ZUCCHINI & MOZZARELLA BAKE

Every year I make the same mistake. I plant more zucchini plants in the garden than I really need. When the seedlings are small and the garden beds are a little bare in spring it is just so tempting to put in another plant. Although, the zucchini has been slow to fruit this year I am now harvesting several a day, per plant. 

Luckily I do love zucchini (my children not so much), and over the years I have shared a number of recipes to use them. Including, Zucchini and Bean Mustard Pickle, Zucchini Moussaka, plus a frozen treat – Real Fruit (and Zucchini) “Soft Serve” Ice Cream. All these recipes, along with others, can be found here if you too are experiencing a zucchini overload. And here is a new recipe created with this summer’s bounty. 

Crumbed Zucchini & Mozzarella Bake

Eggplant Parmigiana was the inspiration for this dish, that uses zucchini slices instead. It does take a bit of effort to make, but it really is worth it. And this may just be the dish that had my usually zucchini-shy children applauding.

Servings 3

Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 40 minutes mins

Ingredients

Tomato Sauce Base

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped
• 400 g can chopped tomatoes or 5-6 fresh tomatoes, chopped
• pinch of salt
• 1 tbsp chopped fresh basil

Crumbed Zucchini

• 3-4 zucchini, cut lengthways into 1cm slices
• 1 tbsp flour
• pinch of salt
• 1 egg, beaten
• ½ cup breadcrumbs
• 30 g finely grated parmesan
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 200 g fresh mozzarella, sliced, or 1 cup grated cheese

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 190°C (170°C fan bake).
• First, make the tomato sauce base. Heat a large frying pan over a moderate heat. Add the oil and garlic and cook for 1 minute until fragrant. Add the chopped tomatoes, salt and basil. Simmer gently, stirring often, until the sauce is thick.
• Meanwhile, prepare the zucchini. Arrange three plates in a row on the bench. Combine the flour and salt on the first plate, pour the beaten egg onto the middle one, and mix breadcrumbs and parmesan together on the last. Working in batches, dust the zucchini slices generously with seasoned flour, then dip into the egg and finally generously coat in the breadcrumb mixture.
• Heat the second measure of olive oil in another frying pan over a moderate heat. Cook the zucchini in batches until golden brown on both sides. Nestle the crumbed zucchini in a single layer into the tomato sauce (or layer into a baking dish if you don’t have an ovenproof frying pan). Top the zucchini with sliced mozzarella, or grated cheese. Place into the oven and bake for 20 minutes until the cheese is bubbling. Serve immediately with a green salad.