Crispy Oven Baked Zucchini Parmesan

This oven-baked zucchini parmesan is super crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, and you don’t need a ton of oil or deep frying! This dish is a great alternative to eggplant parmesan.

Baked Zucchini ParmesanPhoto byFood Network

The oven is used twice: first to get the breaded zucchini nice and golden, and then again to heat up the slices after they are loaded with sauce and a generous amount of fresh mozzarella and Parmesan until everything is melted and bubbly. It’s a simple sheet pan recipe perfect for summer that you’ll want to make over and over.

Ingredients for this Recipe:

• 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

How to make Parmesan Zucchini:

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.

Heat up a large skillet over medium heat and add in the garlic along with 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Once the garlic starts to sizzle and turns a bit brown around the edges, add in the tomatoes, onion powder, red pepper flakes, and 3/4 teaspoon of salt. Let it simmer and keep stirring it every now and then until the sauce thickens up, which should take around 8 minutes. Take it off the heat and mix in the basil.

Preheat an 18-by-13-inch baking sheet in the oven for at least 10 minutes while you get the zucchini breaded.

Dust some salt on both sides of the zucchini slices. Let them rest for about 5 minutes, then use paper towels to pat them dry.

Use three shallow dishes. In one, mix together some flour and half a teaspoon of salt. In the second, pour in the beaten eggs, and in the last one, add the breadcrumbs. Take a zucchini plank and coat it in the flour first, shaking off any extra, then dip it in the egg, and finally roll it in the breadcrumbs. Do the same with the rest of the zucchini planks.

Take the hot sheet pan out of the oven and give it a good brush with the leftover 4 tablespoons of olive oil. Lay the zucchini out on the pan in a single layer. Bake them until the bottoms are nice and crispy, about 8 to 10 minutes, then flip them over and keep baking until the other side is golden, another 8 to 10 minutes.

Spread the tomato sauce over the zucchini, then add mozzarella and Parmesan on top. Keep baking, giving it a turn halfway, until the cheese is melted and golden, and the sauce is bubbling—about 20 to 25 minutes. Finish it off with some torn basil and a dash of Parmesan. Serve and enjoy!

Recipe courtesy of Amanda Neal for Food Network Kitchen.

Food Network User 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.).

Good for quick summer lunch