(Recipe is by Rachael Ray and can be found on the Food Network site here.)
Step by Step Instructions:
For this easy and flavorful pizza, the following ingredients are needed: Half a medium Zucchini, Kosher Salt, Italian Seasoning, 14 ounce jar of Roasted Red Peppers, 8 ounces of smoked fresh Mozzarella (I couldn’t find smoked, but plain fresh mozzarella was perfect), Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Crushed Red Pepper Flakes, 2 Garlic Cloves minced, and one Thin Crust Pizza.
Begin by preheating the oven to 400 degrees. (A preheated oven = a happy Kelli.) I used a mandolin to thinly slice half of a zucchini and I then thinly sliced the mozzarella.
Next up the red peppers get drained and then thoroughly patted dry with a paper towel.
Place the peppers in a food processor…
…and blend them until a paste is formed.
Spread the paste onto the crust. It smells so delicious!
In a small bowl add the zucchini, garlic, olive oil, crushed red pepper flakes, dried Italian seasoning, and salt.
Combine the mixture so that the zucchini is coated with the seasonings.
Place a single layer of mozzarella across the top of the pizza. Then add the zucchini making sure that they do not overlap or the pizza will get watery.
Bake the pizza for at least 20 minutes (mine took longer) so that the cheese is melted and starting to brown and the crust is crispy.
Then slice it up and devour! This pizza makes two servings, so grab a friend and dive in. The red pepper flakes add a great spice to the pizza that helps balance the zucchini and mozzarella’s mild flavors. So good!!
Ingredients:
1 (14-ounce) jar roasted red peppers or 2 medium homemade roasted red peppers
1/2 pound smoked fresh mozzarella, sliced thin
1 thin crust packaged pizza shell, 12 inches
1/2 medium zucchini, sliced very thin into discs (think of pepperoni slices as a guideline)
2 cloves garlic, minced
A drizzle extra-virgin olive oil (about 1 tablespoon)
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
Coarse salt
Preparation Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. If you are using jarred red peppers, drain them very well and pat peppers dry with paper towels. Place peppers in a food processor and pulse-grind into a paste. Spread paste in a thin layer on a thin crust shell. Top paste with thin slices of smoked fresh mozzarella cheese.
3. Place very thinly sliced zucchini discs in a small bowl and combine with remaining ingredients. Toss discs well to evenly coat with seasonings. The zucchini discs will have a flavor similar to pepperoni. You have just made zucchinironi!
4. Arrange your zucchinironi slices around your pie: as little or as much as you like, but do not overlap slices or you pie will be wet.
5. Bake directly on oven rack or on a preheated, perforated pizza pan. Bake 10 minutes on the middle rack of preheated oven or, until cheese is bubbly and golden and edges of pizza are crisp.
**Tidbits: How to roast red peppers: To roast in your oven, preheat broiler to highest setting. Halve red peppers and rip out seeds. Place pepper halves, skin side up, on a cookie sheet. Broil peppers until the skins are completely black. Leave the oven door ajar while peppers roast to let steam escape. Place blackened peppers in a large brown paper sack and close tightly. Let peppers stand 10 minutes or until cool enough to handle. Peel skins away from red pepper flesh, and discard skins. To roast peppers on the outdoor grill, leave peppers whole and roast covered over high heat on a gas stove or close to coals. Follow above method to peel.
If your market does not carry smoked fresh mozzarella cheese, you can substitute 1 1/2 cups of shredded smoked Gouda (the yield of grating about 8 ounces of cheese).
Nutritional Information (per serving):
SERVES 2:
Calories: 379
Total Fat 10 grams
Saturated Fat: 1 grams
Protein: 37 grams
Total carbohydrates: 35 grams
Sugar: 11 grams
Fiber 4 grams
Cholesterol: 12 milligrams
Sodium: 1,292 milligrams
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