Summer Squash Pizza Crust

I have made this twice and it has been delicious every time. It is imperative to get the squash as dry as you can. I use 2 1/2 pan size pans to bake this, and press it out to about 1/4 of an inch thick. It is an irregular shape, kind of like an oval. I also use olive oil pan spray on my hand when pressing it out to keep it from sticking to me. A couple of changes I made were: reduced it down to 6, but still get 8 slices. Use 2 1/2 egg whites (helps it to crisp) add garlic powder and oregano. It browns up nicely and is the close to a hand tossed crust.

I saw other reviewers had trouble with a soggy center -- thanks for the tip. I think I found a good trick! I let the zucchini sit in a colander, weighted down with a slightly smaller bowl and some canned veggies, in the fridge for about an hour. Then I squeezed it by hand and got rid of even more water. Used just 1 whole egg and 1 egg white, and spread the mixture pretty thin, reserving leftover for a small patty to bake. Nicely crisp, and even my very picky boyfriend loved the pizza that we made. I'll make this again, despite the extra time it takes!

This crust recipe is brilliant!!! My family had NO idea that this was made from squash. Hubby and I are low carbers and this is a keeper in my file!!! Three things make this recipe alot less labor intensive...non stick spray, to keep the dough from sticking to your hands...parchment paper makes flipping the dough a cinch...cheesecloth lets you wring almost every drop of liquid from your squash---the drier your squash is the better your end result will be---this really is the key to success with this recipe. I shredded the squash til it was almost a puree and suspended it over the sink in a cheescloth bag for most of the day, then wrung it nearly dry. I added onion and garlic powders, oregano and pepper to the dough for added flavor. I added an extra egg white for crispness. I agree that thinner is better for this crust and might leave out the mozzarella next time, subbing it for extra parm. This makes a great traditional pie with sauce and pepperoni, but would be great with any variety of toppings. I know I won't be giving away my excess squash from the garden this year! Dawn, thank you for this wonderful guilt-free recipe!

As long as you squeeze as much water out of the squash as possible, this crust cooks evenly and perfectly. You do have to be sure to cook it for as long as directions say; it does get pretty brown but that's OK! I added about 1/4 cup extra flour (by accident) but it seemed to help. And my husband said this was the best pizza crust he ever ate!

Like some others said, I let the squash drain a couple hours, then I really squeezed it till dry. To bake it, I put parchment paper on the pan first, then turning it over onto the cookie sheet was a breeze!!!! We covered it with a little ranch dressing, then cooked, chopped chicken, sliced black olives, tomatoes, more ranch, then shredded pizza cheese. Absolutely wonderful--even my kids who hate zucchini loved this one!

This is a very creative and delicious way to use squash! I'm on a modified low-carb diet (whole grains only, lots of veggies) so this was perfect for me after substituting whole wheat flour. I topped this with traditional pizza toppings and it was wonderful! Definitely does not taste like squash. I used frozen grated squash from last summer's harvest. I thawed and drained it, then spread it out on paper towels, salted, and let it stand to get out as much water as possible. I didn't have enough parmesan cheese, so I used about half the amount called for and added more whole wheat flour to make up for it. When I spread it in the pan it was very sticky so I dusted it well with more whole wheat flour and rolled it out thin. It turned out very crispy and delicious!

WONDERFUL!!! A fun and tasty way to use the overflow of squash from the garden!!

Tasted good, had some issues making the recipe though. Was far too wet, took twice as long to bake. Maybe my fault, maybe the recipe, I'm not sure, but next time I make it I'll be a lot more careful to fully dry the squash. Also seemed like too much for the pan, too thick, will be dividing the recipe for two crusts next time. I love a crispier crust. Also I added some garlic and fresh oregano to the mix, gave it a really nice flavor. Would definitely recommend this with a few little changes.

After flipping I would suggest broiling for almost 7 minutes. We'll definitely do a thinner crust next time and set out the squash on a baking pan to dry ALL DAY. We had it in a colander for at least 4 hours and the recipe was still a little moist........but OH SO YUMMY!

I sprinkled a little feta cheese on top... couldn't stop eating it! We ate it as a side dish or appetizer, and not as pizza.

This is a "must have" recipe for squash growers and ice cream makers! I've made this twice in the past week. Both times, I used about 3-4 yellow squash and 3-4 egg whites (leftover from making custard style ice cream). I also spread the mixture very thin on sprayed parchment paper. I didn't turn it over and it was perfectly cooked after about 35 minutes. The first batch, I tried to stick closely to the recipe, but took some advice from the reviews I read. I added the suggested, garlic and oregano, as well as, the egg whites. It was really yummy and as it baked the smell let the family know pizza was coming. :) I served it with tomato sauce, spinach, garlic and basil feta. mmmm! The second time, I added Celestial Seasonings 7 Pepper Jamboree spice blend and omitted the salt (the blend has salt in it). This added a nice spiciness to it. I also turned this batch into individual size rounds for making a pita sized flat "bread". This batch was made using a mixture of oat flour and ground flax (I will be serving it to a gluten-free friend). The texture was more hearty. I served this one as a salad pizza with salmon chunks and a fennel vinaigrette. Thank you for posting this recipe. I love the versatility of uses and that I can use the wonderful squash I grow! It will definitely be a keeper!!!

I made two crusts from this recipe, pressed them out very thin, and had no problem with flipping or sogginess. I added oregano and garlic powder. This recipe was a little too animal product intensive (cheese and eggs) than I prefer, but had good flavor and was an okay change from our usual fare. Quiche fans would probably enjoy this recipe. Thanks for sharing, Dawn.

Very good! I used whole wheat flour instead of regular, and I spread it pretty thin in the pan. I ended up with 16 servings of yummy pizza crust!

I had the same problem as another reviewer -- the outside got nice and crispy but the middle stayed soggy. I think the key is getting as much water as possible out of the zucchini, but after making this two times, I still can't get it right. It's a shame, because the flavor is great! If anyone else has made this and has tips for how to make it bake evenly, please post them!

I really liked this crust. I made a couple of alterations. I used whole wheat flour instead of white, left out the cheeses and used one egg. I topped the crust with the Exquisite Pizza sauce from this site, shredded spicy chicken, sauted onions and sun dried tomatoes. This was all topped with jalapeni tofu cheese. Next time I think I'll spread this a bit thinner. I drained the shredded zucchini for several hours and wrung it out well before adding other ingredients. This was a no guilt pizza.

Delicious! Did take the advise of making sure to squeeze out all liquid from squash, then let dry for about 6 hours on paper towels in the sun. Edges were crispier than the center, but wonderful flavor. May even make this into breadsticks next time. I'm collecting squash from my gardener friends to make more of these!

This did make a nice refreshing summer dinner. was looking for a pizza crust that didn't call for yeast. we added tomato sauce, more shredded zuccini, thin sliced yellow bell pepper, and spicy cheese. I made a half recipe since we're just 2 but I'd make the full next time. However, either it's my oven or the recipe doesn't cook evenly, as the dough was burning on the edges and soft in the middle.

This is a keeper. Did use whole wheat flour as suggested. Also going to limit my toppings. Had too much when I made this. Was good, but I think less would be better.

Flipping the crust is almost impossible. I ended up having to cut it into quarters. The taste was great, the ease of preparation and presentation were not so easy.

I used 2 9" cake pans instead of the jelly roll pan. It makes it cook more evenly and makes it look more like a pizza crust.

This was really yummy! I didn't flip and didn't have any problem with sogginess. I wish I would have followed the advice to use parchment paper though since it stuck to my cookie sheet. Topped with pizza sauce, spinach, feta and artichokes. Delicious!

I thought this had *awesome* flavor but not the flavor of pizza per se. I used yellow (summer) squash and only used parmsesan (not mozzarella) cheese. I messed up the flipping and it looked like scrambled eggs/a messy omelet. I would make this again. I'll reinforce that you need to take the crust out of your pan (cake pan, springform, casserole dish, etc.) before you top it. :)

This was good, I couldn't flip it, has an unusual taste, but is great for diabetics and people watching their hourglass! I was happy, though, that my 6 yo daughter ate it.

I was slightly doubtful about this recipe, but it was absolutely wonderful. I topped it with a tomato alfredo sauce, a small amount of grated mozzarella, sauteed Italian turkey sausage, red peppers, mushrooms, spinach, and onions. It might have been the first time my husband gave rave reviews to something so healthy!

I really enjoyed my version of this crust! For over a decade I've been making pizza every Sunday for my family using an oven stone and pizza peel. Usually I use my bread machines dough setting for the homemade crust but this was even easier. Straining the shredded, salted, squash through cheese cloth seems essential. I started this around noon and squeezed it well several times throughout the day. If you want to cut calories here are a few things that worked well: 1) Limit the flour and the Parmesan to a 1/2 C each (I use King Arthur's white whole wheat and fresh grated Parm). 2) Skip the mozzarella entirely. And 3) Add 3 egg whites and no yolks. Mine made this way bound together nicely and I was able to easily to roll it out in a free form circle between two pieces of parchment paper. I left the bottom parchment in place and baked it on my preheated pizza stone at 450* for just a couple minutes until I could see that it had dried enough to handle. I then pulled it out, removed the parchment and sprayed both sides with PAM before continuing to brown them on the hot stone. This substantially cut the recipe's cooking time and resulting in a nice crisp crust. Once the crust was finished I simply added toppings and heated/browned everything under the broiler. Nice Recipe Dawn Davis. Thank you.

This recipe has been great for our family. My kids will eat it and they don't even know it is made from vegetables. I have expanded the veges, I include both zucchini and summer squash as well as carrot, and garlic. Sometimes I throw in other things that are around. I use a juicer to get the pulp very dry very quickly. A great way to get your five a day!

While the flavor was okay, it was way too salty. I only put a few shakes of salt on the squash. I can't imagine using the full measure of pepper. Just used a few dashes and it was plenty for me. Recipe was a lot of trouble for the outcome.

This is a very tasty way to have your pizza but lessen your carb intake! Try using an alfredo type sauce and lots of vegetables as topping. I used sweet onions, fresh tomatos, black olives and artichoke hearts. Thanks for a great recipe.

I used yellow baby patty pan squash and really squeezed it dry. I put the crust on non-stick foil and this made it really easy to flip. This was really tasty, but next time I may add more seasons like basil, oregano and garlic powder to give it more flavor.

OMG, this is officially my new favorite pizza crust!!!! I will never make the regular pizza dough ever again after having this! My few minor changes: I replaced half of the flour with my sourdough starter and it gave it a real kick! sooo good! I also added extra parm instead of the mozz. Lastly, i added a tablespoon of oregeno, 2 garlic cloves diced up, and some parsley. I had to stop myself from eating the entire thing after I made up my pizza so that I would have leftovers for lunch today. Kudos to the originator! and thank you!

An interesting way to use up all this squash! I followed the advice of others and let the squash strain for a few hours, then sqeeeeeezed it as dry as possible. The thinner the better when you spread it out. This was a very tasty, healthy meal for us when we topped it with even more veggies. Thanks!

This is a good crust, and a healthy alternative to a traditional crust. I placed the shredded zucchini in cheesecloth and squeezed out the moisture. Then I placed the zucchini and cheesecloth between a folded clean dish towel and rolled out even more moisture with a rolling pin.

Excellent recipe, turned out really well. My 7 year old didn't even know she was eating so many veggies.

A friend of mine made this for us. FABULOUS!!

Great way to eat a healthier pizza! I did top it with pepperoni, and my whole family enjoyed it. It wasn't too soggy the next day. I think really squeezing the water out makes the difference in sogginess.

Really liked this, for a low-cal crust alternative. A bit high in sodium and fat, but hey...Will make it again. I baked it in 2 10-in pyrex pie plates, and it came out sufficiently crispy. I didn't bother with the "flipping" part. Watch out on the broiler part. I broiled one of my crusts for 3 minutes and it was darn near burned. The second one I only broiled for 1 minute. Overall, a nice alternative crust for home-made pizza.

AWESOME!!!!I couldn't believe it...my kids ate it up (HAAHAA!!) I process summer squash and drain in a cheese cloth 30 minutes and then really squeezed it. I topped with spinach garlic feta olive oil and oregano...it was gone in no time! thanks i will use this a lot

delish!

I have been making this recipe for years. My Grand daughter LOVES this recipe. Her and her friends call it "Green Pizza"

An interesting use for leftover shredded squash but just not my thing. It definitely needs to be spread thinly to get crisp.

This was delicious! and what a great way to sneak veggies into my kids dinner! I took the whole thing a few steps further by adding eggplant with the squash. I also put spinah in the tomato sauce and topped it with lots of mozzarela and pepperonis! Everyone loved it.

I made this and did not tell my boys what is in it and they loved it. The crust is very tasty and I am not a fan of straight squash. The leftovers got soggy after a day or so but this will be a keeper in our home.

The flavor was fine, if you like squash, but IMO this crust was just too much work. When I'm having a "pizza night" I tend to want something quick and easy for the crust. I agree with other reviewers who said they could see this more as a flatbread, cut into sticks or wedges. Also, definitely use parchment, as another reviewer suggested, that makes the whole flipping issue so much easier.

I actually thought this was too flavorful as a pizza crust (unless you are just topping with sauce and cheese). It would be great cut into long strips and served as a breakstick-type item.

I roasted two medium acorn squashes and got about 3 cups at the end, which meant I didn't have to squeeze out any excess water (roasting removes a lot of water). I skipped the cheese and added 1 TBSP (Tablespoon) of quality olive oil instead, and then proceeded as directed. It makes for a finer density, almost cake-like crust at the center, but you can crisp it up under the broiler as suggested. Also, don't cut it in half to flip it, as this will let steam escape from inside and you'll get a hardened tough crust as it cools and lets moisture escape. Just put another tray on top and flip them both over together. Ta da!

I used frozen zucchini from our garden last year, drained WELL, but wasn't impressed as a pizza. Instead of using a jelly roll pan I used a springform pan which worked great instead of trying to turn it over with a spatula. As a baked flat bread this would be fine.

This was a lot of work, but for a healthier pizza alternative it was good. My husband didn't eat it, but my kids did, and I liked it.

Good, sticks to the pan pretty bad but is a good way to use up extra squash!

I really liked this recipe. I did not have 3/4 cup of parmesan so I substituted with 1/2 cup bread flour. I used cheddar cheese instead. I also used parchment paper which made flipping so simple. It is different and not quite like pizza dough but very good. Would definitely make this again. It can be eaten alone or with toppings. I spread a little guacamole on it and it tasted good. **I am making this recipe for the 2nd time and followed directions exactly. I would definitely use parchment if ever making it again. It was kinda messy without it. Olive is good on it.

This is DELICIOUS! The whole family loved it! There were a few things I did differently from the recipe. First, I used butternut squash. After shredding it, I drained it in a cheesecloth bag for four hours, then let it sit uncovered in the fridge overnight. It was nice and dry the next day. I used whole wheat flour instead of all-purpose for a healthier crust. I added garlic and oregano to the mix, which gave it some great Italian flavors. We had it with a nice tomato sauce and cheese, and the meat-eaters in my family had pepperoni, which they said was delicious. I highly recommend this recipe, whether you're looking for a healthy alternative to traditional pizza crusts or just want to try something a little different!

very easy recipe, will definitely use this again for my home made pizza

Yummy! I added spinach. I might add a bit of cheddar next time.

I've never written a review before, but I have to add my 2 cents - this is a really neat recipe. It's not 'exactly' pizza crust, but it's a pretty close. My husband wasn't as crazy about it as I was but considering how much healthier and lower-carb it is than real pizza crust, and how much I am addicted to pizza - I LOVED IT. I would never have thought that it was squash if I hadn't known. It's amazing! I made it with 1/2 whole wheat 1/2 unbleached flour, in cake pans, as suggested and it made 3 9" crusts. They flipped over pretty well for the most part. Thanks for a great recipe!

Amazing! This was so good, we couldn't stop eating it. Baked up perfectly, was not soggy, but was chewy and delicious. Will make this often! Thanks so much for this recipe!

I liked this a lot! My husband is very picky, noticed something was different about this crust and disapproved when I told him what it was made with (he hates squash), but I honestly thought it tasted just as good as any other pizza crust. Somewhat different texture, but not bad by any means, just less "bready". I made sure the squash was drained and well wrung dry, added some whole wheat flour to the all-purpose in place of the mozzerella (had none), and added a little oregano, garlic salt, and onion salt. Very tasty!

Flavor is good... Have made it twice now, and am still having difficulty with the flipping, but am working thought that. Center is soft, and once toppings are added, tends to get mushy. The edges are my favorite part :) Despite some of the troubles, my family loves the flavor, and we're not ready to abandon just yet :)

Delicious. A bit time consuming but well worth it.

Really good! Had some trouble flipping it, but will try lining the cookie sheet with parchment next time. Hopefully that will help!

I made this last night and even the meatitarian in the house loved it. Next time I'm using parchment paper underneath it for easier flipping. Delicious

OMG this was unbelievably awesome.. i added more mozz.. but other than that stuck to the recipe.. we used this as the crust for Hearty Crab Pizza on this site.. ty so much for this recipe

This was terrific. I used the whole wheat flour like others suggested and it turned out fabulous. Topped it with shrimp and diced tomatoes and a guilt free gourmet pizza!

A surprisingly good use for summer squash. I was pleasantly surprised.

WONDERFUL!!! make this before you judge it....sooooooo good...my husband loved it and prefers it over regular pizza crusts now....it is def. important to flip it though...AMAZING!!!!!

For the people who have a difficult time flipping it(like me), you can cook it on a non stick skillet. I put a small amount on and spread it thin. If you try to wait as long as you can to flip first time, it is much easier to get the rubber spatula underneath quickly. They turn out much like potato pancakes. My kids like to dip their bites into pizza sauce on the side of the plate.

This crust was amazing. The only thing I did differently was scoop out the seeds to cut out excess moisture.

I used a jelly bag to drain the squash to a very dry consistency. I used parm cheese only and added fresh oregano, garlic and onion powder.

Delicious! A little softer than the usual crust, but that makes it more dynamic! I made a regular mushroom pizza with it, but next time I think I'll try some feta and artichokes as suggested. Yum!

i have made this several times, and it is delicious. squeeze, squeeze that grated squash. Let sit, and squeeze again. I have use a preheated 400 pizza stone, glazed with garlic olive oil for a crispier crust. It works well as a "foccacia" bread like this. Oil the drained zucchini, dust the bottom with flour, flip onto stone, carefully form, top with sea salt, pepper, olive oil mist chopped fresh rosemary, chopped garlic, and grated Asiago/Parmesan. No one knew it wasn't foccacia bread.. serve with roasted red peppers in balsamic. Make at least 8 cup pizzas. Leftovers? Breakfast. Awesome Frittatas, I forgot to send a pic, they don't last long enough

I added a Tbsp of sugar for sweetness to balance the salt and rosemary.

Wonderful way to hide veggies! My hubby loves pizza & hates vegetables, he had no idea there was zucchini in this & had 3 servings. It was a little soft in the middle but good still. I'll make this again to use up extra zucchini.

Love this recipe! Fantastic use of a very abundant vegetable that nobody in the family is too fond of. Have made this several times and decided to up the flour to 1 cup and lower total amount of cheese to 1 cup. This makes the consistency a bit more dough-like rather than being so soupy. Also, the flipping bit is not necessary and I skip it. Takes too long and too much effort!

I have made this twice and my whole family loves this crust better than regular crust. I am not a big fan of summer squash, and neither are my kids...but they will eat this and tell me how much they love it!!! Great way to get veggies in their system.

This tasted great. Even my husband liked it! He especially liked the fact that the crust wasn't oily or greasy. I took the advice of others and dried out the zucchini as much as possible. It wasn't soggy at all.

Really good, for low carb and gluten free sometimes you need a taste of pizza. And this fills the bill. Used gluten free flour, no problem!! Let zucchini sit all day to get moisture out. Excellent

The best low carb pizza crust!!! Easy to make!! Can add different seasonings depending on the toppings, I did a barbecue chicken and the family loved it!!

This was a decent crust for my BBQ chicken pizza, but it too difficult and much too time consuming to make for just an O.K. taste. I was able to use the squash I grew and I wanted something different, but I can't see making this again. All the parmesan cheese negates the low fat content of the squash so I don't see a real advantage. I made it thin on one pizza and thicker on the other. The thin was MUCH better. It needs to be crispy to be good. I don't think it would be good at all on a traditional italian style pizza, but with the BBQ pizza it was O.K.

I have made this crust a few times and I absolutely love it!!! You would've never known it was squash! It's great to make if you have some squash laying around. Just don't forget to strain the squash like I did the first time I made it!