Honey Ricotta Zucchini Bites
An easy and unexpected appetizer that will have you questioning why you haven’t tried the zucchini, ricotta, honey combo sooner!
CK’s Brown Sugar Dusted Zucchini Bread
I know banana bread has been the quarantine trend, but summer is zucchini season so time for a new loaf!
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