Enjoy these low-carb zucchini pizza bites in 15 minutes. Great as a party snack, appetizer, or light lunch - this combination of baked zucchini with your favorite toppings makes for a tasty and nutritious dish! Plus this recipe is gluten-free, keto, and can be made dairy-free and vegan too!
Extra toppings (optional) - for more ideas, check the blogpost:
herbs and spices(parsley, basil, oregano, etc)
seeds and nuts
vegetables(peppers, onion, etc)
protein (ham, tofu, BBQ jackfruit)
Instructions
Cut the zucchini into slices around 1/4-inch in thickness. For all even sizes then use a mandoline.You can optionally salt the zucchini before baking, to get rid of excess moisture, for more 'firm' results. After slicing the zucchini, liberally salt the slices and leave them to rest for thirty minutes. Once ready, dry with a kitchen towel (which will also lift lots of the salt), and continue with the recipe.
Arrange the zucchini slices on a parchment paper-lined baking tray, leaving a small 1cm or so between each slice. Avoid any slices overlapping.
Add a little tomato paste (or marinara/tomato sauce) to each zucchini slice. and spread slightly (not all the way to the edge).
Add your cheese of choice - I also sprinkled it with some Italian seasoning. You can then add whatever other toppings you'd like (check above for suggestions).
Bake in the oven at 200ºC/400ºF for 10 minutes.For bubbling, crispy, brown cheese/toppings then broil (grill) the mini pizzas for a few minutes at the end of the oven time.
To Make Ahead & Store
Make ahead: you can prepare these mini zucchini pizzas up to a day before cooking them and keep them covered in the refrigerator until you're ready to transfer them to the oven.To store: store the baked zucchini pizza bites, covered, in the refrigerator for 2-4 days (based on the toppings used). I don't recommend freezing them, as the zucchini can change the texture and become mushy.To reheat: place them back in the oven or under the broiler (grill in the UK) until warmed through.
Video
Notes
When choosing your zucchini, smaller ones usually contain less water, so it shouldn't require salting.
For larger zucchini pizzas, slice the squash lengthwise instead of into small disks.
For even slices (thus even cooking times), you could use a mandoline.
To cook these in an air fryer:I don't own one, so these instructions may need slight tweaking, but I suggest heating at 350ºF/180ºC. Cook the zucchini for 3-5 minutes, then add the toppings and cook for a further 3-4 minutes, until bubbling and browned.
The texture of the cooked zucchiniwill depend on; how thick you cut the slices if you salt them, and how long you bake them - if you prefer less 'soggy' results, then follow the tip on salting the zucchini and bake them for less time, increasing the broiling time slightly instead. For super firm results, you can omit baking entirely and simply broil or grill (in a pan) the zucchini bites for a few minutes on each side.
You can control the number of calories, fat, and carbs used for these zucchini pizza bites by your choice of toppings and how much of each is used.
Check the blog post for tons of pizza 'topping' suggestions!