My DH says “No.”
I say “Yes.” (Oh, and so does Mark Bittman, who inspired the recipe in the first place.)
We both agree, though, (okay, well all three of us) that it is delicious whether or not you call it pizza. Flatbread With Toppings? Extra Special Foccaccia? Eh, “Pizza” is easier, so we’ll just go with that.
Pizza usually ends up regularly on my menu rotation, but I hadn’t made it in a while because my DH can’t have tomato sauce, and I can’t have cheese or milk-based sauces. I figured that pizza was pointless in that case, so I decided to put all my pizza creations on hold until I’m done nursing Baby Boy and am back to my regular diet.
Then I found Mark Bittman’s The Minimalist Cooks Dinner cookbook, and in his pizza section, he said something so utterly profound, it changed my life. (Only a very slight exaggeration.)
Some people think all pizzas must have cheese in order to bind the other ingredients, but this is ridiculously limiting. What you put on a pizza is entirely up to you - if the kitchen sink is your idea of fun, go right ahead.
As soon as I read it, I felt the chains breaking and smelled the sweet air of freedom. I can make pizza! I can make pizza without cheese, and I can make pizza without sauce! And I can even call it pizza. Take that, dairy-free diet!
He even provided some inspiration with a few basic recipes for his favorite pizzas, so I started with one called Pizza with Zucchini and Sausage. I gave it my own little twist, and it was amazing. Even my DH, who looooves his cheese, especially on his pizza, agreed that it was very good. With the added caveat, “As long as I don’t call it pizza”. So if you can’t call it pizza, that’s fine, but you should still make it, because it’s very good. Amazing, in fact.
No-Cheese No-Sauce Pizza
slightly adapted from Mark Bittman
Ingredients
- 1 pizza crust (I use artisan dough)
- 1 medium zucchini, thinly sliced
- sea salt
- 1/2 lb sweet Italian sausage, crumbled (but not cooked)
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- handful fresh basil
Instructions
- If starting with pizza dough, roll it out to cover a large pizza stone or cast-iron pizza pan.
- Lightly salt the sliced zucchini and allow it to set for about 20 minutes; drain any liquid.
- Top the pizza with the zucchini, sausage, garlic, and basil. Bake for 15 minutes at 500F, or until sausage is cooked through and crust is lightly browned.
Pizza is such a QUICK weeknight dinner, especially if you have a bowl of artisan bread dough in the fridge ready to roll out into pizza dough. Even if you don’t, pizza dough is ridiculously easy and quick to make, so it’s no trouble at all. I especially love that you can just cook the sausage right on the pizza, so it saves time.
It’s so EASY, too! This is a no-fuss pizza that still manages to give off a gourmet flair and offer incredible flavor to boot.
Because it uses minimal meat (and in this case, cheese), pizza can be a very CHEAP entree (another reason why it ends up frequently on my menu rotation).
This is a HEALTHY pizza, too, I suppose with the exception of the sausage. Healthy sausages are available, though (if somewhat pricey), and I believe can be part of a well-balanced diet. The good thing is that on a pizza, the amount per serving is minimal.
You bet it’s pizza! I’ll eat and call it pizza anytime! Italian sausage is one of my favorite sausages and I’ve put it on pizza, but nothing quite as simple as this. I do love this pizza!
You are my hero! I can’t eat cheese and I don’t like souse. I usually order pizza with stake, ham, bacon, green peppers and spinach. Yap! That’s it. Although, my friends laugh, but hey I love it and sometimes they do too =]