Garden Zucchini & Tomato Pizza for a Rainy Friday Night

Friday night usually means pizza around here.

This week, the rain finally arrived. It was welcome — the garden needed it — but it also meant no campfire and no lingering outside on the deck.

Then I looked at the pile of zucchini and tomatoes coming in from the garden.

Suddenly rainy Friday night had a plan.

A simple homemade pizza topped with garden zucchini and tomatoes, something cold to drink, and an old movie waiting for us afterward. Nothing elaborate. Just an easy dinner that used what we had and somehow made the evening feel a little brighter.

That’s one of my favorite things about cooking seasonally: sometimes dinner starts with the question, What needs to be used? And very often, that turns into exactly what you wanted.

Bring it to the table.

Print the recipe

Garden Zucchini & Tomato Pizza

Serves: 2–4
Oven: 475°F
Bake: 12–15 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 prepared pizza dough or pizza crust
• 1/2 cup pizza sauce
• 1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella
• 1 small zucchini, thinly sliced
• 1–2 small tomatoes, thinly sliced, or a handful of halved cherry tomatoes
• 2 oz pepperoni, optional
• 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• Fresh basil, sliced or torn
• Kosher salt and black pepper
• Pinch of red pepper flakes, optional

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 475°F. If using a pizza stone or steel, place it in the oven while it heats.
2. Stretch or roll the dough onto a pizza pan, sheet, or floured peel.
3. Spread the pizza sauce over the dough, leaving a small border around the edge.
4. Top with mozzarella, zucchini, tomatoes, and pepperoni if using. Drizzle lightly with olive oil and season with salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes.
5. Bake for 12–15 minutes, until the crust is golden and the cheese is bubbly.
6. Finish with Parmesan and fresh basil before serving.

Little note: If your tomatoes are especially juicy, blot them lightly before adding them to the pizza so the crust stays crisp.

Use what the garden gives you.