One of my longtime students moved away a few weeks ago. Another student graciously offered her home for a going-away party with a potluck finger-foods menu. A potluck is unpredictable by nature. I’ve been to potlucks where the only meatless choices were desserts. Nothing wrong with desserts, of course, but they’re not exactly sustainable.
So I always bring a savory meatless dish with substance enough to feel like a meal. Because finger foods were specified at this party, I decided to make a fancy flatbread.
This dish, from The Forest Feast Gatherings by Erin Gleeson, looks impressive, but is actually very simple to make. It contains only five ingredients—pizza dough, zucchini, cheese, scallions and pine nuts. (I added fresh basil as an optional ingredient. You can sprinkle that over the flatbread after it comes out of the oven,) The prep time is minimal and it only needs to bake for 18-20 minutes.
So in other words, you get a lot of bang for your buck in terms of the time and energy it takes from start to finish. Of course, it’s fine to make this when you need a quick, filling weeknight supper at home too!
Zucchini Flatbread
- 1 16-ounce pizza dough (I used Whole Foods whole wheat dough. They keep it in the refrigerated section, close to the prepared to-go foods.)
- 1 medium or 2 small zucchini, cut into thin slices with a vegetable peeler
- 2 scallions, white and green parts, sliced
- 1/2 to 1 cup manchego cheese (the original recipe calls for Parmesan)
- 1 tablespoon pine nuts
- optional: chiffonade cut fresh basil
Put It Together:
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
- Grease a large rectangular cookie sheet and dust with cornmeal. Roll the dough into a thin, rectangular shape on the cookie sheet.
- Arrange the zucchini slices in a single, overlapping layer on top of the rolled-out dough, leaving a 1-inch border.
- Sprinkle the grated cheese over the zucchini slices.
- Sprinkle the sliced scallions and pine nuts over the cheese.
- Bake at 425 degrees for 18-20 minutes, until the crust is golden.
- Sprinkle with fresh basil (optional).
- Slice and serve.