Summer is in full swing and gardens are ripe with produce. Like many of you, we have an OVER-abundance of squash and zucchini and I am forever trying to figure out creative ways to use them. I stumbled across this idea several years ago and my family has grown to love my zucchini pepperoni. Let’s face it, squash and zucchini really don’t have a distinct flavor by themself, so being able to doctor them up is super easy. With the right spice combination, I’ve been able to create a pepperoni taste that is sure to wow even the biggest meat lover.
For this recipe, I use the Vegetable Slicer Attachment (Slicer Shredder) for my Ankarsrum Original Assistant. Click here to watch a brief video tutorial. This attachment allows me to slice my zucchini into perfectly thin slices. Just a note, the two shredding drums that come with this attachment are awesome as well!
By trimming the ends off, I was able to feed the entire zucchini into the feeding shoot. Applying gentle pressure with the plunger, the zucchini fed right though and came out the front in perfectly even slices.
I have discovered this fantastic line of dip mixes by “To Market To Market“. All of their products are free of M.S.G. and most do not contain salt which allows you to control the amount of sodium going into your food. The mix I use for my zucchini pepperoni is “Roasted Red The Pepper Spread”. This blend of dehydrated onion, red pepper, garlic, pepper and paprika gives you the perfect flavor of pepperoni. Of course, if you are unable to get this particular mix, a combination of these spices is recommended.
This dip mix has large dehydrated pieces of onion and red pepper so I prefer to blend mine using my Ankarsrum Blender Attachment to create a fine powder. This helps the seasoning stick to the zucchini slices.
Lastly, you are welcome to use these zucchini pepperoni raw on your pizza, sandwich or salad but I prefer mine with a bit of a crunch. To achieve this, I dehydrated the slices in my Excalibur 2900ECB 9-Tray Economy Dehydrator, Black
Of course this recipe can easily be used with yellow squash as well. Hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we have!
Zucchini Pepperoni
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Marinade Time: From 2 hours – 24 hours
Optional Dehydration Time: Up to 24 hours
1 zucchini, thinly sliced
1 tsp. salt
3-4 Tbsp. Roast Red Pepper Spice Mix, blended into a fine powder, or any spice mix of your choice
Place thinly sliced zucchini in a bowl, sprinkle salt over the zucchini and toss. Sprinkle spice mix over zucchini and toss. Cover with plastic wrap, place in refrigerator and allow to marinate for 2-3 hours or overnight. Use as a pepperoni substitute on a pizza or sandwich of your choice.
Yield: About 30 slices per Zucchini
*For crispy zucchini pepperoni: Once the zucchini has been allowed to marinate, place slices in a dehydrator with the temperature set to “raw food”. Dehydrate for 6 hours or until zucchini slices are dry and crispy. Drying time will vary due to moisture in the air. Once dry, store in an airtight container until ready to use. These are also a great substitute for veggie chips!
Disclosure: I am an affiliate for Amazon. I did not receive any compensation for writing this post. However, I do receive commission on items purchased through their website when you are referred via this blog. It helps to fund future blog posts and to keep the inspiration coming!
