Zucchini pizza bites are a low carb pizza option thanks to a zucchini “crust.” Perfect for a quick snack, fun appetizer, or even a light meal. Betcha can’t eat just one!
Recipe Overview
Why you’ll love it: Zucchini pizza bites are easy to make and fun to eat.
How long it takes: about 15 minutes
Equipment you’ll need: oven broiler, shallow rimmed baking pan
Servings: makes about 30
What’s better than pizza? Easy, low-carb pizza bites made with a slice of zucchini squash. (Well, maybe not better than pizza, but certainly a close runner-up.) Low carb and low calorie, too, with only 121 calories for five pizza bites!
My daughter is obsessed with pizza and she loves these zucchini pizza bites. The thing is, she won’t eat zucchini if I just sauté, roast, or grill it, but cover it with pizza sauce, melty cheese, and crispy pepperoni, and she’s all in.
You can have these pizza babies on the table in about fifteen minutes. They’re perfect for a quickie dinner or lunch and fairly nutritious, too, with 3 food groups represented: vegetable, dairy, and meat.
Pizza bites are a popular appetizer but don’t take my word for it. Set out a platter at the next game night you host and watch them disappear.
Why You’ll Love Zucchini Pizza Bites
- Easy To Make: These little gems are seriously easy to make. Really! And not a lot of cleanup to do either.
- Nutritious: Basically, each bite is mostly zucchini with a little extra love thrown in. Zucchini is low carb, low calorie, with fiber, antioxidants, and nutrients. You really can’t go wrong.
- Versatile: If you’re not a fan of pepperoni, go ahead and leave it off. You can top these pizzas with a different pizza topping, or leave them as cheese pizzas.
What You’ll Need
- Zucchini: This tender-skinned summer squash comes in all sizes. The larger the squash, the larger your pizzas will be. Avoid the really giant ones because the seeds tend to get a little tough if the squash is overly mature. By the way, there’s no need to peel zucchini; the dark green skin is perfectly edible and nutritious.
- Olive Oil: I use olive oil spray to lightly coat each slice. It adds flavor and helps the slices brown nicely. You can also brush olive oil on them.
- Italian Seasoning: This combination of dried herbs is used often in Italian dishes. I like to sprinkle a bit on each slice to enhance the pizza flavor. If you only have dried basil or dried oregano, that’ll work, too. You can also use homemade Italian seasoning.
- Pizza Sauce: Choose your favorite canned/jarred pizza sauce or make your own pizza sauce. It’s pretty easy and tastes so much better. Marinara sauce works, too.
- Mozzarella Cheese: What’s a pizza without cheese?! A pinch of shredded mozzarella on each pizza bite gives you just enough gooey melty cheese.
- Pepperoni: Always a favorite, pepperoni pizza is a classic. I used mini pepperoni for the photos but regular size is fine, too.
- Parmesan Cheese: Top it all off with a sprinkle of salty parmesan.
How To Make Pizza Bites
We tested these a few times to get it just right for you. We tried baking them and broiling them. We broiled them before the toppings were added, and after the toppings were added. The tricky part was getting the zucchini tender without overcooking the toppings. We did all that so your zucchini pizza bites would be perfect the very first time you make them!
So here’s how to do it:
Begin by slicing the zucchini into even slices, about a quarter inch thick. Discard the stem and blossom ends. Coat each slice lightly with olive oil and arrange them in a single layer on a shallow baking pan. Sprinkle the slices lightly with Italian seasoning.
Broil the slices for four minutes. Take the pan out of the oven and flip each slice over.
Top each slice with sauce, mozzarella, pepperoni, and parmesan.
Put the pan back under the broiler for a few minutes until the cheese is melted and the pepperoni is starting to curl.
Let the pizza bites cool for a few minutes before you serve them. They can really scorch your mouth otherwise.
Hope you love these fun mini pizzas as much as we do!
Tips For Success
- Preheat the broiler. It’s important to have the oven piping hot before you put the pizzas in.
- Slice the zucchini evenly. We found that ¼ inch thick was just right. Thicker slices stay too hard; thinner slices tend to disintegrate.
- Don’t overload the pizzas. They are MINI pizzas. If you put too much on them, it all slides off.
Make It Your Own
Like I mentioned above, you can get creative with the toppings. There are any number of pizza toppings available so choose what you like best. Pretty much anything goes, but just remember you can’t fit a lot on them! Make them vegetarian simply by omitting the pepperoni.
If the idea of pizza without the carbs speaks to you, try pizza chicken, pizza stuffed spaghetti squash, or pizza quinoa stuffed peppers.
Storage & Reheating Tips
Zucchini pizza bites are best eaten fresh. If you have any left over, refrigerate them in a single layer, covered with plastic wrap, for up to 3 days.
Reheat them in the microwave or bake them in your toaster oven until heated through.
Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me @rachelcooksblog on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest!
servings
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Zucchini pizza bites are a low carb pizza option thanks to a zucchini “crust.” Perfect for a quick snack, fun appetizer, or even a light meal.
Instructions
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Place oven rack 6 inches from broiler and preheat the broiler (High).
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Lightly spray rimmed baking pan with olive oil spray. Place zucchini slices on pan, flip to coat both sides with oil. Sprinkle lightly with Italian seasoning.
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Place under the broiler for 4 minutes. Remove pan from oven and flip each slice over.
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Top each slice with sauce (about ½ teaspoon), mozzarella cheese, one pepperoni slice, and Parmesan cheese.
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Return zucchini to oven and broil for 1 to 2 minutes or until pepperoni is slightly crisp and cheese is melted.
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Let cool 2 to 3 minutes before serving.
Notes
- Yield will vary depending on size of zucchini and how thick you slice them.
- If you prefer, omit the pepperoni and make cheese pizzas. Other toppings of your choice can be substituted for the pepperoni.
- Zucchini pizza bites are best eaten fresh. If you have any left over, refrigerate them in a single layer, covered with plastic wrap, for up to 3 days. Reheat them in the microwave or bake them in your toaster oven until heated through.
- Recipe updated 11/30/2022.
Nutrition Information
Serving: 5bites, Calories: 121kcal, Carbohydrates: 5g, Protein: 7g, Fat: 9g, Saturated Fat: 4g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 3g, Trans Fat: 0.2g, Cholesterol: 22mg, Sodium: 332mg, Potassium: 355mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 3g, Vitamin A: 371IU, Vitamin C: 20mg, Calcium: 109mg, Iron: 1mg
This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.