[This post is sponsored by my pals at Bob’s Red Mill! We’re using their fabulous Organic All-Purpose Flour (affiliate link) for this Vegan Grilled Zucchini Crostata Pizza.]
Why, yes. You are looking at pizza made with pie crust.
You. Are. Welcome.
Up until this year, I didn’t like pie crust. If pie was the dessert option, I would opt-out.
I love dessert. I don’t finish my day without it. And the fact that I would give it a hard-pass if a flavorless, lifeless crust was in the mix is pretty telling.
And then…I made this pie. And my world pretty much opened up.
The crust was my favorite part! Super flakey, full of flavor, and perfect against the creamy filling and topping.
So then my brain started thinking. “What if,” my brain thought. “What if I made a savory version?”
Immediately my mind went to crostata. Pie’s rustic, less-fussy cousin.
You roll it out, fill it with delicious things, quickly fold the edges over, and boom. Crostata. No crimping, styling, or lattice tops. Just perfect, flakey pie crust.
And then because I’m always thinking about pizza, pizza came to mind. A pizza with a pie crust?
Sounds just crazy enough to be amazing, right?
RIGHT. And boy is it right.
The crust is easy. Flour, vegan butter, salt, dried herbs, a wee bit of nutritional yeast, ice water. Done.
When I’m making a recipe that’s primarily made of flour, I like to choose the organic stuff when I can. Flour has gotten a bad rap these past few years, but you don’t need to go without your favorite baked goods; you just need to choose better flours to bake with! Bob’s Red Mill’s Organic All-Purpose Flour (affiliate link) is unbleached so you know you’re getting pure, unaltered floury goodness!
So you mix those ingredients together, let it sit in the fridge for a half hour, and you’re ready to go. Roll it out with a rolling pin, mason jar, bottle of wine, or any cylindrical-shaped object in your kitchen, and you’re good to go!
Choose your favorite sauce. I love keeping cans of whole, peeled tomatoes in my pantry that I can doctor up whenever I need it, but you can also used your favorite (jarred or homemade) marinara sauce! You just need a bit – about 1/3 cup – on top of your crust.
Prep your zucchini. I don’t know about you guys, but zucchini is one of my favorite summer veggies. Grilled zucchini? Hallelu. It’s simple, light, and the perfect use of seasonal produce IMO.
And while it tastes good and looks pretty, the real reason I wanted to cook these cute zucchini circles before baking it with the crust is because those things are like sponges. They’re full of water, so pre-cooking them prevents your final product from being soggy. A great, delicious solution!
Plus, as demonstrated by our floof, it smells incredible.
Bake it for 40 minutes, top it with fresh herbs, red pepper flakes, and vegan parmesan cheese, and pizza night has never looked so good!
The bottom crust bakes to a delightful crispiness while still remaining slightly chewy, and the outer crust is as flakey as your grandma’s apple pie crust.
I can’t even with this. Just go make it. Make it now. And be amazed at this pie-pizza hybrid creation.
PrintVegan Grilled Zucchini Crostata Pizza
A pie-pizza hybrid!! Yes, I’m serious. You’ll love the flakey pie crust paired with marinara and grilled zucchini. Naturally vegan!
- Prep Time: 15
- Cook Time: 50
- Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
- Yield: 4-5 servings
- Category: Pizza, dinner
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
CRUST:
2 cups Bob’s Red Mill Organic All-Purpose Flour
3/4 tsp. salt
2 tsp. dried Italian seasoning*
1 tsp. nutritional yeast
1/2 cup very cold vegan butter
1/2 cup ice cold water
FILLING:
1 large green zucchini, sliced into 1/4-inch circles
1 large yellow squash, sliced into 1/4-inch circles
olive oil
salt + pepper
1/3 cup your favorite marinara sauce
1–2 Tbsp. olive oil
TOPPING:
Fresh herbs, red pepper flakes, Vegan Parmesan, additional sauce for dipping
Instructions
- CRUST: Add your flour, salt, Italian seasoning, and nutritional yeast to a large bowl. Whisk to combine.
- Place the flour, seasoning, nutritional yeast and salt in a large bowl and stir to combine. Add the cold vegan butter and work it through with clean fingers until the dough resembles bread crumbs, Add the water, 1 Tbsp. at a time, kneading after each addition, until the mixture forms into a ball. Cover, and place in the fridge to rest for 30 minutes.
- FILLING: Meanwhile, make your filling. Toss your cut zucchini and squash in olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Heat a grill pan** over medium heat, and grill the zucchini and squash until tender. You don’t want to overcook them so they become soggy, stop just before that point. Remove your zucchini and squash, and place on a clean tea towel to remove any excess liquid.
- ASSEMBLE: Preheat your oven to 425 degrees F. Remove your crust from the fridge. Place the dough on a silpat or a piece of parchment paper, and roll until 1/4 inch thick. Prick the bottom of your crust with a fork a few times, just to prevent a soggy bottom. Spoon your marinara sauce in the middle of the crust, leaving about 2 inches of dough around the entire outside. Spiral your grilled zucchini pieces on top (start with the outside ring).
- Fold the excess dough over the filling. It’ll be rustic-looking; that’s okay. Brush with olive oil. Move everything over to a baking sheet and bake for 40 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown.
- Remove from the oven and place on a cooling rack. Top with your desired toppings. Serve warm or at room temperature!
Notes
*Italian seasoning is a blend of dried Italian spices. If you don’t have it or can’t find it, just use a mix of dried herbs like oregano, basil, rosemary, and/or thyme. Yum!
**You can also grill your zucchini on a grill!
Cook times and idea highly adapted from Jessica @ How Sweet Eats
A special thanks goes to Bob’s Red Mill for sponsoring this post! Check out more delicious healthy recipes, snag coupons, and find stores near you at BobsRedMill.com!
This looks amazing. Love the pictures and the Floof ?
FLOOF!
Now this is summer food at its finest! Since I’ll have so much more time, it’s one of my goals to try making new recipes for dinner this summer. This for sure is going on the bucketlist! I’m mostly gluten free since I get sick, so do you know if the crust would work with a gluten free all purpose flour swap? Thanks!
xxMeah
<3 So happy to hear that! I think a GF AP flour would work great!
The instructions say: “Place the flour, sugar, and salt in a large bowl and stir to combine.” There is no sugar listed in the ingredients though. I’m leaving it out – here’s hoping!
You’re right! No sugar. I’ve updated the post!