Homemade Zucchini Pizzas for the Whole Family

Easy and delicious way to get your baby/toddler to try and enjoy zucchini. These homemade zucchini pizzas are cheesy and healthy and a perfect lunch, dinner or snack.

Pizza is usually a kid's favorite meal.

I've already made homemade pizza and since it really was a hit in our household I recently shared this recipe with you.

But I've also tried to find the ways to make meals that taste similar to pizza but are more nutritious just to expand our family menu.

So while doing some research I stumbled upon a great idea – homemade zucchini pizzas.

There are a lot of different Zucchini Pizza versions out there so I've actually tried a kind of Mediterranean version for us.

It was so delicious that we agreed that it will become a regular on our family menu. So here is our Creative Nourish take on the Zucchini Pizza.

Nutrition And Ingredients

Zucchini

• When preparing zucchini, I remove about ½ inch (1 cm) from each end of the zucchini and then cut into circles which are about ½ inch (1 cm) thick. And I always leave the skin on since it contains the most nutrients. But I do tend to buy organic zucchini because of that. If you will be serving to babies under the age of 9 months, I'd advise that you do remove the skin because their digestive systems might not be able to digest the fiber yet

• Excellent source of vitamin C and manganese and a very good source of dietary fiber, potassium, folate and copper

Shredded Mozzarella

• You can really use any kind of shredded cheese of choice here. I prefer to use shredded mozzarella cheese just because I find it healthier than other shredded cheese versions like pizza cheese, cheddar or gouda. We also sometimes use goat's cheese.

• It’s a great source of fat, protein, calcium and calories

Tomato Sauce

• Use canned or homemade

• Tomatoes are a great source of vitamins C and K as well as a specific nutrient called lycopene. Lycopene is an antioxidant which can be beneficial to the cardiovascular system

Olive Oil

• When cooking, I always use extra virgin olive oil that I buy from a friend in Croatia. So I really know the origin of the olives and olive oil and can be sure that I am using the best possible quality oil

• Olive oil is a great source of calories and "healthy" fats which can protect the cardio-vascular system

Onion

• You can use a classic medium-sized onion here. I used a red onion, but any onion works.

• Onions are a very good source of manganese and vitamin C as well as chromium

Garlic

• Garlic has great antimicrobial properties but to really make sure you get the most benefit out of it you need to cut it and leave for at least 5 minutes so that the enzymes do their magic and activate the substances

Spices

• I like to use dried basil and oregano in this sauce. Firstly because I don't have fresh available at all times and secondly because the aroma and taste is not as intense for babies and toddlers

• Although it is used in small amounts, they do provide some amounts of vitamin K and some antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties

How To Make

Prepare for baking. Preheat the oven to 200°C / 390°C. Line a baking sheet with baking paper.

Prepare the veggies. Wash the zucchinis (and peel if you want to) and cut into about 15 pieces that are around ½ inch (1 cm) thick. Place them on the baking paper. Peel and slice the onion into tiny pieces. Peel and slice the garlic cloves into tiny pieces.

Make the sauce. Put the olive oil into a pot or pan and heat over medium heat. Add the onions and garlic to the pot/pan and let cook for a few minutes. Pour the tomatoes and add the spices, date syrup, basil and oregano. Cook for about 5 minutes.

Bake the zucchini pizzas. Transfer the tomato mixture onto the zucchinis with a teaspoon and cover with shredded cheese. Bake for about 25 minutes.

Cool and serve. Allow to cool for about 10 minutes prior to serving.

Tips & Tricks For The Perfect Pizzas

• Cook over low-to-medium heat so your veggies don't burn.

• Make sure your sauce is thick enough. To prevent the tomato sauce from "falling" off the zucchini slices, you need to make sure that it is thick enough. This means that if you see while cooking that it is a bit liquidy, you need to turn up the heat and let the liquid evaporate from the sauce. Which might require a slightly longer cooking time.

• Know your baking time. The time of 25 minutes for baking the homemade zucchini pizzas might not be the ideal time for your oven. You want your zucchinis to be soft but not mushy. And you'll know this by sticking a fork in one while baking and checking it out. You also don't want your sauce and cheese to be burnt so once you see they're getting the brownish color on the edges, you know it's time to take them out of the oven.

How To Serve To Babies And Toddlers?

• We would recommend serving this to babies when then are ready for pincer grasp, so probably 9 months+, and then cut them into bite size pieces the size of pinky fingernails.

• for toddlers – serve them as small pizzas.

FAQ and Recipe Variations

Can I use a different vegetable other than zucchini? Yes, the recipe is called Zucchini Pizza but I'm pretty sure you can use another similar veggie like eggplant that will make your pizzas just as nutritious and delicious.

Can I make them dairy-free or use a different cheese?  Yep, you can use Vegan cheese or use any other type of shredded cheese. Instead of shredded mozzarella that I use you can use any kind of hard shredded cheese.

Use other spices. I love using basil and oregano with tomato sauce as I find it really gives an authentic Mediterranean taste but you can actually use any other you like.

More Like This

• Homemade Wholewheat Pizza

• Oven-baked Spanish Tortilla (Spanish Omelette)

• Zucchini Cake

• Mediterranean Summer Salad