Baked Zucchini (Italian Style with Tomatoes – Side Dish)
Baked zucchini is a fabulous Italian style side dish you can make with your summer zucchini and tomatoes. It can also be served as a vegan lunch with a slice of crusty bread!
This is sort of a guest post from my mother.
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She’s been telling me all summer long to post this recipe, and every time she made it she sent me photos.
It’s one of my mum’s favorite dishes that Nonna Chiarina (her mother) used to make, so she really wanted me to share the recipe with all of you, simply because it’s so good! Here’s another of Mum’s photos, and I’ll follow with her tips.
When I sent my French friend, Marie, a photo of this dish, she said it reminded her of a Tian Provençal, so I looked it up and it looks like they’re probably cousins! 😆
By the way, if you have zucchini, you are likely to have zucchini flowers! Here’s an easy, authentic Italian recipe to prepare them. They’re soooo good!
Tips for Baked Zucchini
- Use bigger, older zucchini for best results (you’ll need to remove the core/seeds), but you won’t need to salt them.
- If you do use smaller zucchini, as I did, salt them to remove excess water (the older zucchini are more dry.
- You can use fresh cherry tomatoes or canned cherry tomatoes (she used fresh, I used canned).
- Be very generous with the breadcrumbs.
- Don’t be stuck on measurements with this recipe, they’re not critical.
- NOTE: zucchini is plural. I asked a grocery store employee if they had zucchini, and she corrected me and said, “Zucchinis?” I just said, “Yes”, but it almost killed me. Haha!
- USE THE BEST INGREDIENTS! If you don’t have fresh cherry tomatoes, use a brand from The Greatest Tomatoes from Europe (I used Mutti).
The finished product (my version).
Although this is a great side dish, it also makes for a delicious vegan or vegetarian lunch.
Incidentally, this is the type of bread to use for the fresh breadcrumbs. If it’s too fresh, cut slices and let them dry for a few hours. This baked zucchini dish is perfect for vegetarians and vegans, and me!
How to Cook Zucchini Without it Getting Soggy
This applies to all ways of cooking zucchini, whether baked, fried, sautéed or whatever other method you choose: salt it. I will show you how to do this in the recipe below, but if you like more of a bite to your zucchini, you’ll love this method. Again, it’s more for younger zucchini which are full of water.
One of the things I love about this crispy baked zucchini is the zing from a splash of vinegar which is added at the end of assembling the dish. Unless you hate vinegar, don’t skip this!
Try this spaghetti with zucchini recipe, too! It has tomatoes and mozzarella with the summer veg!
Can You Cook Zucchini in an Air Fryer?
YES, you can bake zucchini in an air fryer! As a matter of fact, the photo shown above was made in my air fryer. It turned out beautifully. Now let’s get to the recipe!
Baked Zucchini
(Italian Style with Tomatoes)
A family recipe from Lidia Conte serves 4 as a side dish
FULL PRINTABLE RECIPE BELOW
Prepare the Zucchini (Salting Zucchini)
If using an older zucchini, slice it in half and remove the core/seeds. Cut into thin slices (see how my Mum did it).
If using younger zucchini, cut into 1/4 ” slices.
Layer into a colander in the sink and sprinkle generously with Kosher salt.
Place a plate and weight on top of the zucchini to help push out the liquid, and leave for 15 minutes. Now remove the plate and squeeze the water out by hand or in a cloth. Repeat with the rest of the slices. Dry the zucchini in a paper towel.
Prepare the Tomatoes
Put the tomatoes, fresh or canned, into a bowl.
Add 1 or 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil, salt, pepper and dried oregano and mix well. Taste to see if it needs more salt.
Assemble the Ingredients for Baked Zucchini
At this point, preheat the oven to 450 F (235 C),
Prepare a tray or trays/pans by drizzling some extra virgin olive oil on the bottom of them. Sprinkle with some of the fresh homeade breadcrumbs, then begin arranging, slightly overlapped the pieces.
Continue until a layer is complete.
Sprinkle the zucchini generously with breadcrumbs. Here’s what it looks like on a cookie sheet using long slices of courgettes (zucchini) and the generous amount of breadcrumbs. This got the thumbs up from my mother.
Dot with the cherry tomatoes and the juice.
Then drizzle with extra virgin olive oil.
Now comes that splash of vinegar. I love a really strong Italian wine vinegar (at least 6% acidity).
Here’s the tray ready for the oven, too.
Pop into the hot oven for about 15 to 20 minutes, or until breadcrumbs are crispy and tomatoes are blistered.
Serve hot, although it’s not bad at room temperature, to be honest.
And the long sliced cookie sheet version.
Enjoy!
Another delicious vegan dish: Italian style zucchini and mushrooms.
Baked Zucchini (Italian Style with Tomatoes - Side Dish)
Ingredients
Prepare Zucchini:
- 1 ½ lbs zucchini (one larger more mature, or two small to medium-sized)
- 1 tsp Kosher salt (generous amount for salting)
Prepare Tomatoes:
- 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 15 cherry tomatoes (cut in half, or a few good quality canned tomatoes, like Mutti)
- ¼ tsp dried oregano (a few shakes)
- ⅛ tsp pepper (to taste)
- ⅛ tsp salt (to taste)
Baked Zucchini:
- 1 cup fresh breadcrumbs (from a somewhat older loaf of bread)
- 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil (drizzle on the tray)
- ⅛ tsp salt (to taste)
- ⅛ tsp pepper (to taste)
- ½ Tbsp wine vinegar (a few splashes, good quality Italian- preferably 6% acidity)
Instructions
Prepare the Zucchini (Salting Zucchini):
- If using an older zucchini, slice it in half and remove the core/seeds. Cut into thin slices (see how my Mum did it).
- If using younger zucchini, cut into ¼" (½ cm) slices.
- Layer into a colander in the sink and sprinkle generously with Kosher salt.
- Place a plate and weight on top of the zucchini to help push out the liquid, and leave for 15 minutes. Now remove the plate and squeeze the water out by hand or in a cloth. Repeat with the rest of the slices. Dry the zucchini in a paper towel.
Prepare the Tomatoes:
- Put the tomatoes, fresh or canned, into a bowl.
- Add the extra virgin olive oil, salt, pepper, and dried oregano and mix well.Taste to see if it needs more salt.
Assemble the Ingredients for Baked Zucchini:
- At this point, preheat the oven to 450℉ (235℃).
- Prepare a tray or trays/pans by drizzling some extra virgin olive oil on the bottom of them. Sprinkle with some of the fresh homeade breadcrumbs, then begin arranging, slightly overlapped the pieces. Continue until a layer is complete.
- Sprinkle the zucchini generously with breadcrumbs, dot with the cherry tomatoes and the juice. Then drizzle with extra virgin olive oil.
- Now comes that splash of vinegar. I love a really strong Italian wine vinegar (at least 6% acidity).
- Pop into the hot oven for about 15 to 20 minutes, or until breadcrumbs are crispy and tomatoes are blistered.
- Serve hot, although it's not bad at room temperature, but to be honest.
Notes
- Use fresh, quality ingredients for the best results.
Nutrition
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I made this dish for a celebration dinner over the weekend and everyone RAVED! It is the perfect way to use the plethora of zucchini and cherry tomatoes spilling over in my garden. I made my own breadcrumbs (a first for me) in the food processor using toasted whole wheat buns (it’s what I had!), Italian dipping herbs, and bit of nutritional yeast. I followed the recipe exactly–Christina, you have a talent for flavor and balance. This dish was perfection. I’ll be making it again and again. Thanks!!
THat’s so great to hear, Dina! Only, it’s not me, it was my Nonna Chiarina who was the genius in the kitchen! :)
Both versions look lovely, Christine! I think I’ll have this for dinner this week…
Both your mother’s and your versions are beautiful! And I am always looking for new ways to cook zucchine – this will be a new favorite, I can tell!
Thanks, David! I just love the vinegar kick to it!
As you know, I made and loved this. The exquisiteness and simplicity of Italian cuisine really comes through in this dish. You don’t need tons of herbs or flavorings… just pure, best quality ingredients. It’s just wonderful. I hope people read this and try it!