This breaded Zucchini Parmesan is fried until crispy and baked in a casserole dish with layers of marinara sauce and mozzarella cheese.
Have more zucchini in your garden? Try my creamy zucchini soup and eggplant rollatini next!
Zucchini Parmesan
This is definitely one of my favorite ways to make use of garden zucchini during the summer. The preparation takes a little bit of time before you assemble it in the casserole dish and bake it, but the effort is SO well worth it.
I prefer to fry the zucchini prior to baking it in the casserole dish with cheese and marinara, but I do have instructions in the recipe card notes if you want to bake or air fry it instead.
Be sure to check out my Pro Tips below where I share some key advice that I learned during my testing efforts for this recipe.
Should You Salt Zucchini Before Cooking?
- Zucchini is 95% water. Salting them extracts a lot of this moisture which gets absorbed by paper towels on the top and bottom of the zucchini rounds.
- This makes a huge difference between having firm, sturdy bites of zucchini, vs. a limp and watery consistency.
- Let them sit for at least 30 minutes after salting to allow the maximum amount of moisture to get extracted. I usually let them sit for 1.5 hours if time allows.
How to Make It
*See recipe card below this post for ingredient quantities and full instructions.
Slice zucchini into 1/4 inch slices, no thicker. Salt each side and place in between paper towels for up to an hour to extract water. Pat each one dry before dredging.
Dip each slice into beaten egg whites & garlic powder. Transfer to breading mixture and coat generously.
Fry in preheated 350° oil until golden brown on each side. Transfer to a cooling rack.
*Note: The recipe card at the bottom of this post has instructions for baking or air frying the zucchini if preferred.
Spoon marinara sauce on the bottom of a 9 x 13 casserole dish. Add a layer of fried zucchini and top with marinara and mozzarella.
Add additional layers of zucchini, marinara, and mozzarella until you’ve used all of the zucchini. You can do this in clean stacks or overlap them within the casserole dish.
Bake at 400° for 20-25 minutes, until cheese is melted and begins to brown slightly. Serve!
Do You Peel Zucchini?
- There is no need to peel the zucchini unless it’s jumbo sized, in which case the skins could be tough/bitter.
- The ideal size for a ripe zucchini is about 6 inches.
- I like to slice these into thin, 1/4 inch slices for a nice crispy consistency. Otherwise it’s harder to get the middle to cook through.
Pro Tips
- Don’t let them sit too long after being breaded. Give them another dip in the breading mix if any moisture starts to creep through before they’re fried.
- Make sure the oil has reached 350° (medium-high heat) before you add the zucchini. If it’s not hot enough, the breading will fall off. You can then adjust up/down during cooking as needed.
- Watch them carefully as they fry, once they start to turn brown it happens quickly.
- To keep the zucchini crisp: Place them on a cooling rack after frying/baking/air frying.
Using Egg Whites For The Breading
- Traditionally, Chicken Parmesan or Eggplant Parmesan is dredged in seasoned flour, then eggs, then in a breadcrumb mixture. I tried this method with the zucchini as well, but felt like the zucchini got lost in the breading this way, the zucchini to breading ratio was off.
- So instead, I like to dip the the zucchini in egg whites because it allows the zucchini to hold on to the breading, but isn’t heavy enough where the egg will bleed through. From there it goes into a seasoned breadcrumb/flour mixture with a bit of Parmesan cheese mixed in.
- This is a nice, light breading which compliments the thin slices of zucchini well.
Storage
Store in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
Try These Next
- Creamy Zucchini Soup
- Eggplant Rollatini
- Broccoli Pasta
- Egg Roll in a Bowl
- Baked Tacos
- Taco Spaghetti
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![A cheesy stack of crispy breaded Zucchini Parmesan on a spatula.](jpg/zucchini-parmesan-f-200x200.jpg)
Zucchini Parmesan
Ingredients
- 2 medium zucchini
- 2-3 egg whites, beaten until frothy
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 ½ cups marinara sauce
- 2 cups mozzarella cheese
- 20 oz. vegetable oil, for frying
Breading
- ¾ cup flour
- ¾ cup Italian breadcrumbs
- ¼ cup Parmesan cheese, grated
- 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
Bread/Fry the Zucchini
- Note 1: There is no need to peel the zucchini unless they are jumbo sized, in which case the skins could be tough/bitter.Note 2: See notes section on instructions for baking or air frying the zucchini instead of frying. This is done before the casserole is assembled with marinara sauce and cheese.
- Wash the zucchini and pat dry. Slice into ¼ inch slices, try not to cut thicker than that, or they won’t be as crispy. Place over paper towels and sprinkle evenly with a light layer of salt. Flip and repeat with more salt. Top with more paper towels. Let is for 30+ minutes, preferably up to an hour. Pat them each completely dry prior to dredging.
- Beat the egg whites and garlic powder until frothy.
- Combine the breading ingredients in a small bowl.
- Dip each zucchini into the egg whites, then coat generously in breading mix. Use the back of a spoon to pat the breading onto the zucchini. Flip, and repeat.
- Heat vegetable oil to 350° (medium-high heat), preferably in a cast iron skillet. Use enough to cover them about halfway. Add more oil while they cook as needed.
- Fry for 2-3 minutes per side, until golden brown. Leave room around each one so they will crisp on the outside. Watch carefully as they fry, once they start to brown, it happens fast.
- Set aside on a cooling rack, this allows air to circulate around them and keeps them crisp.
Assemble the Casserole
- Preheat oven to 400°.
- Spoon marinara sauce on the bottom of a 9 x 13 casserole dish, just enough to coat it lightly. Top with a layer of fried zucchini. Spoon marinara sauce over each one, then sprinkle with a layer of mozzarella cheese.
- Repeat until you’ve used all of the zucchini. You can make clean stacks or overlap them around each other.
- Bake, uncovered, for 20-25 minutes, until the cheese is melted and begins to brown. Serve with Cheesy Garlic Bread.°
Notes
Pro Tips:
- Zucchini is 95% water, so let them sit after salting as long as you can. You'll extract more water and will have a firmer consistency.
- Don't let them sit too long after being breaded. Give them another dip in the breading mix if any moisture starts to creep through before they're fried.
- Make sure the oil has reached 350° (medium-high heat) before you add the zucchini. If it's not hot enough, the breading will fall off. You can then adjust up/down during cooking as needed.
- Watch them carefully as they fry, once they start to turn brown it happens quickly.
- To keep the zucchini crisp: Place them on a cooling rack after frying/baking/air frying.
Joanna Panzera said “Easy and excellent recipe. Thank you for sharing!”
I’m so happy to hear that Joanna, thanks so much for taking the time to leave a comment!😃
Do you remove the salt from the zucchini slices prior to breading and frying ?
I dab them dry with paper towels and proceed with breading! 🙂
Just made it today hope it turns out OK, can you freeze the rest? And thanks for the tip to use salt to soak out the moisture out I hate soggy food.
Hi Gardner! If you freeze it, the results won’t be super crispy, I like to freeze/reheat but just wanted to keep your expectations on point! 🙂
Very good. We added a pound of hot Italian sausage (precooked in a frying pan) and a little ricotta cheese in our layers, and we quite enjoyed it. I loved your trick to draw the water out of the zucchini with the salt. We did that and then air fried the zucchini before layering. Thanks for sharing the recipe. A nice way to cut some carbs too.
You’re very welcome Michelle! I love that you added hot Italian sausage and ricotta cheese, yummmmm😋 Thanks so much for the great review!
My neighbor dropped off a couple of large zucchini so was I craving Zucchini parm for a few days. Your recipe is similar to my chicken parm recipe. Used 2 eggs and added a little water to thin out egg yolk. Other than my smoke detector going off a few times while browning zucchini, everything pulled together for a delicious Zucchini Parm. Thank you!!
You’re very welcome Liz, I’m so happy you liked it! Lol my husband had to put tape over the kitchen smoke detector, I’m a repeat offender 😂. Thanks so much for the great review!💖
Thank You!! I have never been able to prepare zucchini in a way that didn’t leave them soggy – until now! Your method works so well that I actually served the zucchini (with a little cheese on top) as a veggie with dinner and it was wonderful. My husband really loved the dish and it will appear often on our table 🙂
I’m so happy to hear that! I love that you added a little cheese and made a nice veggie side dish 😋. Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a review💖💖💖