Courgette Mini Pizzas( Considered a Low Carb Pizza)
Enjoy these low-carb courgette pizza bites in 15 minutes. Great as a party snack, appetiser or light lunch – this combination of baked courgette with your favourite toppings makes for a tasty and nutritious dish! Plus this recipe is gluten-free, keto, and can be made dairy-free and vegan too!
I love pizza, who doesn't? Yet, whether you are wanting to cut some calories or looking for a low-carb pizza alternative, these courgette pizza bites are the answer for you!
Now, it’s the turn of this courgette pizza crust – even better, it’s not even just a part of a crust recipe, the vegetable works as the entire crust!
A courgette crust is not only low-carb though, but it is also low-calorie (at 17 kcal per cup!), yet tasty and incredibly nutritious. Courgette has a fairly neutral taste – perfect for adding a little something to your pizzas without taking over. Plus, they have zero fat, tons of fiber, and are loaded with several important vitamins and minerals – including Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Manganese, and more.
Even better, courgette is packed with antioxidants – certainly not something most regular pizza crusts can boost! These antioxidants are great for improving skin, eye, heart, and brain health. Just note that yellow courgette have even higher levels than green ones. In fact, this veggie boosts several other benefits too – from aiding digestion to reducing blood sugar levels – so it’s a great ingredient to incorporate into your diet now.
Best of all, these courgette pizza bites are incredibly simple to make. All you need are just four base ingredients (the courgette, tomato sauce, cheese and oregano) then load them up with the toppings of your choice. Place them in the oven and before you know it your mini courgette pizzas are bubbling with melted cheese and just begging to be eaten.
THE INGREDIENTS
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Courgette – I like to choose one that is fairly even in width when possible, so the pizza bites are a similar size;
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Tomato base – To reduce carbs further, use a low-carb sauce made of tomato, onion, garlic and olive oil;
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Cheese – your choice of mozzarella, cheddar, etc. You could also use dairy-free mozzarella for vegan courgette pizzas.
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Sprinkling of Oregano
Zucchini, also known as courgette, is a summer squash in the Cucurbitaceae plant family, alongside melons, spaghetti squash, and cucumbers.
It can grow to more than 3.2 feet (1 meter) in length but is usually harvested when still immature — typically measuring under 8 inches (20 cm).
Although zucchini is often considered a vegetable, it is botanically classified as a fruit. It occurs in several varieties, which range in color from deep yellow to dark green.
While squashes originated in the Americas, this particular variety was first developed in the early 1800s in Italy (1Trusted Source).
Zucchini has been used in folk medicine to treat colds, aches, and various health conditions. However, not all of its uses are backed by science.
THE METHOD
First, cut the courgette into slices, it is up to you to choose the thickness here.
You can optionally salt the courgette before baking, to get rid of excess moisture, for more ‘firm’ results. After slicing the courgette, liberally salt the slices and leave them to rest for thirty minutes. Once ready, dry with a kitchen towel and continue with the recipe.
Arrange the courgette slices on a parchment paper-lined baking tray, leaving a small 1cm or so between each slice. Avoid any slices overlapping.
For pizzas I normally make my own tomato sauce, which is very easy as follow:
Slice an onion and fry in olive oil. Cut the tomato in little squares and add to the onions. Salt, Pepper and 1 Tbsp of garlic to mix with all the ingredients. Let the sauce cook for about 10 minutes adding some water if needed.
Once your sauce is ready, place into each courgette slice and spread slightly (not all the way to the edge).
Add your cheese of choice and sprinkle with oregano. I put more than a sprinkle because I really like the flavour of Oregano. You can then add whatever other toppings you’d like.
Bake in the oven at 200ºC/400ºF for 10/15 minutes or till the cheese is light brown.
TO MAKE AHEAD & STORE
Make ahead: you can prepare these mini courgette pizzas up to a day before cooking them and keep them covered in the refrigerator until you are ready to transfer them to the oven. It is a good option if you have guests and want to organise yourself;
To store: store the baked courgette pizza bites, covered, in the refrigerator for 2-4 days (based on the toppings used). I don’t recommend freezing them, as the zucchini can change the texture and become very mushy.
To reheat: place them back in the oven or under the grill until warmed through.