Parmesan, olive oil and breadcrumbs each enhance the flavor of zucchini, fresh from the Farmers Market.
“I found a recipe for you,” Mark said, waving his phone at me.
Sure enough, the recipe on the screen had my favorite qualities. It promised to be 1) quick, 2) easy, and 3) star a healthy vegetable.
“How much zucchini do I need?” I asked.
“Just use the two you bought at the Farmers Market,” Mark said.
Since we already had panko breadcrumbs, Parmesan cheese and olive oil in our pantry, I was ready to jump into Times-Leader-Test-Kitchen mode and bake some zucchini.
(With only two zucchinis, we only had half what the recipe calls for. Despite that, I used the full amounts of the olive oil, breadcrumbs and Parmesan. That didn’t seem to hurt anything.)
Thanks to food writer Nagi Maehashi, who lives in Australia and posted this recipe at recipetineats.com, we soon had a delightful side dish. I love how simple it is, and think it is a great way to celebrate the summer harvest.
Quick and Easy Baked Zucchini
4 large or 5 medium zucchinis
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon each salt and pepper
2 tablespoons breadcrumbs
2 tablespoons Parmesan, grated
Preheat oven to 450°F with the oven shelf set high in the oven.
Trim the ends off the zucchini. Cut medium zucchinis in quarters lengthwise, and large ones into sixths (halve then cut each half into 3 lengthwise to make 6 long “wedges”).
Pile zucchini on a tray. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon oil, salt and pepper. Toss.
Line up in two rows so they’re touching each other, with the skin side down.
Sprinkle evenly with breadcrumbs, then Parmesan and drizzle with 1 tablespoon oil.
Bake 12 minutes until the parmesan is golden and the zucchini is soft but not soggy.
Serve immediately!
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