Italian Zucchini Pie

Believe it or not, my zucchini plants are still ridiculously productive. Most years, my squash plants die long before now. After carrying in four or five zucchinis a day, I've given up and started letting them grow to baseball bat size and feeding them to the chickens. I feel ungrateful to not be appreciating the abundance, but there comes a limit to how many zucchini a family can consume in one summer.

But I'm still finding new ways to make zucchini. This recipe is one I found in Simply In Season and my husband said it was well worth keeping. It takes a little time, but it makes two pies.

Italian Zucchini Pie
adapted from Simply in Season

Crust:
Make a batch of your favorite pizza crust or use this one.
3/4 cup warm water
1 T yeast
1 T oil
1 tsp salt
2 tsp basil
2 cup flour  approx. (whole wheat or white)

Mix water and yeast together. Add other ingredients and knead well. The dough should be slightly sticky. You may not need all the flour. Or may need a bit more. Place in bowl to rise while preparing the filling.

Filling:
8 cups thinly sliced zucchini
1 cup chopped onion
1 clove garlic, minced
1 T each fresh basil and oregano (or 1 tsp dried)
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
5 eggs, beaten
4 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

Saute zucchini and onion in oil for about 10 minutes. Stir in all ingredients except half of the cheese.

Divide the dough in half and roll into circle. Place in greased 10 inch pie dish. (I'm guessing you could spread both crusts in a 9x13 pan if you wished.) Pour zucchini mixture between the two crusts. Sprinkle remaining cheese on top. Bake at 375 for 20 minutes or until middle is set. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.