By The kitchen is in full summer mode. The oven at 375 (always 375), the crockpot on the counter, the pantry stocked with jars from last August's canning — the evidence of a woman who preserves summer against winter and loss against forgetting and food against everything.
Thursday was tater tot hotdish, because Thursday is always tater tot hotdish and the schedule doesn't change for anything — not pandemics, not loss, not the passage of years. The tater tots go in at 375 and come out golden and the family eats them and the eating is the Thursday and the Thursday is the structure and the structure holds. But I also made watermelon feta salad earlier this week, because the kitchen doesn't only look backward. The kitchen grows.
The garden at peak production — tomatoes by the bushel, corn taller than Jack (which is saying something now, the boy is tall), peppers in every color, the zucchini in its annual attempt to conquer the neighborhood. I've left three on the neighbors' porch. They know. Everyone knows. The zucchini phase is endured, not discussed.
With the zucchini staging its annual hostile takeover of every raised bed and the neighbors already wise to my porch drop-offs, I needed a new strategy — one that would actually make the family excited to see another green torpedo on the counter. These Zucchini Pizza Bites have become my secret weapon: slice them thick, top them like tiny pizzas, and suddenly the kids are asking for more zucchini instead of pretending they don’t see it. The garden wins, but so do we.
Zucchini Pizza Bites
Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cook Time: 15 minutes | Total Time: 25 minutes | Servings: 6
Ingredients
- 3 medium zucchini, sliced into 1/4-inch rounds
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/3 cup marinara sauce
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1/4 cup mini pepperoni slices
- Fresh basil, for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven. Set oven to 375°F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Prep the zucchini. Arrange zucchini rounds in a single layer on the baking sheet. Brush tops lightly with olive oil and season with garlic powder, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper.
- Par-bake. Bake for 8 minutes to soften the zucchini slightly and release some moisture. Remove from oven and blot any liquid from the surface with a paper towel.
- Add toppings. Spoon a small amount of marinara sauce onto each round — about 1/2 teaspoon per bite. Top with shredded mozzarella and a mini pepperoni slice.
- Bake until bubbly. Return to the oven and bake 5–7 minutes more, until the cheese is melted and just starting to brown at the edges.
- Serve. Let cool for 2–3 minutes, garnish with fresh basil if desired, and serve warm.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 120 | Protein: 7g | Fat: 8g | Carbs: 6g | Fiber: 1g | Sodium: 340mg