by: House of Kerrs
We had a fun little day trip out to the quaint little spot Port Perry in Scugog, Ontario this past weekend and picked up a fresh haul of fruit and veg at their lakefront farmers’ market – in-season peaches & zucchini – and among other recipes, got inspired to make a traditional Zucchini Pizza Bianca.
In Italy, Pizza Bianca (“white pizza”) is a pie made without tomato sauce and usually topped with a combo of olive oil, coarse salt, veg (tomatoes, greens, etc.) or potatoes. It’s a sister recipe to the Focaccia – which has a higher rise time due to more yeast in the dough & is therefore fluffier in appearance. You can make a simple, fresh dough, or use your favourite store-bought variety. For the sake of keeping things super simple in the Summer, we keep a stash of store-bought in our freezer, and used a portion for this recipe here.
Pizza Bianca is a great one to make ahead of having guests over and tastes dee-lish straight from the oven or at room temp. There’s no meat, so you can leave out a platter of it sliced up a while like we did for a small outdoor gathering. The combo of green and yellow zucchini makes for a pretty pie & we know it’s a crowd-pleaser – every morsel of the fresh Zucchini Pizza Bianca we made on Sunday was devoured!
Tip: slice the zucchini super thin by hand or use a spiralizer on the thickest blade setting. Slice as close to cook time as possible, as zucchini releases moisture shortly after cutting into it.
Print Recipe
Zucchini Pizza Bianca
Zucchini Pizza Bianca is a crowd-pleaser & delicious way to incorporate farm fresh veg on a pizza. Slice up in squares & serve on a platter for your family gatherings. I bet there won't be any leftover!
Prep Time10 minutes mins
Cook Time20 minutes mins
Course: Appetizer
Cuisine: Italian
Keyword: pizza, stuffed zucchini, summer recipes
Servings: 4 people
Author: House of Kerrs
Ingredients
- 1 portion fresh pizza dough
- 1/2 medium-size yellow zucchini sliced very thin into coin shapes
- 1/2 medium-size green zucchini sliced very thin into coin shapes
- red onion thinly sliced to taste (*3 cuts into the onion yielded enough for this recipe*)
- 1/4 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil for coating the baking sheet & to brush on top of the dough (*may need 1-2 tbsp more*)
- 4 cloves sauteed or fresh garlic sliced thinly or minced
- 1 tbsp thyme fresh or dried
- 1 cup mozzarella cheese grated
- 1/2 cup parmigiano reggiano cheese freshly grated
- fresh basil for garnish, 4-6 leaves
- Coarse salt & fresh ground black pepper a few pinches each
Instructions
Preheat oven to 425°F.
Coat the baking sheet pan evenly with a thin layer of olive oil. Hand-stretch or roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface with a rolling pin, then lay out on the pan. Keep hand-stretching the dough length-wise & into the corners of the pan until desired size/shape. (*if the dough was taken straight from the fridge, it could take up to 20 mins for the dough to settle nicely into the pan*).
Brush the top of the dough with a light coating of olive oil & sprinkle a few pinches of thyme evenly. Add the sliced/minced garlic, then place the zucchini slices in desired pattern on top (*I alternated between the yellow & green slices in 6 across, and 10 rows down*). Spread the sliced onion over top.
Sprinkle the tops of the zucchini/onion with pinches of salt & pepper, thyme + parmigiano cheese, then evenly spread the mozzarella on top. Bake on middle rack ~20 mins, or until cheese bubbles & the bottom of the pie is golden. Remove & let cool at least 5 mins before slicing into small squares. Garnish with fresh basil & serve on a family-style platter. Buon appetito!
Tag us if you try @House_of_Kerrs #LaCucinadiKerrs on Instagram!
Sauteed Garlic
This is optional for this recipe, but taking under 7 mins more to saute the garlic will elevate the pizza's flavour. Heat 2 tbsp of olive oil on medium in a pan. Take one whole garlic & break up the cloves. Press each one lightly with your palm against the flat, dull part of a knife to loosen the skins. Leave the skins on and add to the heated oil + a few pinches of coarse salt. Cook each side about 2-3 mins, remove & set aside. When ready to use, pinch the clove out of the skins & add to dishes whole or chopped.
Enjoy the zah sliced up as an appy or as your main meal with a side salad. We love pizza bianca any time of year, but most especially in the Summer months with farm fresh veggies in abundance. With the leftover zucchini, you could make casseroles, parmigiano dishes, frittata or a zucchini bread.
We love your feedback on trying our family recipes so comment below or tag us on Instagram @House_of_Kerrs #LaCucinadiKerrs.
Keep well, eat well,
