Roasted Zucchini With Garlicky Bread Crumbs and Mozzarella

By Melissa Clark

Roasted Zucchini With Garlicky Bread Crumbs and Mozzarella
Johnny Miller for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Rebecca Jurkevich.
Total Time
25 minutes
Rating
4(1,383)
Comments
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In this highly zesty recipe, thick slices of zucchini are broiled until golden and tender, then topped with milky mozzarella and bread crumbs flecked with anchovy and garlic. While it bakes, the cheese melts, the crumbs crisp and the whole thing becomes vaguely reminiscent of a lighter parmigiana — but without the frying. If you’re feeding more than two, this recipe can be doubled. Just make sure to use two rimmed baking pans so the zucchini doesn't overlap and become soggy. If you have Castelvetrano olives, use them here; they add nice crunch and color.

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Ingredients

Yield:2 servings
  • Extra-virgin olive oil, as needed
  • 4medium zucchini, sliced lengthwise into ½-inch-thick planks
  • Fine sea salt
  • ½cup panko bread crumbs
  • ½cup grated Parmesan
  • 4anchovy fillets, minced
  • 1garlic clove, finely grated or mashed to a paste
  • ½teaspoon herbes de Provence or dried oregano
  • Pinch of red-pepper flakes, plus more for serving
  • 4ounces mozzarella, grated (about 1 cup)
  • Black pepper
  • 3tablespoons chopped, pitted black or green olives
  • 2tablespoons torn basil or parsley leaves
  • Lemon wedges, for serving
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (2 servings)

537 calories; 33 grams fat; 15 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 13 grams monounsaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 28 grams carbohydrates; 5 grams dietary fiber; 11 grams sugars; 35 grams protein; 1247 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Heat broiler. Brush a rimmed sheet pan with olive oil, then lay the zucchini out in an even layer. Brush zucchini with more oil and sprinkle generously with salt.

  2. Step 2

    Broil until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Flip and broil until golden in spots, 4 to 6 minutes.

  3. Step 3

    Meanwhile, in a small bowl, toss together bread crumbs, Parmesan, anchovies, garlic, herbes de Provence or oregano, red-pepper flakes and ¼ teaspoon salt. Add 2 tablespoons oil and use your fingers to rub oil, garlic and anchovies into the crumbs.

  4. Step 4

    When zucchini is browned on both sides, turn off broiler and set oven to 500 degrees. Sprinkle zucchini with mozzarella, then bread crumb mixture; generously drizzle with oil. Bake until cheese melts and bread crumbs turn golden, about 4 minutes.

  5. Step 5

    Grind black pepper over top and drizzle with more oil, if needed. Top zucchini with olives, basil and additional red-pepper flakes, if desired, and serve with lemon wedges for squeezing.

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Ratings

4 out of 5
1,383 user ratings
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Comments

Donna

A few things to note: 1) Set broiler to high, otherwise the zucchini will not brown in the 5-6 minutes and cooking too long just makes them mushy. 2) The breadcrumbs make the dish. Nutritional yeast is a tasty breadcrumb addition/ sub for the dairy. 3) Maybe a little less generous with the salt? Two saltings plus anchovies was a bit much.

nponeill

Larger planks of zucchini are the answer. They browned beautifully (used the convection feature) under the grill but still needed time in the oven to fully cook them. They were delicious and and not at all watery. (I oiled and salted them about 1/2 hour before I put them under the grill.) While it takes longer to make than the 25 minutes purported here, I would make this dish again and again. Thank you, Melissa.

Evan

I would give this a 3.5. The topping is very tasty! But the zucchini is a bit watery. Added extra half clove of garlic and more parmesan. I also added sliced cherry tomatoes on the side and topped with the crusty toppings from the baking sheet.

Mark

I made this recipe as written, with the single exception of making it vegetarian by swapping sun-dried tomatoes for the anchovies. The recipe turned out great. Next time I will add move sun-dried tomatoes to the bread crumb mixture, and I may add a small amount of capers to add to add some salt that the anchovies would have contributed. I might try the same bread crumb mixture with eggplant.

Paula

I've been wanting to make this for some time. did so tonight and agree that salt needs to be modified. My result was soggy. I'm looking forward to making it again with modifications (less salt, thicker slices of zucchini and maybe grilling instead of broiling). I wish that I had thought to serve it with short pasta with a simple garlic and olive oil sauce. Someone mentioned polenta - that sounds like a good idea also.

Paul

salt the zucchini's an hour before, and then press out some of the water with a towel. makes them much firmer when cooked.

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