This summery zucchini, peach, and burrata pizza is made with arugula pesto, shaved zucchini, peach slices, and finished with creamy burrata cheese and peppery arugula. It’s an easy vegetarian meal that makes the most of summer produce.
Adapted from Héloïse Brion | My Art of Entertaining | Flammarion, 2022
We love rich, cheesy, loaded-with-everything pizzas as much as the next person, but occasionally we want to satisfy that craving with something a little lighter. Enter this zucchini, peach, and burrata number. It’s laden with fresh summer produce and can be made with store-bought dough, making it completely doable on a weeknight.–Angie Zoobkoff
Zucchini Pizza FAQs
We don’t recommend it. Canned peaches contain too much liquid and you are likely to end up with a soggy pizza. Stick with ripe summer peaches here.
Burrata is a soft, mild Italian cheese made from cow’s milk. It’s similar to mozzarella, but has a creamy center. Most large supermarkets or Italian markets will carry it, but if it’s not available to you, substitute fresh mozzarella.
Make the arugula pesto
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Place all of the pesto ingredients (except the olive oil) in a food processor and process until finely chopped. With the processor running, gradually add the oil until well combined and smooth. Season with fleur de sel and pepper to taste.
Make the pizzas
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Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C) with a pizza stone or pizza steel inside.
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To assemble the pizza, cut the pizza dough in half and stretch or roll each piece into a disk.
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Spread a thin layer of pesto over the dough, leaving a narrow border all the way around.
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Wash the zucchini and slice it very thinly crosswise. Arrange the slices over the pesto, overlapping them slightly.
☞ TESTER TIP: If you prefer crispier toppings, sprinkle the zucchini slices with salt and let drain in a colander for 10 minutes before blotting dry and adding to the pizza.
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Wash the peaches, then halve, pit, and cut them into 1/2-inch (1-cm) slices. Arrange them over the zucchini. Sprinkle over the Parmesan.
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Working with one pizza at a time, use a peel to transfer the pizza to the baking stone or steel and bake until beginning to turn golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes. Switch the oven to the broiler setting for the final 3 minutes.
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Scatter over pieces of burrata, arugula, and crushed peppercorns. Serve immediately.
Serving: 0.5 pizzaCalories: 617 kcalCarbohydrates: 66 gProtein: 27 gFat: 31 gSaturated Fat: 13 gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1 gMonounsaturated Fat: 1 gCholesterol: 53 mgSodium: 1314 mgPotassium: 292 mgFiber: 4 gSugar: 16 gVitamin A: 1576 IUVitamin C: 15 mgCalcium: 562 mgIron: 4 mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Recipe Testers’ Reviews
I’m excited for pizza with summer seasonal peaches and zucchini. The arugula pesto is a great twist when you are looking for an option to the traditional basil pesto. We did use a pizza steel which provides that crisp pizzeria crust.
Zucchini can have a high-water content and I did salt after slicing, and placed in a strainer to allow some of the water to drain off. Dusting the pizza peel with semolina flour always helps to ensure smooth transition into the oven, and not onto the oven floor.
If you cannot find burrata, fresh mozzarella would work nicely along with being budget-friendly.
This zucchini, peach, and burrata pizza is a great savory idea for fresh peaches. And a great way to use up all that summer zucchini!
I really have no criticisms for this recipe at all. I was worried the zucchini would make the pizza soggy or watery but this is not the case.
The arugula pesto will be made again and used for other things…chicken and pesto pasta?? And that salty Parmesan over the sweet peaches is so so good. This is a perfect way to include your vegetarian friends on pizza night, or for meatless Monday.
I used the husband’s favorite new toy, the Cuisinart 3-in-1 pizza oven to make this. A great investment by the way; portable for camping or tailgating or backyard pizza. The pizza stone is smaller so I made 3 pizzas from one pound of dough instead of two.
My husband was skeptical of (and disappointed by) the idea of peaches and zucchini on a pizza, but after tasting it, astonished himself and me by declaring, “This is actually delicious.” I happen to agree!
The flavor of the roasted, sweet peaches is the perfect counterpoint to the sharpness of the arugula pesto. I loved that the cheese was scattered after baking rather than before – it lent a real freshness to the pizza. The leftover pesto will be terrific on pasta.
I made the Quick Pizza Dough and it was easy and delicious. As for the baking method, I would like to try this recipe next time with a more typical high baking temperature/shorter baking time and see if I can get a bit more rise and crispness out of the crust. I think this zucchini, peach, and burrata pizza would be a great starter course.
“Weird, but in a good way,” was one family member’s review of the texture, indicating how the zucchini, pesto and crust join to become a crispy bottomed, slippery, and delicious layer.
The zucchini and fruit combo put a lot of moisture into the crust which also helped them cohere. Next time I might try either roasting the zucchini first or baking the pizza before adding the fruit (I used nectarines) and then broiling to brown it quickly.
The extra arugula pesto has been on turkey rollups for picnics, cold pasta and a leftover pork chop — having it in the fridge is money in the bank.
Originally published August 22, 2022
David Leite
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