The Best Loaded Zucchini Pizza Recipe

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with Vegan and Vegetarian squash pizza options

Today, let’s talk pizza. More to the point, let’s talk about the best loaded zucchini pizza. This melty cheesy pizza topped with roasted zucchini is deliciously decadent and comes in both a vegan and vegetarian version…because I originally made this squash pizza in a vegetarian version and later decided I needed a vegan version that would be just as good. 

This zucchini pizza is a pizza lovers idea of heaven. It’s loaded with flavours and cheesy textures (I’m practically drooling just writing about it). And it’s also really simple to make. 

For this amazing vegetarian (or vegan) pizza you only need 5 main ingredients: pizza dough, cheese, zucchini, cherry tomatoes and tomato pesto. It’s so simple to make, and a great quick weeknight dinner. Plus, it’s also great to cook with children.

So, let’s get straight to the point, because I know you want all the facts.

What’s great about The Best Loaded Zucchini Pizza recipe:

• Just about everything
• Easy and quick to make
• Requires only 5 main ingredients – pizza dough, cheese, zucchini, cherry tomatoes and tomato pesto
• Kid friendly recipe
• Vegetarian option
• Vegan option
• Amazing flavours 
• A crowd favourite 
• Great quick weeknight dinner recipe

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What kind of pizza dough should I use for this loaded zucchini pizza recipe?

You can use any type of pizza dough you prefer. From thin Italian pizza to deep pan pizza dough, everything works with this pizza topping. If you are in a rush, you can even get a ready made pizza dough and skip straight to the fun part. 

I prefer making this pizza with my favourite 15-minute pizza dough recipe when I’m in a rush…but if I have more time, I like to make my original pizza dough recipe from scratch, which has won the award many times over as the best Italian pizza dough recipe in the world (I got the recipe straight Italy, so you know it’s a good one).

Take a look at my favourite pizza dough recipes here (you will find every type of pizza dough from deep pan pizza to the best Italian pizza dough)

Vegan version – The Best Loaded Zucchini Pizza Recipe

Making a delicious vegan pizza requires a little more though, but it’s so worth it when you get it right. Getting the right pizza texture is all about choosing the right vegan cheeses. You want the vegan cheese you use to be great when it melts and mimic the texture of real cheese as closely as possible. 

To get the right cheesy flavours, it’s important to add 2-3 tablespoons nutritional yeast. It gives that depth and cheesiness that every pizza deserves. Plus, nutritional yeast actually adds lots of extra vitamins to the dish. It’s a win-win. 

The best vegan cheese for pizza

Firstly, we have Violife Grated Mozzarella – it’s pre-grated and has a wonderful mild flavour. But it down’t melt quite as well as real cheese. It’s still a good vegan shredded mozzarella option for pizza though

One of my favourites is without a doubt Miyoko’s Kitchen Fresh Vegan Mozzarella – this one is my favourite because it has a wonderful mild mozzarella flavour, it melts just right and becomes golden like real mozzarella would. 

It doesn’t shred very well, but you can rip it apart or cut it into slices. This vegan cheese option has an amazing cheese like melting property and it tastes so good

Note: if you already have your favourite vegan cheese pizza toppings, stick with those for this recipe. But still add the nutritional yeast for that extra cheesy taste.

The Best Loaded Zucchini Pizza recipe – Vegetarian version

The difference in the vegan and vegetarian version of this squash recipe all comes down to the cheese. For the vegetarian version, you can use your favourite vegetarian mozzarella cheese as topping…and if you’re feeling decadent and crave an extra hit of cheesy flavours, you can add 1/3 cup of vegetarian gorgonzola cheese sprinkled over top of the pizza right before baking. It makes the pizza extra cheesy, flavourful and decadent. 

How is this amazing loaded zucchini pizza made? It’s very straightforward. Just:

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 400F and line a baking sheet with baking paper.
• Start by rolling out the pizza dough on the lined baking sheet. Next, spread the tomato pesto evenly out over the pizza all the way to the edges. Season with nutritional yeast at this point if you’re making the vegan version.
• Cut the ends off the zucchinis and slice the zucchinis lengthwise into thin slices. Place the sliced zucchini on the pizza and season with salt and oregano. Sprinkle half of the cheese on top and place the cherry tomato halves evenly distributed over the pizza. 
• Sprinkle the rest of the cheese on top and bake the pizza in the oven for 15-20 minutes or until the pizza dough is baked and golden and crispy at the edges. Sprinkle fresh basil on top and serve. Enjoy.