By Brianna's week. School started Tuesday. Aiden went into third grade with his new sneakers and a backpack full of supplies. Zaria went into second grade with her unicorn hoodie and a confidence that bordered on intimidating. Brianna sent me first-day photos. The small graces of a functional divorce.
Tuesday at the plant Kenny told me his cousin had heard about my catering and wanted to book me to cater a 50th wedding anniversary in October. Eighty people. I quoted nine hundred. He said yes immediately. The biggest job yet. Eighty people would push my limits but I knew I could do it. I'd done sixty for Vanessa. Eighty was just twenty more.
Friday after work I drove home and made myself dinner. Quick — I was beat. Pasta aglio e olio, my go-to tired-night dinner.
Sunday at Mama's. Smothered chicken and white rice. The kids were with Brianna. Pop was tired but ate well. Cheryl made me take home a container of chicken. I ate it Monday night standing at the kitchen counter, thinking about all the work ahead.
Between the first-day-of-school photos from Brianna, the new 80-person catering job I booked, and standing at the counter Monday night eating Cheryl’s leftover chicken straight from the container — this week reminded me that feeding yourself right is part of staying in the game. When I have a little more energy than a tired-night aglio e olio calls for but still don’t want to spend two hours in the kitchen, a piled-high pizza like this one is my answer: bold, satisfying, and honest about what it is. You load it up, you put it in the oven, and you sit down for five minutes before the next thing starts.
Piled High Zucchini and Cheese Topped Pizza
Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 20 min | Total Time: 35 min | Servings: 4
Ingredients
- 1 lb pizza dough (store-bought or homemade), at room temperature
- 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 cup pizza sauce or crushed tomatoes
- 1 1/2 cups shredded whole-milk mozzarella cheese
- 1/2 cup shredded provolone cheese
- 2 medium zucchini, thinly sliced into rounds
- 1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
- 1/2 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
- 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- Salt and black pepper to taste
- 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- Fresh basil leaves for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat and prep. Place a pizza stone or heavy baking sheet in the oven and preheat to 475°F. Let the oven heat for at least 20 minutes so the stone gets screaming hot — this is what gives you that crisp bottom crust.
- Stretch the dough. On a lightly floured surface, stretch or roll the dough out to a 12–14 inch round. Transfer it to a sheet of parchment paper. Brush the entire surface with 2 tablespoons of olive oil.
- Build the base. Stir the minced garlic into the pizza sauce and spread it evenly over the dough, leaving about a 3/4-inch border around the edge.
- Layer the cheese. Scatter the mozzarella and provolone evenly over the sauce. Don’t be shy — this is supposed to be piled high.
- Add the vegetables. Arrange the zucchini rounds, red onion, and bell pepper over the cheese in an even layer. Drizzle the remaining tablespoon of olive oil over the top. Season with oregano, red pepper flakes, salt, and black pepper.
- Finish with Parmesan. Scatter the grated Parmesan over everything. This is the layer that browns and gets slightly crispy on top — don’t skip it.
- Bake. Slide the pizza (still on the parchment) onto the preheated stone or baking sheet. Bake for 16–20 minutes, until the crust is golden and the cheese is bubbling and lightly browned in spots. Rotate once halfway through if your oven runs uneven.
- Rest and slice. Let the pizza rest for 2–3 minutes before slicing. Top with fresh basil if you have it. Serve immediately.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 480 | Protein: 21g | Fat: 19g | Carbs: 56g | Fiber: 3g | Sodium: 820mg