Zucchini Parmesan

Nothing says Fall quite like a zucchini parmesan. It is one of those comfort dishes that can stand alone or be a lovely side dish. It is the pasta-less lasagne. Simple as it is there are some steps involved however at the delicious end there lies the reward. I have made this dish with a combination of zucchini and eggplant. Which is the absolute tastiest Parmesan you will ever have. If you do decide to venture and add eggplant all you do is prepare the eggplant in the same way as you would the zucchini. For this dish you will need the following:

2-3 large zucchini, sliced

salt

flour to coat the zucchini slices

vegetable oil for frying the zucchini slices

tomato sauce, pre-made or homemade

grated parmesan cheese

grated mozzarella cheese

1 x baking dish

   

First you want to wash and then slice the zucchini. The thickness of the slices all depends on your preference. Thicker slices gives you a meaty sort of texture. Whereas thinner gives you a more melt in your mouth texture. Sprinkle the slices of zucchini with salt. This prevents them from sweating too much. Switch the oven on and let it preheat to 350º.

Coat each slice in flour. Everyday all purpose flour will do however you may have a preference and want to use that.  

Once all the slices are floured you will want to pour some vegetable oil in a large pan/skillet and heat. Once the oil is hot place as many of the floured slices of zucchini as possible. Be careful the oil is hot! You may have to add more oil as you go. I did because I try to get away with using as little oil as possible. 

Once the slices are nicely browned on each side remove them from the pan and place on a plate lined with paper/kitchen towel to absorb the excess oil. You may have to replace the towels with fresh ones along the way. Repeat this until all the slices are browned and drained. 

Then get a baking dish. How many zucchini slices you have will determine the size. My zucchini slices were quite large therefore I used a 9x13 dish. Cover the bottom of the baking dish with some tomato sauce. Your sauce can be a pre-made one or a homemade one. I whipped up an easy sauce by taking a large tin of crushed tomatoes adding some herbs and seasonings. Done.  

Start to arrange the zucchini slices on top of the tomato sauce. Then add some grated parmesan cheese and grated mozzarella cheese over the zucchini slices. Place more tomato sauce over the cheese covered zucchini slices and repeat, by arranging more zucchini slices then cheese and then sauce. Until all the zucchini slices are used and the dish is layered fully. Like a lasagne. Ending with tomato sauce on top covered with the grated cheeses. 

If eggplant is being added to this dish simply alternate the layers with the prepared eggplant slices. 

Once everything is layered and nestled in the baking dish. Place the dish in the preheated oven for about 30 minutes or until all the cheese is melted and bubbly. 

Everything is melted and bubbled nicely after 30 minutes of baking. Remove the baked Zucchini Parmesan from the oven. Let stand for a few minutes and serve.

Hope everyone enjoyed their long weekend. - JW