Zucchini Ribbon Pizza made with Food 52’s pizza crust. So incredibly delicious! I promise you, if you like zucchini and summer squash, you will love this pizza. Hope you try it!
When quarantine first started back in March and April, I was baking this pizza like every other week. It does take some time and planning so you just have to make the time and do it. I find that preparing the dough at night, a couple of hours before bed time works best. You make the dough. Let it sit and then place it into the fridge overnight.
The next day, 3 hours before you want to bake it, you need to pull it out of the fridge and turning out the dough into a prepared cast iron skillet (works best!) and dimpling and pressing into the dough. The dough then needs to rest again for 2 hours so if you do all of this in the morning, you can have this delicious pizza for lunch. Believe me. It’s worth it.
Zucchini Ribbon Pizza
I’ve made this pizza with pesto, instead of pizza sauce, and added shaved asparagus. It was incredible. Since it’s summer, this Zucchini Ribbon Pizza needed to happen. And while you’re at it, make this Shaved Zucchini Salad with the leftover zucchini.
Hope you try this pizza!
Zucchini Ribbon Pizza
Equipment
- cast iron skillet (recommended)
Ingredients
- pizza dough from Food 52's recipe
- 1 1/4 cups low-moisture mozzarella grated
- 1/2 cup basil pesto
- handful zucchini and yellow summer squash ribbons shaved using a vegetable peeler
- Freshly grated parmesan cheese for sprinkling on top after baking, optional
Instructions
- To make the pizza dough, follow the recipe from Food 52 (linked above).
- About 30 minutes before baking, place one rack at the bottom of the oven and one toward the top (about 4 to 5 inches from the top heating element). Pre-heat the oven to 450°F.
- When you’re ready to bake the pizza, sprinkle about three-quarters of the mozzarella (about 1 cup) evenly over the pizza dough. "Cover the entire crust, no bare dough showing—this will yield caramelized edges."
- Dollop small spoonfuls of the basil pesto over the cheese (don't spread it!). I did about 6 dollops total (5 in a circle and 1 in the center). Then sprinkle on the remaining mozzarella over the basil pesto dollops. Gently place the zucchini and yellow summer squash ribbons over the top, arranging them however you'd like. Be careful not to pile on too much.
- Bake the pizza on the bottom rack of the oven for 18 to 20 minutes, until the cheese is bubbling and the bottom and edges of the crust are a rich golden brown.
- "Remove the pizza from the oven and place the pan on a heatproof surface. Carefully run a table knife or spatula between the edge of the pizza and side of the pan to prevent the cheese from sticking as it cools. Let the pizza cool very briefly, then as soon as you feel comfortable doing so, carefully transfer it from the pan to a cooling rack or cutting surface. This will prevent the crust from becoming soggy."
- Garnish with freshly grated parmesan cheese if desired. Use kitchen shears to cut the pizza into slices, enjoy!
