Sunday, May 17: Zucchini Parmesan with Pesto Toasts

Zucchini parmesan for Sunday dinner tonight! I adapted a recipe from New York Times, making my own marinara sauce and adding a buuunch of mozzarella to each layer (you can never have too much cheese!). So delicious, especially piled on top of thick slices of bread spread with homemade arugula pesto.

First, start on the sauce. In a sauce pan, heat up a few TB of olive oil. Add 1 small diced onion and a pinch of salt, and saute for 5-7 minutes. Add in a few sliced cloves of garlic, 1 tsp dried oregano, and 2 tsp dried basil, and saute another minute or two. Add in 1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes, then fill the can halfway with water, swirl around to catch any bits of tomato, and pour in the pot. Season with a big pinch of salt, a pinch of red pepper flakes, and about 1/2 tsp sugar (depending on the acidity of your tomatoes — mine tasted like they could use a touch of sweetness). Let simmer for 20-30 minutes until thickened and flavorful. Taste and adjust for salt, red pepper flakes, and sugar — sometimes all you need to make a sauce taste perfect is another pinch of salt! Tomatoes love salt :)

While the sauce is simmering, get your zucchini ready. Trim the ends off of 2-2.5 pounds zucchini (about 6-7 zucchini, depending on size), cut in half crosswise, then slice lengthwise into 1/4-1/3 thick planks. Spread out onto two parchment-lined baking sheets, brush with olive oil, sprinkle with a pinch of salt, and roast at 450 degrees for about 12 minutes (until just tender and starting to brown on the bottom — you don’t want them mushy). Remove from oven, then reduce temperature to 375.

In a medium baking dish (NY Times suggests a 2-quart gratin dish, but I honestly don’t know what size mine was), spread a thin layer of sauce. Arrange a layer of zucchini on top, then another layer of sauce. Sprinkle with grated parm and shredded mozz (you’ll need enough cheese for 3 layers, depending on the size of your dish). Then add two more layers: zucchini, sauce, cheese (ending with the cheese), or until you’re out of zucchini and sauce. I added extra cheese to the top layer :). Note: after you do your first layer of zucchini, count how many slices you used for that layer, then see how many slices remain for your other layers. Use your ingredients accordingly and plan layers based on that number (of course, it doesn’t have to be perfect!!). I used about 12 slices of zucchini per layer, for a total of 36 slices for 3 layers. It’ll be different based on the size of your dish, how many slices fit in each layer, and how many slices of zucchini you have — but it’s good to plan and know ahead of time so you know how much sauce and cheese to reserve.

Bake in the 375 oven for about 30 minutes, or until bubbling and golden brown. Let sit and cool for at least 10-15 minutes before cutting and serving (so it’s not too soupy/liquidy).

While the zucchini parmesan is baking, make some arugula pesto! See original post with pesto recipe here.

We loved eating this meal by spreading pesto on slices of bread or toast then topping with the zucchini parm. It also makes great leftovers!