Zucchini Pizza Boats

I remember having two cravings when I was pregnant.  One of them was pickles with mustard.  The other was greasy italian food.  Any italian food with tomatoe sauce and cheese I could get my hands on.  Of course, I didn’t let myself get my hands on very much of that stuff, so maybe that’s why the italian food craving never went away.  I could eat pizza or lasagna or similar just about every night of the week and it would take months before I got sick of it.  Of course, I’d weigh 500lbs and would feel incredibly guilty about eating that much cheese, but I’d be satisfied…

Part of the reason I am so thrilled with this recipe is that it completely satisfies my italian food craving while still giving me tons of veggies, and with little to no guilt.  It’s naturally low carb (if you’re into that), and can easily be made vegan or gluten free.  Like all my recipes, this one is quite flexible.

This is one of those recipes that just has it all.  It’s quick, easy, nutritious, has only a few ingredients, and tastes amazing.  Seriously, the whole family devoured these in minutes and MacGyver immediately asked when we could have them again.

I got the idea from a picture on Pinterest, but the recipe is entirely my own:

Ingredients:
– 2 large zucchinis (I actually used Costata Romanescas, which are an heirloom variety, but any nice fat zucchini will work – actually, even little ones will work, you’ll probably just need more of them)
– 1 can organic tomato paste (preferably no salt or other additives)
– 1 medium white onion (or whatever kind of onion you prefer)
– Oregano, fresh, finely diced, or dried and crushed (optional but highly recommended)
– HUMANE cheese – If you can find a local farm that doesn’t use rape stands and torture on calves, go for it.  If you didn’t know, the dairy industry is even worse than the meat industry in some cases in cruelty, disease, and unethical practices.  It’s sickening.  Educate yourself.  We don’t have a humane dairy farm near us, so we go with Nutritional Yeast (you must try it), and some vegan cheese alternatives (totally optional).
– Any other pizza toppings you desire (I recommend green peppers, olives, and maybe some spinach, but it’s up to you – they’re also really good with nothing but the ingredients listed above)
– Garlic powder (optional)

Directions:
You can preheat your oven to 425, or to save energy, skip the preheating (it’s not actually necessary for the vast majority of recipes most people cook)
1)  Dice up your onion and set it aside to rest (increases nutritional value).  If using fresh oregano, dice this up and allow it to rest as well.
2.)  You can cut the ends off the zucchini or leave them on for presentation value (if you cut them off, be sure to save them to make your own super easy veggie broth!)
3.)  Cut the zucchinis in half lengthwise and scoop out the insides, leaving about a 1/2 in thick “bowl” or “boat” of zucchini.

4.)  Dice up the scooped out portion (seeds and all) and put it in a big bowl.
5.)  Add the tomato paste, oregano, any other seasonings you’d like, and about 2/3 of the onion.  I also recommend mixing in most of your chopped toppings (like olives and green peppers) as this will allow you to fit more toppings per pizza.
6.) Grate your HUMANE cheese (if necessary) and mix add about 2/3 of it to the bowl.
7.)  Mix that all together.
8.)  Spoon the mixture into your hollow zucchini bowls.  I like to mound as much in there as I can fit (which is why I recommend mixing the toppings in with the tomato paste).
9.)  Sprinkle the remaining onion, cheese, and anything else on top.
10.)  Sprinkle the edges of the zucchini with garlic powder (optional)
11.)  Bake until cheese and/or edges of the zucchini is starting to brown, approximately 20 minutes (varies according to size of the zucchini).

Enjoy!

These things are so good and so simple.  I think they will become a regularly recurring meal in our house.  Please leave me a comment if you try them and let me know how they turn out and any personalizations you make.