Have more zucchini in your garden? Try my zucchini soup and my zucchini casserole next!
Zucchini Parmesan
This is definitely one of my favorite ways to make use of garden zucchini during the summer. The preparation takes a little bit of time before you assemble it in the casserole dish and bake it, but the effort is SO well worth it. I prefer to fry the zucchini prior to baking it in the casserole dish with cheese and marinara, but I do have instructions in the recipe card notes if you want to bake or air fry it instead. Be sure to check out my Pro Tips below where I share some key advice that I learned during my testing efforts for this recipe.
Should You Salt Zucchini Before Cooking?
Zucchini is 95% water. Salting them extracts a lot of this moisture which gets absorbed by paper towels on the top and bottom of the zucchini rounds. This makes a huge difference between having firm, sturdy bites of zucchini, vs. a limp and watery consistency. Let them sit for at least 30 minutes after salting to allow the maximum amount of moisture to get extracted. I usually let them sit for 1.5 hours if time allows.
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 you’ve 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!
Do You Peel Zucchini?
There is no need to peel the zucchini unless it’s jumbo sized, in which case the skins could be tough/bitter. The ideal size for a ripe zucchini is about 6 inches. I like to slice these into thin, 1/4 inch slices for a nice crispy consistency. Otherwise it’s harder to get the middle to cook through.
Pro Tips
Don’t let them sit too long after being breaded. Give them another dip in the breading mix if any moisture starts to creep through before they’re fried. Make sure the oil has reached 350° (medium-high heat) before you add the zucchini. If it’s not hot enough, the breading will fall off. You can then adjust up/down during cooking as needed. Watch them carefully as they fry, once they start to turn brown it happens quickly. To keep the zucchini crisp: Place them on a cooling rack after frying/baking/air frying. For more zucchini recipes, try my Zucchini Soup, Zucchini Casserole, and Zucchini Crust Pizza! And be sure to try my Eggplant Casserole recipe.
Using Egg Whites For The Breading
Traditionally, Chicken Parmesan or Eggplant Parmesan is dredged in seasoned flour, then eggs, then in a breadcrumb mixture. I tried this method with the zucchini as well, but felt like the zucchini got lost in the breading this way, the zucchini to breading ratio was off. So instead, I like to dip the the zucchini in egg whites because it allows the zucchini to hold on to the breading, but isn’t heavy enough where the egg will bleed through. From there it goes into a seasoned breadcrumb/flour mixture with a bit of Parmesan cheese mixed in. This is a nice, light breading which compliments the thin slices of zucchini well.
Storage
Store in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
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