Zucchini Pizza Boats

Do you like pizza?  Of course you do.  So do I.  And while I could probably eat a traditional pizza everyday of the week, sometimes it's nice to mix things up a bit.  Not by foregoing pizza mind you, but by playing around with what a pizza can be.

So let's give Zucchini Pizza Boats a try!

I'll fully admit that this isn't for everyone, but I do recommend you give it a try at least once because you may be surprised at how tasty they are.  And if you have kids or a significant other who is less than prone to eat veggies, this is exactly the gateway dish you need to get them onboard.

On top of that, they are insanely easy to make.  Much easier (and quicker) than making pizza from scratch.  In fact, you could prep and bake these bad boys up in less time than it takes for delivery of an overpriced pizza from your local parlor.

Zucchini Pizza Boats Recipe:

Preparation Time: 5 minutes

Cooking Time: 12-20 minutes

Yield: 4 boats (2 servings)

Ingredients:

• 1 zucchini
• Pizza sauce
• Cheese (optional and any you'd normally put on a pizza)
• Toppings (optional and whatever you prefer)
• Seasonings (optional and whatever you prefer)*

* I have no paid sponsors and if I did, I'd make sure to disclose that.  That being said, I cannot make a pizza of any kind (even frozen) these days without topping it with some of Penzeys' Pizza Seasoning.  I haven't cracked the recipe just yet (and if I do, I will amend this), but it is made with salt, fennel seed, Turkish oregano, sugar, garlic, Tellicherry black pepper, sweet basil, onion, crushed red pepper, and cayenne red pepper.

Directions:

1. Pre-heat oven at 400°F.
2. Cut your zucchini length-wise and in half, creating four boats.
3. Use a spoon or ice cream scoop to carve out a "pool" the inside of the boats.
   Note: You should leave a little bit of "wall" between your pool and the edge of the cut edge of the boat so that sauce does not spill out.
4. Fill the pool with pizza sauce.
5. Add whatever toppings, cheese, and seasoning you'd like.
6. Bake for 12 to 20 minutes.  The cooking time will depend on the size of the zucchini.  Generally speaking, you want the zucchini edges to brown only slightly at most and your cheese (should you add some) will melt like it would on a regular pizza.
7. Enjoy!

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Seriously, that's all it takes for a healthy and tasty pizza treat.  I cannot stress enough how good these are.  Again, even if you or those you are cooking for are normally not into vegetables, this is probably the exception to the rule.  For the purposes of this recipe I've stated that two boats equals a serving, but I could easily kill a half dozen of these on my own in one sitting because they are just that damn good.

Of course, they are just as many variations one could make of these as you would a traditional pizza.  And I'm not just talking about toppings.  Instead of pizza sauce, you could use scrambled eggs, top with bacon bits and pieces of ham and make a breakfast zucchini pizza boat.  Or maybe fill the pool with hummus for more of a Mediterranean kick.  Hit me up in the comments with your own take on this!