Meatless Monday: Zucchini Parmesan

The Wisconsin Test Kitchen is full of Italian food lovers. We love homemade pasta, sausage and peppers and a thick, ten pound lasagna. A few nights ago, we were craving eggplant parmesan. We were out of eggplant, but had 4 beautiful, fresh zucchini instead. So, we tried zucchini parmesan instead.
This is a recipe to hold onto for a Friday or Saturday night when you have time (and a bottle of wine!) to kill. It's a little time consuming, you need to flour and fry the zucchini in batches... which is kind of a pain. But, that's the most labor intensive part of the recipe. Once you're done pan frying the zucchini, all you need to do is layer the rest of the ingredients and bake until golden brown. And then enjoy, with a little Frank Sinatra or Dean Martin in the background. Instant date night!

Zucchini Parmesan
Recipe courtesy of: http://www.gimmesomeoven.com/zucchini-parmesan/#_a5y_p=2086411


INGREDIENTS:

2-3 zucchini, ends trimmed, sliced into 1/3" discs
coarse salt and freshly-cracked black pepper
1 cup all-purpose flour
vegetable or canola oil
2/3 cup of your favorite tomato sauce
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
1 large ball or block fresh mozzarella (about 4 1/2 ounces), torn into small pieces
small handful of basil leaves, roughly torn
2/3 cup freshly-grated Parmesan (about 3 ounces)

DIRECTIONS:

Sprinkle slices of zucchini with a small pinch of coarse salt and freshly-cracked black pepper on each side.

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

In a large bowl, lightly dredge the zucchini slices in the flour, tapping them on the side of the bowl to shake off excess flour.

Heat 1/4 cup oil in a large skillet over high heat. When a pinch of flour sizzles on contact, add the zucchini slices in a single layer, turn the heat to medium-high and cook for about one and a half minutes on each side or until dark golden brown. Transfer the zucchini to paper towels to drain. Repeat in batches until all of your zucchini it is cooked, adding more oil as necessary.

In a 13 x 9-inch baking dish (or oven-proof skillet), arrange as many slices of zucchini as can fit snugly in a single layer. Top each slice with a small spoonful of tomato sauce, a few crushed red pepper flakes (if desired), and mozzarella.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until the cheese has melted and begun to turn a golden color. Add parmesan and bake for an additional 5 minutes. Remove from oven, and garnish with torn basil. Serve immediately.

Like we mentioned, this is kind of a putzy recipe, but it's well worth the effort. We loved the crisp texture of the zucchini and the fresh mozarella really elevated the dish (way better than the shredded store-bought stuff). Give it a try next time you're craving some Italian comfort food!

Stay Cool,
The Cool Dads Crew