Summer Squash Pizza Crust

This recipe came from my friend and neighbor, Gay Marie. It is a fantastic recipe. My kids loved it and was a great use of an extremely overgrown zucchini. Everyone wins.


Here is the "dough" before being cooked.




Then you free form it into pizza shapes! I made two smaller ones. Next time I am going to make 4 personal sized pizzas. It will be easier to handle.




After it has been baked, but before the toppings.

Add your favorite toppings and cook a little longer.



I made mine with pesto and the kids with a traditional pizza sauce. Too good. Thank you Gay Marie for this awesome recipe.

INGREDIENTS
4 cups finely shredded zucchini or yellow summer squash
3/4 cup all-purpose flour (gluten-free is good)
3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 tablespoons fresh oregano, chopped
salt to taste

DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Once zucchini or summer squash has been shredded (I recommend a food processor) lightly salt the squash and transfer it to a strainer. Let stand 15 to 30 minutes and press all remaining liquid out of squash—very important to get out as much water as possible.

3. In a medium-sized mixing bowl, combine squash, flour, Parmesan cheese, mozzarella cheese, eggs, pepper and salt. Mix well.

4. Spread the mixture into a greased and floured jelly roll pan and sprinkle with oregano. Bake for 25 minutes in the preheated oven.

5. Remove the crust from the oven and change the oven's temperature to broil. Brush the top of the crust with oil, and then broil the crust for 3 to 5 minutes until the top is lightly browned.

6. Allow the crust to cool slightly and slide spatula underneath all edges and under the middle. Place a large baking sheet over the top of the crust and gently flip the crust over so that the bottom of the crust is now facing upwards. Because it can be difficult to flip the crust smoothly, it may be necessary to cut the crust in half to facilitate the flipping of the crust. If you want to omit the flipping stage, that is okay, but the crust won't be as crunchy.

7. Brush the top of the crust with oil and broil for another 3 to 5 minutes until the top is browned. Cover with toppings as desired.

FOOTNOTES

This will be a non-traditional crust, as it will be somewhat soft. Depending on your toppings, you may need to bake it at 400 degrees F (200 degrees C) for a few more minutes to heat toppings and further reduce sogginess.

Smother this crust with your favorite pizza toppings: tomato sauce or pesto, goat cheese, pine nuts or vegetables galore! Enjoy and be creative! Try sprinkling feta cheese or adding artichoke hearts for a Mediterranean flair.

This post part of Food Renegade's Fight Back Friday,

and the Make it From Scratch Blog Carnival hosted by blog: It's Frugal Being Green.