A simple savory pizza featuring lots of thinly sliced zucchini, scallions, pesto, and mozzarella layered on pizza dough and baked until golden and bubbly. This is the ideal summer dinner when squash is plentiful!
This zucchini pizza is inspired by the pizza al taglio shops I visited in Rome, where the dough is baked in large trays and cut into square slices. During my trip, I came back with an appreciation for simple, fresh ingredients: good-quality produce and fresh dough baked until deliciously browned.
Sweet zucchini, salty cheese, and dollops of bright pesto come together on this fun, summery pizza. It’s great on its own, but made even better by a topping of anchovies, chili crisp, or even capers.
👩🏽🍳 Recipe Lowdown
key details before we dive into the cooking!
- Basil pesto: A layer of pesto (homemade or store-bought!) adds complex flavor to this pizza without extra hassle!
- Store-bought dough: Though you can always make your own pizza dough, store-bought keeps things easy!
- All you need is six ingredients to bring this together.
Ingredient Notes
Pizza Dough: I tested the recipe with white and whole-wheat store-bought pizza dough, and both were great! Or, make your own dough using Roberta’s pizza recipe (beginner-friendly!) cold-fermented pizza dough. Just make sure you have 700g of dough.
TIP: Whole-wheat dough will brown more quickly, so keep an eye out. You can always move the pan to the upper rack to reduce browning on the underside of the pizza.
Zucchini: I call for two medium zucchini (or three smaller ones), as larger squash can often be too fibrous and watery. Summer squash would be great here too.
Mozzarella: To limit excess moisture, look for part-skim mozzarella, a drier variety with a salty flavor that will balance out the zucchini’s sweetness.
For a full list of ingredients and their quantities, please refer to the recipe card.
How to Make This Recipe
Step 1 – Remove the pizza dough from the fridge and transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet coated with oil.
As the dough comes to room temperature, gently stretch until it evenly coats the pan.
Step 2 – Meanwhile, thinly slice zucchini and scallions, and toss with oil and seasonings. Layer the pizza with most of the pesto, then top with the zucchini and scallions.
Bake in the oven until the crust is very lightly browned and the zucchini is cooked. Add the mozzarella, and bake until bubbly.
TIP: The cheese cooks very quickly, so we add it halfway through the cooking process so that it doesn’t get too browned!
Step 3 – Remove from the oven, cool for a few minutes, then cut into slices and enjoy.
Recipe FAQs
Yes! This recipe can easily be halved and baked on a 9-inch by 13-inch sheet pan.
Thinly slicing the zucchini will allow for even cooking and moisture evaporation. Salting the zucchini beforehand also draws out any excess water!
Unless your pan is completely non-stick, I recommend using a sheet of parchment paper underneath for a mess-free situation!
Did you try this recipe?
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Zucchini Pizza with Basil Pesto
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
- 700 grams pizza dough, store-bought or homemade
- 2 medium zucchini
- 2 large scallions
- Salt and black pepper
- ¼ cup basil pesto, store-bought or homemade, divided, plus more if desired
- 8 ounces part-skim mozzarella cheese, grated or cubed into ½-inch pieces
Optional Toppings:
- Anchovies, capers, or chili oil
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 450℉, and set racks in the bottom and upper thirds of the oven.Line a large (18-inch) sheet pan with a layer of parchment paper and coat with 1 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil. Add 700 grams pizza dough to the pan, and toss to coat in the oil. Gently stretch the dough toward the edges of the pan. If it springs back, let it rest for 5 – 10 minutes, then stretch again. Repeat as needed over about 30 minutes, until the dough reaches the edges of the pan.
- Meanwhile, halve and thinly slice 2 medium zucchini into half moons. Thinly slice 2 large scallions. Transfer to a large bowl, toss with 1 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, and season with Salt and black pepper.
- Spread 3 tablespoons pesto evenly over the dough. Arrange the zucchini and scallions over the pesto in overlapping rows or circles, leaving behind any liquid that has accumulated in the bowl. Drizzle with the remaining 1 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil.
- Bake on the bottom-third rack of the oven for 15 – 20 minutes, or until the dough has set and is very lightly golden brown on the bottom. Remove the pan from the oven, top with 8 ounces part-skim mozzarella cheese (grated or cubed), and bake for an additional 5 – 10 minutes until golden.
- Remove from the oven, and dollop with the remaining 1 tablespoon pesto (plus more if desired). If desired, top with anchovies, capers, or chili oil. Cool for 5 – 10 minutes before slicing and serving.
Notes
Nutrition
The nutritional information on this website is only an estimate and is provided for convenience and as a courtesy only. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
