Zucchini sliced hasselback style with melty cheese and spicy crisp pepperoni is a little bit of pizza heaven. Tear off a few slices and dunk them in your favorite marinara sauce and you’ve got yourself a lovely low carb snack or lunch … or heck, why not have these for dinner? Just three ingredients, these fun pizza bites are super easy to make.
Wait … isn’t hasselback a potato thing?
I’m not sure where I was on the interwebs when I stumbled across the idea of hasselback zucchini, but it immediately caught my eye. I did a bit of a double take … I’d only ever seen potatoes done hasselback style. But why the heck not do this with zucchini?
I couldn’t wait to try it. I decided I wanted mine pepperoni pizza style, though, so I pulled some pepperoni out of my freezer, grabbed one of the smaller zucchini from my mom and dad’s garden and started slicing. As I stuffed the pepperoni halves and provolone cheese slices in each spot, the zucchini started arching up, like this:
I was a little worried, but told myself it would calm down in the oven. And it did. I set the little arch on the baking sheet and crossed my fingers. I peeked in on it as it cooked and watched the center of the zucchini falling and flattening and the cheese start to melt and ooze. Oh man, it was hard to wait!
It wasn’t too long until I declared it done and started munching. Nom nom nom. What a brilliant idea! So yummy, healthy and simple. I can’t wait to try some more flavor variations of hasselback zucchini.
You know what the other brilliant part of this recipe is? You can do it on one zucchini (just for yourself) or ten (for a crowd)!
What’s the history of hasselback, anyway?
I couldn’t help but wonder how the “hasselback” ever became a thing … so I did a little digging. Hasselback potatoes are a Swedish dish, invented at the Hasselbacken hotel and restaurant in Stockholm, Sweden. Some say they’ve been around since the 1700s, but others say that Hasselbackspotatis were created by Leif Elisson in 1953, who was a student chef at the restaurant, though the restaurant school principal invented them in 1955. I found this post on the history of hasselback potatoes really interesting … plus she mentions a simple technique for cutting hasselback potatoes (which, unfortunately, doesn’t work so well with zucchini). But Ciao Chow Bambina has the perfect technique for hasselback zucchini! Just place two wooden spoons on either side of the zucchini and then start slicing. The spoons will stop the knife from cutting all the way through.
Print
Hasselback Pepperoni Pizza Zucchini
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: as many as you like
Ingredients
- 1 small zucchini (or more)
- Several thin pepperoni pizza slices, cut in half
- Sliced provolone or mozzarella cheese, cut into small squares
- For dipping: Marinara sauce
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 F. Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray or line with a silicone baking mat.
- Set two wooden spoons or chopsticks on either side of the zucchini, then slice the zucchini into thin (1/4 inch) slices. (The spoons should stop the knife from cutting all the way through.)
- Into each slit in the zucchini, stuff a half (or whole) slice of pepperoni and a slice of cheese. The zucchini will begin to arch up. Don’t worry–it will settle down when you bake it.
- Place the zucchini on the prepared baking sheet and bake at 400 for about 20 minutes or until the cheese is nicely melted, the zucchini is almost straight again and the pepperoni is crisped.
- Serve with marinara sauce for dipping. To eat: break off pieces of the cheesy zucchini and dip in your favorite marinara sauce.
Notes
Best enjoyed fresh out of the oven.
To avoid the arching effect, you can brush the zucchini with oil and roast the zucchini first, then add the pepperoni and cheese and finish by broiling.
RECIPE SOURCE: http://www.sumptuousspoonfuls.com/
© Copyright 2018, Sumptuous Spoonfuls. All images & content are copyright protected. Please do not use my images without prior permission. If you want to publish any of my images, please ask first. If you want to republish this recipe as your own, please re-write the recipe in your own words or link back to this post for the recipe.
Looking for more hasselback recipes?
Hasselback zucchini recipes for the low carb and zucchini loving crowd:
- Low Carb Cheesy Bacon Hasselback Zucchini – Sugar Free Mom
- Loaded Hasselback Zucchini – Peas and Crayons
- Healthy Hasselback Zucchini – Hungry Girl
- Hasselback Zucchini with Parmesano Gremolata – Ciao Chow Bambina
- Bacon Cheddar Hasselback Zucchini – Cinnamon Spice and Everything Nice
- Garlic Parmesan Hasselback Zucchini – Eating Well
- Hasselback Zucchini Bake – Weight Watchers
Hasselback potato recipes for the potato lovers:
- Hasselback Potatoes Au Gratin
- Loaded Hasselback Potatoes – Damn Delicious
- Easy Cheesy Hasselback Potatoes – Mommy’s Home Cooking
- Chili Cheese Hasselback Potatoes – Real Food by Dad
- Hasselback Potatoes with Sriracha Butter – Simply Delicious Food
Need more low carb pizza recipes?
- Easy Zucchini Pepperoni Pizza Bites
- Chicken Bacon Ranch Pizza with Zucchini Crust
- Chicken Mushroom Pizza with Spinach Crust
- Breakfast Pizza with Herbed Garlic Veggie Crust
- Zoodle Ricotta Pepperoni Pizza
2 comments
Great idea.
[…] Hasselback Pepperoni Pizza Zucchini […]