This oven-baked zucchini Parm is perfectly crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, no copious amounts of oil or deep frying necessary! We use the oven twice: first to crisp and brown the breaded zucchini and then later to warm the slices after they are topped with sauce and lots of fresh mozzarella and Parmesan until they’re melted and bubbly. It’s an easy sheet pan summer recipe you’ll come back to again and again.
| Level: | Easy |
| Total: | 1 hr |
| Active: | 40 min |
| Yield: | 4 to 6 servings |
Ingredients
- 2 large cloves garlic, thinly sliced
- 6 tablespoons olive oil
- One 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- Kosher salt
- 1/3 cup fresh basil leaves, chopped, plus more torn leaves for serving
- 4 medium zucchini (about 2 pounds), ends trimmed, sliced lengthwise into 1/4-inch-thick planks
- 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 3 large eggs, beaten
- 1 cup Italian-style breadcrumbs
- 1 pound fresh mozzarella, thinly sliced
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan, plus more for serving
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
- Put the garlic and 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large skillet and place over medium heat. When the garlic sizzles and the edges start to brown, add the tomatoes, onion powder, red pepper flakes and 3/4 teaspoon salt. Bring to a simmer and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until the sauce thickens, about 8 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the basil.
- Heat an 18-by-13-inch sheet pan in the oven for at least 10 minutes while you bread the zucchini.
- Sprinkle both sides of the zucchini planks with salt. Let sit for 5 minutes, then pat dry between paper towels.
- Meanwhile, line up 3 shallow dishes; fill 1 with the flour and 1/2 teaspoon salt (stir well), 1 with the beaten eggs and 1 with the breadcrumbs. Dredge a zucchini plank first in the flour, tapping off any excess, then in the egg and finally in the breadcrumbs. Repeat with the remaining zucchini planks.
- Carefully remove the heated sheet pan from the oven and brush it with the remaining 4 tablespoons olive oil. Place the zucchini on the sheet pan in a single layer. Bake until the undersides are crisp and browned, 8 to 10 minutes, then flip the zucchini and continue baking until golden on the second side, 8 to 10 minutes more.
- Top the zucchini with the tomato sauce, mozzarella and Parmesan. Continue to bake, rotating halfway through, until the cheese melts and browns and the sauce is bubbly, 20 to 25 minutes more. Top with torn basil and a sprinkle of Parmesan before serving.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 6 servings |
| Calories | 572 |
| Total Fat | 36 g |
| Saturated Fat | 14 g |
| Carbohydrates | 35 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 5 g |
| Sugar | 11 g |
| Protein | 29 g |
| Cholesterol | 157 mg |
| Sodium | 1005 mg |
Reviews
Pretty good. I did panko bread crumbs instead. I do think doing a light pan fry might add some extra flavoring. Eggplant is still my favorite but this was a good sub.
Very tasty. I forgot to put the basil on top, but it was still very good. A good alternative to my eggplant parmesan, when I don’t have a lot of time. (My eggplant parm takes 3+ hours to make with sweating the eggplant, etc.).
Really? This is neither quick nor great to bake for an hour during summer heat. Delicious, True, but not light with 6 Tbs olive oil and fresh mozzarella.
Good for quick summer lunch
Instead of plain bread crumbs try Italian style bread crumbs! Excellent