Zucchini pizza boats
Zucchini halves loaded like little pizzas with marinara, bubbling mozzarella and parmesan, ready in about half an hour.
- 35 min total
- 10 min hands-on
- Anyone can make this
- Serves 2
- About $2.96 a serving
- 390 calories
- Vegetarian
- Gluten-free
Dolly says: Most of the time here is hands-off, so you can sit down while it cooks.
Ingredients
For 2 servings.
- 3 zucchini, medium
- ¾ cup marinara sauce
- 1¼ cups shredded mozzarella
- ¼ cup grated parmesan
- ½ can black olives, sliced (optional)
- 4 sprigs fresh basil, leaves torn (optional)
From your pantry
- 1 tsp olive oil
- ¼ tsp salt
- ½ tsp Italian seasoning
- 1 pinch red pepper flakes (optional)
Each serving has about 390 calories, 26 g protein, 22 g carbs and 22 g fat, and costs about $2.96 at typical US grocery prices. Both are estimates from what the recipe uses.
Missing something?
- No zucchini? Yellow squash works.
- No shredded mozzarella? Provolone slices work.
- No grated parmesan? Parmesan wedge works.
Steps
Tap an underlined word for a quick explanation.
the oven to 425°F. the zucchini and scoop a shallow trench down the middle of each with a spoon.
Preheat. Preheating means turning the oven on before you start, so it’s fully hot when the food goes in. Food that starts in a cold oven cooks unevenly and doesn’t brown the same.
How you’ll know: The oven beeps or its light clicks off, usually 10 to 15 minutes after you turn it on.
Halve. Halving means cutting something into two equal pieces. Even halves cook at the same speed, so one doesn’t dry out while the other finishes.
How you’ll know: The two pieces look like mirror images of each other.
Lengthwise. Lengthwise means cutting along the long side, from stem to tip, which gives long pieces. Crosswise is the other way, straight across the middle, which gives short, round ones.
How you’ll know: Lengthwise halves of a zucchini look like two little canoes; crosswise pieces look like coins.
Set them cut side up on a , brush with the oil, sprinkle with the salt and for 10 minutes.
Sheet pan. A sheet pan is a flat metal baking tray with a low rim all the way around. The rim catches juices, and the wide surface lets food spread out and brown.
How you’ll know: Everything fits in one layer with a little space between the pieces.
Bake. Baking means cooking in the oven with dry heat all around the food. It cooks evenly from every side, so you can mostly leave it alone.
How you’ll know: It’s golden on top and passes the recipe’s check, like a clean toothpick or the right temperature.
Timer: 10 min
Dolly’s tip: This first bake softens the zucchini so it’s tender by the time the cheese browns.Blot any water that has pooled in the zucchini with a paper towel. Spoon the marinara into the trenches.
Top with the mozzarella, parmesan, Italian seasoning and olives.
until the cheese is bubbling with spots and a fork slides easily into the zucchini, 10 to 12 minutes.
Bake. Baking means cooking in the oven with dry heat all around the food. It cooks evenly from every side, so you can mostly leave it alone.
How you’ll know: It’s golden on top and passes the recipe’s check, like a clean toothpick or the right temperature.
Golden brown. Golden brown is the color of good toast, somewhere between yellow and light brown. It means the outside is cooked and crisp but not burnt.
How you’ll know: It looks like toast and smells toasty; dark brown with a bitter smell means it went too far.
Timer: 11 min
Scatter the basil and pepper flakes over and serve three halves each.
Plan this in Dollop, and get the grocery list
Dollop puts this dinner on a night that suits your week, lists only what you still need to buy, and walks you through each step while you cook.
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Vegetarian dinners ›Beginner dinners ›What to make with parmesan and shredded mozzarella ›What to make with zucchini and parmesan ›