Zucchini Pizza Boats

These zucchini pizza boats put a fun, healthy spin on eating pizza and are an easy way to increase vegetable consumption. They make a nutritious after-school snack or can be topped with protein for a quick meal.

Zucchini has made its way to the front of my local grocery store, and that triggered a memory of an old-time favorite- zucchini pizza boats.

When my kids were younger, I made these zucchini pizza boats as a way to increase their vegetable take, without them even realizing they were eating vegetables. They are a great alternative to traditional pizza, too.

I would let them pick their own pizza toppings, assemble their own pizza boat, and then we would have them as a nourishing quick meal or after-school snack.

Last week, this meal made its way back on our meal rotation. I forgot how much I love this version of pizza. If you’re looking for a great way to increase your vegetable intake, or you just find yourself with extra zucchini, give it a try.

How To Make Zucchini Pizza Boats

You can use a small or medium zucchini to make these. The size of the zucchini will determine how big the pizza boat is.

You can cook the pizza boat in the oven or in a toaster oven. If you use an oven, preheat it to 350 degrees before you start. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and spray with cooking spray.

Clean the zucchini under cold running water, then slice it length-wise.  If you are using a medium to large zucchini, you’ll want to cut each piece in half, resulting in 4 zucchini pieces.  If you are using a smaller zucchini, then it will make 2 zucchini boats.  Using a spoon, scoop the seeds out, making sure not to remove too much of the vegetable.

Cover the bottom of each zucchini piece with sauce, then layer the boat with spinach. Sprinkle cheese over the spinach, then top with your favorite vegetables or other pizza toppings. In the recipe I share below, I used one medium/large zucchini, cut into 4 pieces. I topped 2 of the boats with tomatoes and 2 of the boats with green pepper, then sprinkled with parsley.

I like to bake zucchini pizza boats in the toaster oven, but you can use an oven if you don’t have one. Bake at 350 degrees for ~15 minutes or until the cheese bubbly and golden brown. You can also sprinkle with ground pepper.

The nutrition information that I share below is for the zucchini pizza boats prepared the way I explained, but you can add any toppings that you want. We sometimes add pre-cooked lean beef, chicken, shrimp or turkey sausage to boost the protein content. If you add pre-cooked protein, wait until the pizza boats only have ~5 minutes left to cook before you add them. That way, the protein will not get over-cooked and dry.

However, you decide to top your pizza boats, they make a delicious and nutritious meal or snack any time of day – even breakfast!

If you like healthier pizza, you might also like to try these perfectly portioned pizza’s.

DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE?  Tag @heathermangieri  on Instagram and hashtag it #HeatherMangieriNutrition to all recipes. Or, Pin it on Pinterest for later!