All the flavors of your favorite Chicken Parmesan but made with zucchini instead of chicken for a fun appetizer or side dish.
Chicken Parmesan is one of my favorite dinners to make. I mean, it’s got crunchy chicken, tomato sauce and lots of cheese. What’s not to love?
I have a version of Chicken Parmesan that I do in the slow cooker (it’s crazy good. Promise!) that is perfect for busy weeknights, but when I want the Parmesan flavors to be more special, weekend-worthy, I like switching things up a bit. That’s how I came up with this Zucchini Parmesan recipe.
What Is Zucchini Parmesan?
It’s very similar to Chicken Parm in terms of flavor, but it uses broiled rounds of zucchini instead of breaded chicken. You top those rounds with tomato sauce, mozzarella, and crunchy panko breadcrumbs and broil it a bit longer. Voilà!
The cute round Zucchini Parmesans are great as an appetizer or a side dish. They also work plated on top of a buttery pile of rotini noodles or white rice.
How To Make Zucchini Parmesan
We’re keeping this simple and not dealing with frying and breading.
Preheat in the broiler in your oven. Prep a large sheet pan with a spray of cooking oil and slice your zucchini. About 1/2-inch is a good size for the zucchini slices.
Add the zucchini rounds, spread out in a single layer, to the sheet pan and lightly salt and pepper them. Then, put them in the oven about 8 inches from the heat source. Broil until the zucchini is starting to soften and getting lightly browned on top, about 6-8 minutes.
Next, you’ll pull the pan out of the oven to top each zucchini round with some tomato sauce, mozzarella cheese, and panko breadcrumbs. Spray some oil on the crumbs so they get beautifully browned and crispy.
Return to the oven and broil some more until cheese is melted and crumbs are browned, another 3-4 minutes. I really think you’re going to love this one!
Want another fun variation? Try this Air Fryer Eggplant Parmesan. So good.
Christine :)
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Zucchini Parmesan
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
- Category: Appetizer
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: American
DESCRIPTION
All the flavors of your favorite Chicken Parmesan but made with zucchini instead of chicken for a fun appetizer or side dish.
Listen to me explain briefly about how to make this side dish, with some great tips along the way, by clicking the play button below:
Ingredients
- 3 medium zucchini, sliced into ½-in. thick rounds
- Cooking spray
- ½ tsp. salt
- ¼ tsp. black pepper
- 1 cup tomato sauce (homemade or store-bought)
- ½ cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- ⅓ cup panko breadcrumbs
Instructions
- Preheat broiler.
- Spray large baking pan with cooking spray. Add the zucchini rounds (with flat sides down) in a single layer.
- Sprinkle with salt and pepper
- Broil 8 inches from heat source until slightly softened and starting to brown on top, 6-8 minutes.
- Top each zucchini round with about 1 tablespoon of tomato sauce, some mozzarella cheese and some panko crumbs.
- Spray crumbs with cooking spray.
- Broil some more until cheese is melted and crumbs are browned, 3-4 minutes.
This post originally appeared in January 2018 and was revised and republished in August 2022.
Cheryl says
I tried this last night and it was soooo good. I’ll definitely make it again. Thanks for the recipe!
★★★★★
Christine Pittman says
You’re welcome, Cheryl!
Nitza says
That sounds delicious! I’m going to try it this week.