This beautiful zucchini crust flatbread, adorned with shaved asparagus, micro greens and vibrant edible flowers, makes a lovely springtime starter.

I’m going to keep this one short and sweet, folks, because I’m currently rocking in a chair on our private porch at the eco lodge in the rainforest of Costa Rica. The honeymoon vibes are setting in strong.

The views, the weather, the people-  everything about this place is absolutely incredible. Well, everything except for the bug bites, I could do without so many of those. But it’s a small price to pay for pura vida.

Hubby is patiently waiting for me to be done so we can take a jungle hike, so let’s get right into this springtastic Zucchini Crust Flatbread. Isn’t it pretty? I’m loving all the greenness going on…not unlike all the green I’m surrounded by right now, actually!

I recently made a version of this for a certain movie starlet I was hired to cook for a few weeks back (who shall remain nameless but only because I’m technically not allowed to say), and it went over so well that I knew I had to share the recipe here with you all.

The crust is really similar to the cauliflower pizza crust that’s been so popular for the last few years, but made with zucchini and some fresh green herbs. The binding agents are egg, parmesan cheese and chickpea flour, making this baby gluten and grain free (thus perfect for the low to no-carb Hollywood set).

I topped the zucchini flatbread with a schmear of vegan cashew cheese, but go ahead and use regular goat cheese if you want since there’s already a bit of dairy in the crust. It’s not like I was trying to keep it dairy free or anything, it’s just what I had in the fridge.  I’ve also used burrata for this recipe, which is AMAZING.

Raw, thinly shaved asparagus, micro greens and nasturtium, an edible flower that just happened to be going crazy in my backyard when I made this, are the other main components of this zucchini crust flatbread. I love the pop of orange it adds to this otherwise all green dish! Look for nasturtium at your local farmers market, but If you can’t find it, any edible flower will do. Or just skip it altogether if eating flower petals isn’t your thing.

Lastly, I found that a wire pizza screen worked best to bake this on, since the ventilation from both the top and bottom it allowed the crust to crisp up nicely. If you don’t have one though, a  pizza stone or baking sheet should work fine too. Maybe cook it for a couple of minutes longer if you want a crispier crust.

5 from 1 vote

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Zucchini Crust Flatbread with Asparagus and Nasturtium

This beautiful zucchini crust flatbread, adorned with shaved asparagus, micro greens and vibrant edible flowers, makes a lovely springtime starter.

Course Appetizer, Main Course

Cuisine American

Keyword flatbread recipe, flatbread with asparagus, zucchini crust recipe

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

Total Time 25 minutes

Servings 4

Calories 400 kcal

Author Denisse

Ingredients

FOR THE CRUST:

• 3 cups finely shredded zucchini about 3 medium zucchini
• 1/2 cup freshly shredded parmesan cheese
• 1/3 cup chickpea flour
• 2 teaspoons fresh oregano chopped
• 1 teaspoon fresh parsley chopped
• 1 egg
• 1 clove garlic minced
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

FOR THE TOPPINGS:

• Goat cheese, burrata or non-dairy soft, spreadable cheese of choice
• Shaved asparagus
• Micro greens
• Nasturtium
• Truffle oil
• Flaky sea salt

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 475 degrees. Wrap the shredded zucchini in a clean kitchen towel and hold over the sink. Squeeze firmly to wring out as much of the excess moisture out as possible.
2. Once all of the excess moisture has been removed, place the shredded zucchini in a medium bowl and add the parmesan cheese chickpea flour, oregano and parsley. Stir to combine. Crack the egg into a small bowl and add the minced garlic and salt. Whisk lightly and add to the zucchini mixture.

3. Incorporate all of the ingredients well, using hands if necessary, until mixture holds together.

4. Place the zucchini mixture onto a piece of parchment paper set on either a wire pizza screen, a pizza stone or a baking sheet.

5. Using your fingers, spread the zucchini crust mixture to form a circle about 1/2 inch thick.

6. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until the crust begins to turn golden brown. Remove from oven, let cool slightly and spread with a thin layer of cheese.
7. Top with shaved asparagus, micro greens and nasturtium or other edible flowers. Drizzle with truffle oil, if desired, and top with flaky sea salt.

Recipe Notes

 I found that a wire pizza screen worked best to bake this on, since the ventilation from both the top and bottom it allowed the crust to crisp up nicely. If you don’t have one though, a  pizza stone or baking sheet should work fine too. Maybe cook it for a couple of minutes longer if you want a crispier crust.

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