Zucchini Parmigiana (No Frying, Gluten-Free)

Zucchini parmigiana recipe ingredients

This ingredient list includes what you need to make a quick tomato sauce from scratch, but you can absolutely make zucchini parmigiana with store-bought, jarred marinara sauce to save time.

• Zucchini: Choose small to medium zucchini. The bigger they get, the more seeds they have, and we don't want that. We need them to hold up to the oven roasting.
• Whole-milk mozzarella cheese: This is our gooey cheese layer that holds everything together. The original recipe that I adapted it from uses smoked mozzarella. If you can find it, it does add to the roasted flavor of the dish. It has just a hint of smokiness, and it complements the crushed red pepper in the sauce. You can find smoked mozzarella at Whole Foods, if you want to try it.
• Parmesan cheese: Well, you know I will always tell you to use REAL parmesan cheese, it's just so much more flavorful. It's worth the investment.
• San Marzano tomatoes: Again, use the real thing here. San Marzano tomatoes make a sauce that has a distinct sweetness to it and it tastes like Italian sunshine. Don't fall for imposters. There will be a certification on the label, so look for that. My favorite brand is Cento.
• Fresh basil: I like to use just a few basil leaves in one layer—not every layer—to add freshness. But you can add more if you like.
• Garlic, olive oil, crushed red pepper and salt: This is all you need to give the sauce its incredible flavor.

How to make baked zucchini parmigiana

Recipe adapted from The Italian Table, by Elizabeth Minchilli.

Step 1: Slice and salt/drain the zucchini

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Line three baking sheets with parchment paper.

Use a good chef's knife to slice the zucchini into planks about ¼ inch thick.

Place the zucchini slices in a large mixing bowl and sprinkle with salt so that all slices are coated. Allow to sit in the bowl for about 30 minutes. The salt is going to pull a lot of water out of the zucchini which will prevent the final product from being watery.

After 30 minutes, the zucchini slices will have released a lot of water, and they should be kind of flappy and pliable. Lay them out flat on a clean dish towel, then lay another clean dish towel on top to blot dry.

Step 2: Grate the cheese and chop the garlic

While the zucchini drains, grate the parmesan and mozzarella on the small holes of a box grater. Chop the garlic finely.

Step 3: Roast the zucchini

Place the zucchini into a large, DRY bowl, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt so that all of it is coated.

Place the zucchini on the parchment-lined baking sheets, but not too close together. We want them to roast, not steam.

Roast the zucchini in the oven for 20-30 minutes, until they start to get golden brown in spots and seem to have given up most of their water. Remove from the oven and turn the heat down to 400 degrees F.

Step 4: Make the tomato sauce

While the zucchini roasts, make the sauce. If using store bought sauce, skip to step 5.

Empty the tomatoes into a large mixing bowl and crush them by hand. Remove any stem ends from the tops of the tomatoes, as they won't break down while the sauce simmers.

Add the olive oil to a large, deep pan over medium heat. I used my Lodge enamel cast iron casserole dish. Once it begins to shimmer, add the chopped garlic and crushed red pepper. Stir frequently for 1 - 2 minutes, just until the garlic becomes fragrant and begins to soften.

Add the crushed tomatoes and salt to the pan, stir all the ingredients together and turn the heat up to medium high. Fill the tomato can about ¼ full with water and swish it around then add that to the sauce as well. Once it gets to a bubbly simmer, turn the heat back to medium and stir frequently, preferably with a wooden spoon, for about 20 minutes.

Step 5: Layer the zucchini parmigiana in a casserole dish

Now for the fun layering part!

• Layer 1: Put ⅓ of the sauce in the bottom of a 9" x 13" casserole dish, add ⅓ of the zucchini on top as you would lasagna noodles, then add ¼ cup of parmesan, then ½ of the smoked mozzarella and a few basil leaves.

• Layer 2: sauce, zucchini, ¼ cup of parmesan, all of the remaining mozzarella.
• Layer 3: zucchini, sauce, remaining parmesan.

Step 6: Bake!

Place it in the oven (400°F) and bake for about 20-25 minutes until the sauce is bubbling and the cheese is beginning to turn golden brown. Let stand 5-10 minutes before serving.

No breadcrumbs, no breading, no frying!

In the United States, when we think of zucchini 'parmigiana', we think all Italians are coating it in flour and breadcrumbs and frying it, not something you bake before layering. But in Italy, that's not necessarily true, it varies by region.

In many cases, the vegetables are simply pan fried in olive oil (or in this case baked) without breadcrumbs and then layered with cheese. Sometimes there is sauce, sometimes there is not.

More Italian zucchini recipes

More Italian recipes with zucchini from the summer garden!

• If you've still got more zucchini, but you just can't stand the thought of cooking, how about a raw zucchini salad? Sounds like a plan!
• Creamy lemon zucchini pasta is made with mascarpone cheese, which complements the subtle sweetness of that garden-fresh zucchini!
• A baked zucchini frittata is just about the easiest summer dinner ever.