How To Make Baked Zucchini
What Can I Do If I Dont Have Zucchini
Zucchini is a versatile vegetable that goes well with many other dishes. You can substitute the same amount of eggplant, yellow squash or even potatoes. Eggplant has more calories and carbohydrates since its slightly denser than summer squash. Potatoes are higher in calories and carbohydrates, since theyre more concentrated in starch.
How To Make Roasted / Baked Zucchini: A Few Tips
Here are a few tips for making this baked zucchini, aka roasted zucchini! Alex and I tried making zucchini fries and realized that they were a bit time intensive. You have to dip the zucchini in flour and egg before the breadcrumbs, and it ends up all gummy and messy. So for this baked zucchini, we were inspired to make it like fries but without the fuss. Youll get a light coating of bread crumbs for a little crunch, but theyre not fully coated like fries. Heres what to know:
- Mix some breadcrumbs with oil-coated zucchini first. Not all of them will stick to the zucchini: thats ok! The same is true when you place them on the baking sheet. So
- Move any breadcrumbs that fall onto the baking sheet to the top of the zucchini. Just quickly move any piles of breadcrumbs to the top of the zucchini. It doesnt have to be perfect.
- Finish by sprinkling with more dry breadcrumbs & Parm. This gets another fresh coating of crumbs on top.
- Bake until just tender . The bake time will depend on exactly how thin the zucchini is: so keep an eye on it! You want it to be just tender: crisp and water, but not overly soggy. Take a taste if you need to assess doneness!
Read Also: Baked Potato In Air Fryer Oven
How To Slice Zucchini Fries
You can check the pictures or video to see what the pieces look like before breading them.
Why Make These Zucchini Sticks
- Simple Ingredient List
- 30 Minutes Start To Finish
- Picky-Eater Friendly
- Easy To Make
- Simple, Straightforward Recipe
I love a good deep fried crunch. It feels especially satisfying when you can get that same crunch without any oil! Not only will you love your vegetables, theyll be the star of the whole show.
Also Check: Mac And Cheese Ingredients Baked
Grated Vs Shredded Parmesan Cheese
For some reason, even after all this time of cooking for a living I have a hard time remembering the difference between shredded and grated Parmesan cheese. Heres what you need for this recipe:
- Grated Parmesan cheese: This is the powdery cheese that looks like snow! You can use either the shaker can or the or the containers. This is what youll need in this recipe, because it integrates into the texture of the bread crumbs.
- Shredded Parmesan cheese: Shredded Parmesan cheese looks like little sticks of Parmesan. Its great for garnishing salads and soups. You could use it here in a pinch, but it has a different look. See Roasted Zucchini and Squash.
What Youll Need To Make Roasted Zucchini:
With an ingredient list as short as the cook time, this baked zucchini recipe couldnt be easier. We bet youve already got what you need, which is simply:
- Zucchini. .
- Parmesan cheese! Pre-grated is OK, but the fine dusting that you get from grating real Parmigiano Reggiano over the zucchini rounds with a microplane grater is unbeatable.
- Garlic powder. Our beloved, much-maligned pantry fave. This parmesan-roasted zucchini recipe is a perfect example of why we love garlic powder. Every zucchini slice will get a hint of flavor in a way that fresh garlic cloves just cant replicate. Just be sure that your garlic powder is freshif its more than six months old, spring for a fresh jar .
- Olive oil. You can use extra virgin if you want, but since youll be roasting this in the oven, a lot of that really good flavor will be lost. Regular, non-extra virgin olive oil is perfect here.
Also Check: Baker Black Label Turnout Sheet
How To Make Zucchini Parmesan
This easy recipe is sure to become a new snacking favorite, and its so easy to make:
When Is Zucchini Season
Zucchini is in season during the summer months, which makes it a popular vegetable in many home gardens. You can find zucchini at your local farmers market or grocery store around this time. However, you can find fresh zucchini year-round at the grocery store since its also available frozen and canned.
Also Check: Baked Potato On A Pellet Grill
What Are Zucchini
Weve sort of mentioned this before, but its so mind-blowing that its worth mentioning that zucchini is technically a fruit! And not just a fruit, but a berry. Here you are, all these years, just living your life, and all of a sudden you learn that zuchinithis thing youve always known as a vegetableis actually a BERRY. The universe is a wild place, people. Melon, cucumbers, and all squash are part of the plant family cucurbita pepo, defined as a fleshy one-celled many-seeded berry, that has a hard rind and is the characteristic fruit of the gourd family. Chew on that one, friends.
How To Make It
*See recipe card below this post for ingredient quantities and full instructions.
Slice zucchini into 1/4 inch slices, no thicker. Salt each side and place in between paper towels for up to an hour to extract water. Pat each one dry before dredging.
Dip each slice into beaten egg whites & garlic powder. Transfer to breading mixture and coat generously.
Fry in preheated 350° oil until golden brown on each side. Transfer to a cooling rack.
*Note: The recipe card at the bottom of this post has instructions for baking or air frying the zucchini if preferred.
Spoon marinara sauce on the bottom of a 9 x 13 casserole dish. Add a layer of fried zucchini and top with marinara and mozzarella.
Add additional layers of zucchini, marinara, and mozzarella until youve used all of the zucchini. You can do this in clean stacks or overlap them within the casserole dish.
Bake at 400° for 20-25 minutes, until cheese is melted and begins to brown slightly. Serve!
Read Also: Hershey’s No Bake Cookie Recipe
How To Make Zucchini Fries In The Oven
This section shows how to make zucchini fries baked , including step-by-step photos and details about the technique. For full instructions, see the recipe card below.
What Are Some Variations For This Recipe
You can add a variety of ingredients to this recipe to change its flavor. While we love using simple spices, you can try adding hot sauce, red pepper flakes, or cayenne pepper for a spicy kick, dried basil or oregano for an Italian twist or turmeric and garam masala for an Indian spin on baked zucchini. For even more flavor, you could also try different kinds of cheese like mozzarella or crumbled feta. You could add garlic powder or onion powder for some additional seasoning. I usually used dried seasonings, but you can use fresh ones as well. You can grate your own fresh parmesan cheese, or use shredded parmesan cheese as a topping insead of grated.
You can add some breadcrumbs to the parmesan this can help make htem extra crispy.
Add additional herbs, such as garlic or Italian seasoning or fresh herbs to make it more fragrant and tasty.
Also Check: How To Bake Pork Loin Chops
How To Make Baked Parmesan Zucchini
Roasted parmesan garlic zucchini spears are so easy to make! And the best part is, they always turn out perfectly crispy on the outside, soft and tender on the inside. No soggy zucchini here!
How To Make Lasagna
Heres what makes our recipe a little extra special:
- We use not one, but three kinds of cheese: Parmesan, mozzarella and ricotta.
- To keep things light and healthy, ground chicken is our meat of choice for these zucchini boats. Lean, filling, and protein-packed.
- Jarred marinara sauce! Because youve got to do all of that zucchini scooping and thats plenty of work.
- Add a few more veggieslike bell peppers and spinachfor good measure.
Also Check: Lays Baked Chips Variety Pack
Garlic Parmesan Zucchini Casserole
This garlic parmesan zucchini casserole is an easy side dish that pairs beautifully with just about any family meal! The old fashioned zucchini casserole recipe features fresh, shredded summer zucchini, garlic, and onion, with three types of cheese and a buttery, Parmesan breadcrumb topping. Serve the cheesy dish with grilled chicken, oven-fried pork chops, steak or shrimp. It’s versatile, and always a hit!
Oven Roasted Parmesan Zucchini
Have you ever planted one little extra zucchini plant in your garden and suddenly had enough squash to feed the neighborhood? Its the garden veggie that just keeps giving and giving and giving so having a long list of ways to cook it is always helpful. This option, though, is probably my very favorite way to eat the bountiful green squash it takes all of fifteen minutes to make and the zucchini melts in your mouth while the parmesan gives it a subtle little crunch. So yummy and so simple.
To really get these coated evenly, youll want to toss the ingredients together in a bowl. Thats just olive oil, garlic powder, salt, and pepper, but you want to make sure the zucchini is really evenly coated in it. Drizzling and sprinkling wont quite get you there.
When you arrange them on the baking sheet, take care to put them in a single layer even better if theyre not touching each other that way they roast instead of steam. The parmesan goes over the top and helps them get a light cheesy crunch which is a delicious contrast to the tender squash.
Theyre garlicky and just a little bit cheesy, but the zucchini still shines through. Its such an easy side dish the kind youll make again and again and again.
Don’t Miss: Honey Baked Ham Littleton Co
Easy Tips For Roasting Zucchini:
Roasting the zucchini shouldnt take longer than 20-30 minutes, depending on how youve sliced it. Thinner slices will cook faster, thicker will cook slower.
These are a great side dish for any 30 minute meal!
If your kids love dipping sauce, I recommend serving them with a side of ranch, , or pizza sauce.
How do you love eating your zucchini?
Want even more? to get new recipes and a newsletter delivered to your inbox. And stay in touch on , , , and for all my latest updates. If you make this recipe, share a photo on social media tagging @crazyforcrust and using the hashtag #crazyforcrust.
How To Make Garlic Parmesan Zucchini Casserole
This cheesy zucchini casserole recipe has quickly become a favorite among the boys in my house! I’m telling you: if you want to get your kids to eat some green vegetables, then this is the recipe for you. The zucchini is mild, it’s baked with three different kinds of cheese, and it’s finished with a buttery Parmesan breadcrumb topping. What’s not to love?!
Don’t Miss: Honey Baked Ham Jacksonville Nc
Get The Latest Recipes Right In Your Inbox:
Crisp, tender parmesan zucchini sticks oven-roasted to absolute perfection. Its healthy, nutritious and completely addictive!
Zucchini and parmesan cheese. Its a match made in heaven. And if all veggies were like this, Id become a vegetarian tomorrow.
No, but really, this is by far one of the best veggie side dishes Ive ever made. And the best part about this is that there is absolutely no deep frying or sauteing of any kind.
Simply cut your zucchini into quarters lengthwise, sprinkle on that Parmesan goodness and throw into the oven to let it get nice and crisp.
I like to let mine broil the last couple of minutes to get that nice golden brown crust. Its so good, even your picky eaters will be begging for seconds and thirds!
What Do You Season Roasted Zucchini With
My Parmesan Roasted Zucchini starts with an easy seasoning mix. I mix together some breadcrumbs, grated parmesan cheese , and spices:
- Salt
- Onion powder
- Italian seasoning
Once you have your seasoning mix put together, slice your zucchini however you like it. You can make these into rounds or fries.
Simply toss the zucchini wedges in the seasoning mix and place them on a cookie sheet.
Also Check: Easy Baked Mac & Cheese Recipe
What Is Healthy About Baked Zucchini
Baked zucchini is a healthy side dish for several reasons. This recipe only uses Italian breadcrumbs and Parmesan cheese, which are both low in fat and high in calcium. The zucchini also contains a good amount of dietary fiber when eaten with the skin on.
Zucchini is an excellent source of vitamin C, B6, thiamin and magnesium. It also provides some protein, potassium, phosphorus, niacin and riboflavin.
How To Make Baked Zucchini And Cheese
Nothing easier! Cheesy zucchini casserole is simple to make, with only a handful of ingredients and steps before popping it in the oven. In a baking dish, combine diced zucchini, bell pepper, tomatoes, onion, spices, herbs, half the cheese, and olive oil. Bake in the oven at 375ºF until almost tender, sprinkle the remaining cheese on top. Then finish baking the zucchini and cheese for another 10 minutes in the oven. Done!
You May Like: Ge Oven Bake Not Working
How To Make Baked Zucchini Crispy
First, start out by patting the zucchini dry after youve sliced it with paper towels. This can help absorb some of the extra moisture.
To make baked zucchini crispy, coat the sliced zucchini in Parmesan. Press all sides of the zucchini slice into the coating before placing it on a baking tray to bake. This will create a thick coating thats crunchy when baked.
How Do You Bake Zucchini Without It Getting Soggy
Roasting is a great way to cook zucchini as the high heat will draw out excess moisture before getting it nice and crispy. Lay the zucchini slices in an even layer on the baking sheet so that they roast rather than steam. Theres no need to salt the zucchini before cooking it, the oven will do all the work for you. Its best to serve the baked parmesan zucchini straight away so that they stay nice and crisp.
You May Like: Bush’s Baked Beans Tennessee
What Should I Put Into My Zucchini Boat
Stuffed zucchini walks an interesting line. Its a little indulgentwe dont skimp on the cheesebut its mostly a healthy dinner that celebrates summers bounty. With that in mind, our favorite zucchini boat ingredients are:
- Ground chicken
- Three kinds of cheese! Parmesan cheese, fresh mozzarella and ricotta.