Herb Garden Zucchini Pizza Recipe

Last week, I wrote all about our beautiful, flourishing herb garden. Over the next 2 days, it poured down rain, our big basil plant got overwatered, and now it’s sort of falling over on itself. It’s a good thing we planted two! It’s also a good thing that we’re not farmers because we can barely keep a few deck plants alive ?

We went to the farmers market last to get produce from ACTUAL farmers on Saturday, and I brought home these cute mini zucchini and tiny pattypan squashes. It inspired me to make a big green pizza to go along with our surviving herbs from basil plant #2 and lots of fragrant fresh thyme.

This pizza isn’t complicated to make, but I prepared the squash two ways, which creates a unique mix of flavors and textures on this otherwise very simple pesto pizza. First, I roasted the pattypan squash in the oven on top of the crust and the cheese. Then I peeled the mini zucchini with a vegetable peeler and marinated the thin strips in a bit of olive oil, lemon juice, salt, pepper, and fresh thyme.

The raw marinated zucchini goes on top of the cooked pizza along with lots of fresh basil, fresh thyme, generous scoops of pesto, and a healthy drizzle of olive oil. It’s a fun one to make and assemble because it’s so green and pretty! It’s delicious too – serve it with extra pesto on the side for scooping!

Herb Garden Zucchini Pizza

 

• 1 pound fresh pizza dough*
• 4 tiny pattypan squash, or 2 medium, cut into 1-inch pieces
• Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling and brushing
• ½ garlic clove, minced
• 1 (8-ounce) ball fresh mozzarella, not packed in water
• 8 tiny zucchini peeled into strips, or 1 medium sliced into paper-thin coins
• 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
• Leaves of 4 sprigs fresh thyme, divided
• ⅓ cup fresh pesto (recipe below)
• ½ cup fresh basil
• Red pepper flakes
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

1. Preheat the oven to 450°F.
2. Stretch the pizza dough onto a 14-inch pizza pan and par-bake the crust for 3 minutes.
3. In a small bowl, toss the pattypan squash with a drizzle of olive oil, the minced garlic, and pinches of salt and pepper.
4. Remove the dough from the oven, brush with some olive oil and sprinkle with a few pinches of salt. Spread torn pieces of mozzarella and the pattypan squash pieces evenly around the crust. Bake for 12 minutes, or until the edges of the crust are golden brown.
5. Meanwhile (re-using the same bowl from above) toss the zucchini strips with a drizzle of olive oil, the lemon juice, leaves from 1 sprig of fresh thyme, and pinches of salt and pepper. Set aside to marinate.
6. Remove the pizza from the oven and top with the remaining fresh thyme, the marinated raw zucchini, dollops of fresh pesto, and the basil. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with red pepper flakes. Serve with extra pesto on the side.

*Note: I like the multi-grain dough from Whole Foods

Pesto
½ cup pepitas
1 small garlic clove
¼ teaspoon sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 cups fresh basil
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil

In a small food processor, combine the pepitas, garlic, salt, and pepper and pulse until combined. Add the lemon juice and basil and pulse again. With the blade running, drizzle in the olive oil.

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