Zucchini (and Onion) Parmesan

Happy Tuesday everyone! Before I post my recipe, I have to tell you how thrilled we are to have all of you involved in the Project.  The response has been awesome, and we are so happy that you are as excited as we are about this.  I really can't wait to see what you all will cook up!

By now, I know lots of you are already thinking, planning, and cooking Mediterranean food.  For my first Mediterranean dish, I was inspired by the fresh zucchini at the Farmer's Market on Saturday.

I've never liked eggplant, so eggplant parmesan has always been off the table.  Ever since I first heard about someone subbing in zucchini, though, I've been dreaming up ways to do it myself.  On Sunday, I finally settled on the following. I mostly used what I had laying around, including an extra onion.  We love onion at our house, but if you're not a huge onion fan, I would recommend leaving it out.  I served the final creation with whole wheat spaghetti and some roasted garlic bread we had leftover.

Zucchini (and Onion) Parmesan

1 large zucchini, cut into 1/2-inch slices

1 small yellow onion, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch slices, optional

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1 tsp olive oil

2 cups tomato puree

1 tbsp dried oregano

1 tbsp garlic powder

1/2 tbsp dried basil

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

4 slices provolone cheese, torn into pieces (see below)

1/4 cup shredded parmesan cheese

Preheat the oven to 350º.  In a medium frying pan, heat the oil over medium-high heat.  Put the flour in a shallow dish and lightly dredge each slice of zucchini in flour, shaking off the extra.  When the oil is heated, add the zucchini in batches (carefully!), and cook about 2 minutes on each side, until they are golden brown. Remove from the pan and set aside, then repeat with the remaining zucchini and the onion.

In a small bowl, stir together tomato puree and the next five ingredients (oregano through pepper).  You can also substitute 2 cups of whatever tomato/marinara sauce you like.

In a smallish casserole dish, spread about 2 tbsp of the tomato mixture.  Top with a layer of zucchini slices, then top each slice with a piece of provolone.  On top of that, layer a few slices of onion, then sprinkle with some of the parmesan cheese.  Top that layer with 2-3 tbsp of tomato mixture, then repeat layers with remaining zucchini, onion, cheese, and sauce.



Be sure to add a little extra parmesan to the top!

When the ingredients are all used up, bake the casserole until the cheese melts and is bubbly, about 20 minutes. Serve and enjoy!