Squash-Crusted Pizza with Roasted Garlic, Mushrooms, and Sundried Tomatoes

Everyone loves pizza, but no matter how many vegetables you may pile on top, you still have a crust to contend with. You can make it whole wheat, roll it a little thinner, or try other variations to remove excess carbohydrates but at the end of the day it's still bread (and delicious.) That is, until now. This pizza is actually made of a SQUASH crust. It's not quite as firm as a traditional crust, and it's not completely healthy since it includes cheese (and a little flour still) but it adds both an exciting texture and taste while still reducing the carbs.

I used a mishmash of vegetables as my topping, which I will detail below. However, this can go with nearly anything. Use a tomato sauce if you prefer, or better yet, spread a layer of my healthy yet creamy spinach-artichoke dip over the top as a sauce. Put any vegetables on top, or even meats. The possibilities are nearly endless and with each pizza tasting differently this will quickly become a favorite.

Time: 1 hr 45 min (make sure to roast garlic as the pizza bakes to save time)
Difficulty: Medium



Squash-Crusted Pizza with Roasted Garlic, Mushrooms, and Sundried Tomatoes
Remember, while you probably want to follow the recipe for the crust, the toppings are just a suggestion. Let us know in the comments if you find an especially good combination.

Ingredients:
Crust:
4 c shredded summer squash (any variety)
3/4 c flour
2/3 c grated low-fat Parmesan cheese
1/2 c shredded fat-free Mozzarella cheese
2 eggs
1 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp olive oil

Toppings:
1 tsp olive oil
6-7 cloves of garlic, unpeeled
3 tbsp pesto (I had some homemade leftovers!)
1 c diced vine tomatoes
1/2 c sundried tomatoes
1 c sliced mushrooms (any variety)
3/4 c diced eggplant
3/4 c diced bell pepper (any color, but you'll see it's orange in my picture)
3/4 c shredded fat free mozzarella

First, we'll get the crust going since that is the more difficult part of this recipe. Get your oven pre-heating to 350 degrees.

Shred your squash, as specified in the ingredients. I used a mixture of yellow summer squash and Zephyr squash, but you can choose your own varieties. Zucchini is also a good substitute here. Place the squash in a colander or cheese cloth and squeeze out all of the moisture that you can. Let the squash sit for 15 minutes and then squeeze out all remaining moisture. This is important to get your crust to stick together later on.

Once the moisture is out, place the squash in a large bowl. Add the flour, Parmesan cheese, mozzarella cheese, eggs (lightly beaten), black pepper, and salt. Mix until well combined.

Grease a 9x13 glass baking dish and lightly flour it. Make sure it is greased well!

Spread the squash mixture evenly in the bottom of the glass dish and bake for 35 minutes.

Remove the pizza and brush very lightly with 1/4 tsp of olive oil. Then, turn your oven to broil and let it broil for 4 minutes. It should be lightly browned. (Make sure not to burn it.)

After broiling, use a large spatula to carefully separate the crust from the glass dish. When you are sure the edges are loose and it won't cling in the dish, get a baking sheet and grease it. Place the baking sheet over top of the glass baking dish, with the bottom facing up and the top against the dish. Flip it over so the squash pizza falls out and onto the baking sheet. At this point, you can leave it on the baking sheet or transfer it back into the glass baking dish, keeping it turned upside down from its baking position.

Use the remaining 1/4 tsp olive oil to lightly brush this other side of the pizza. Broil for 4 minutes with this other side facing up. This will help to make the crust crispy.

And now it's time to dress your pizza!

Turn your oven back to 350 degrees. Wrap your garlic (still unpeeled) in aluminum foil. Bake it for 1 hr.

As the garlic bakes, heat a pan over medium heat. Add 1/2 tsp olive oil and let it heat. Add the eggplant and bell pepper. Saute for 10 minutes, stirring frequently to keep from burning. When the eggplant and bell pepper are soft and well cooked remove from the heat and set aside.

Return the pan to the heat (empty) and add the remaining 1/2 tsp olive oil. When the oil is heated, add the mushrooms. Saute, stirring frequently to avoid burning, for 8-10 minutes. When they are wilted and soft, remove from the heat and add to the pile of eggplant and bell pepper.

Dice your tomatoes and make sure the sundried tomatoes and mozzarella are ready to go to save time later.

When the garlic is finished baking, remove from the oven and open the foil. Let the garlic cool for a few minutes until you can touch it without burning yourself. Either cut open the cloves or squeeze so that the garlic (now soft and mushy) comes out. Spread the roasted garlic across the crust. This roasted garlic will have a sweet flavor, rather than the sharp sting of uncooked garlic.

Spread the diced tomatoes and sundried tomatoes around the crust evenly, on top of the garlic. Add the mushrooms, eggplant, and bell pepper. Finally, sprinkle evenly with the shredded fat free mozzarella.

Bake for 8-10 minutes, or just until the vegetables are all heated and the cheese is melted. Avoid over-cooking.

Enjoy immediately. Or, like me, take some to work each day for lunch. Beware that the crust will still be quite soft so you may be best off avoiding eating it like pizza and resorting to a knife and fork- I promise that it will still taste delicious with utensils.