Oh look, another dish using zucchini. You’ll get over it. But wait – I actually remembered the camera!! This is a pretty good recipe, that is being altered for a much better taste. How you alter things is up to you, but I needed to doctor up the marinara sauce I had – garlic powder, onion salt, thyme, basil, and oregano. If you use bottled, you *need* to doctor it. They tend to be way to bland.
So, this is my version of a recipe I found on, where else, Pinterest.
Ingredients:
- 3-4 large zucchini, sliced into 1/3-inch coins
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 cup parmesan cheese, grated and divided in half
- 1/2 cup bread crumbs
- 1/2 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1/2 tablespoon italian seasoning or combine some thyme, basil, and oregano
- salt & freshly ground pepper to taste
- 2 cup marinara sauce, homemade or bottled
- 1 cup mozzarella cheese, grated
There are two ways to cook the zucchini – you can fry it in a bit of olive oil in a saute pan or you can bake them. I baked them and am sorry I did. While the baking will be better health-wise, they end up a bit softer than you may like. Frying them in the pan will give a much crisper result – which I really do recommend. Instructions for both are below.
Blot zucchini coins with paper towels to remove excess moisture. Place zucchini in a medium bowl and drizzle with olive oil, turning to coat each piece. In a separate bowl, combine the bread crumbs, garlic powder, italian seasoning (or your own equivalent), salt, pepper, and half the parmesan. Put each zucchini coin into the parmesan mixture, a few at a time, turning to coat and pressing the breading slightly to ensure it sticks.
To bake: Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Coat a large baking sheet with non-stick cooking spray. Place breaded zucchini coins in one even layer on prepared baking sheet. Bake for 25 minutes or until browned and crisp.
OR
To fry: Drizzle a bit of olive oil in saute pan on put on medium high heat. You’ll need to do the zucchini in small batches to ensure even cooking. When heated up, cook each zucchini coin on each side for 2-4 minutes (depending on your pan, the oil, and heat level). Put aside on a plate lined with paper towels to help wick away the excess oil. Blot them a bit to make sure you get all the excess oil off all of your zucchini.
Have oven temp at 400F. Coat the bottom of a baking dish with marinara sauce. Layer one third of the crisp zucchini coins over marinara, overlapping if necessary. Sprinkle zucchini layer with mozzarella and the remaining parmesan. Repeat the layers as many times as you have zucchini left. I only did 2 levels, but I had a larger baking dish.
Bake for 10-15 minutes or until the cheese is melted and the sauce is bubbling. Cool for 5 minutes before serving.
I took this picture right before it was all gone. I was too hungry to take the picture beforehand! LOL
