This summer meal prep recipe is a twist on Australian zucchini slices that taste just like a slice of veggie pizza. These low-carb, grain-free, high-protein pizza squares will be your new favorite healthy snack to keep in your fridge or freezer and enjoy all week long!
For a summer filled with adventure, we need a super delicious, easy, and high-protein meal prep recipe to have stocked in the fridge or freezer at all times. But I guarantee if you Google search “protein bar recipe” or “hiking snack ideas”, all of the results you’ll get are sweet oat and nut bars that can spike your blood sugar—much unlike these protein pizza squares! This meal prep protein pizza square recipe is perfect for taking on hikes, epic summer road trips, or as a healthy vegetarian meal prep idea.
This pizza protein bar recipe is based on an Australian zucchini slice, which is a popular Australian snack that is made with zucchini, eggs, flour, and other tasty ingredients. An old Aussie roommate of mine taught me how to make the traditional recipe and I became obsessed. It’s the perfect way to pack so many veggies into such a small space and the resulting texture is AMAZING. It’s not quite a pastry, and it’s not quite a frittata or quiche either. But if you’re ever in Australia, I highly recommend trying them. And what we have here is the meal prep pizza version! It’s quick, it’s budget-friendly, and it’s perfect for grabbing and going. I love the added pop of flavor from the Italian herbs like basil and oregano and cheddar which give it that pizza profile. Whether you take this as your next hiking snack or serve as a healthy summer appetizer, they’re versatile enough for all occasions!
I freeze these in a single layer on parchment paper with the edges NOT touching, and then when they’re frozen, I transfer them to a large container or Stasher Bag, so they don’t stick to each other. then whenever I want to eat, I grab one and microwave it for about 1.5 minutes and I have the best meal or snack ever. ps: these are SO good topped with the Siete Foods jalapeño hot sauce.
Ingredients in protein pizza squares
To riff on the traditional Australian zucchini slice in a way that packs in even more veggies and is grain free, I swapped all-purpose flour for almond flour and added in leeks, peppers, and fresh herbs. Here’s everything you’ll need to make these delicious meal prep protein pizza squares:
- Zucchini
- Garlic
- Leeks
- Red peppers
- Jalapeños
- Eggs
- Grass-fed cheddar
- Basil
- Almond flour
- Baking powder
- Oregano
- Fine grain sea salt
- Olive oil
- Optional: Siete Foods jalapeño hot sauce for garnishing
How to make grain-free pizza squares
Follow these simple steps below to make meal prep pizza squares.
- Grate the zucchini. Stir in a generous amount of salt (this will season from within and pull out the water), and set aside.
- Drizzle olive oil in a large skillet and cook leek, red pepper, and jalapeño over medium with a generous amount of salt until just brown at the edges. Transfer to a large mixing bowl.
- Using a clean dish towel, a fine mesh strainer, or a nut milk bag, squeeze as much liquid as possible out of the zucchini. Add to a mixing bowl with leek mixture. Add garlic, basil, and oregano. Whisk eggs and add to zucchini with cheese, oat flour, and baking powder. Add 1 more teaspoon of salt.
- Pour into a parchment-lined baking sheet with high edges (you want it 1 – 2” thick). Bake for 40 minutes at 350F, or until the top is just brown. Let it cool before cutting it into individual squares. Store in the fridge or freezer until ready to eat!
Customize your pizza squares
One of the best things about this recipe is that you can make it your own and switch up the bell peppers and jalapeños for carrots or the basil and oregano for other herbs. You could add in bacon or sausage or switch up the cheese from cheddar to any kind of cheese you’d like. Here are some ingredients that I think would be delicious to customize your protein pizza squares:
- Sun-Dried Tomatoes
- Prosciutto
- Peas or corn
- Sweet Potatoes
- Mushrooms
- Tomatoes (make sure these only go on top so your squares don’t get soggy)
- Spinach (make sure it’s cooked first and rung out)
- All the fresh herbs
- Any shredded cheese (or goat cheese or Parmesan!)
- Pizza sauce for dipping
Tips for storing & serving!
After meal prepping these pizza squares, there’s a few ways you can keep them fresh to enjoy later. Here are my top tips:
- Store them in the fridge. They’ll last for up to five days in tightly wrapped or sealed containers.
- Turn them into pizza poppers! Bake them in muffin tins for individual servings! Check your oven after 12-15 minutes to see if they need to cook longer by inserting a toothpick.
- Freezer instructions. Put the squares in plastic wrap or a Stasher bag. Seal it, removing all extra air. Then, wrap the entire bag in aluminum foil to keep away the freezer burn. This will stay good in the fridge for up to 3 months.
- To reheat: microwave for one and a half minutes or until warmed through.
Grab-and-Go Protein Pizza Squares
Ingredients
- 4 zucchini, grated
- 8 garlic cloves, minced
- 4 large leeks, white and light green parts, halved, washed and finely chopped
- 2 red peppers, seeded and chopped
- 2 jalapeños, seeded and chopped
- 10 large eggs
- 2 cups shredded grass fed cheddar
- 2 cups loosely packed chopped basil
- 2 cups packed almond flour or scoop and leveled oat flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 tablespoon + 2 teaspoon dried oregano
- Fine grain sea salt
- Olive oil
Instructions
- Grate the zucchini. Stir in a generous amount of salt (this will season from within and pull out the water), and set aside.
- Drizzle olive oil in a large skillet and cook leek, red pepper, and jalapeno over medium with a generous amount of salt until just brown at the edges. Transfer to a large mixing bowl.
- Using a clean dish towel, a fine mesh strainer, or a nut milk bag, squeeze as much liquid as possible out of the zucchini. Add to a mixing bowl with leek mixture. Add garlic, basil, and oregano. Whisk eggs and add to zucchini with cheese, oat flour, and baking powder. Add 1 more teaspoon of salt.
- Pour into a parchment-lined baking sheet with high edges (you want it 1 – 2” thick). Bake for 40 minutes at 350F, or until the top is just brown. Let it cool before cutting it into individual squares. Store in the fridge or freezer until ready to eat!
