Zucchini Parmigiana

My buddy Harper was telling me about his recipe for zucchini parmigiana, which is basically an eggplant parmigiana but using a ton of zucchinis instead. Naturally, my ears perked up at the thought of one recipe that could potentially clear my counter of summer squash. To save you the suspense, it was absolutely fabulous – very flavorful and really rich.

The down side to this recipe is that I spent four hours cooking on an already hot day. I had run out of home canned marinara sauce, so I spent about an hour making some from scratch. Again, totally worth the time it took because it was rich and delicious, but if I did this over again I would make sure I already had canned sauce on hand. I think I could probably repeat this recipe in about two hours now that I know the ropes and would be more prepared with the sauce.

• Slice zucchinis, yellow summer squash, pitty pan squash, or combination of these into 1/4″ slices lengthwise. I probably used about six medium squashes altogether.
• Coat in beaten egg and roll in seasoned breadcrumbs. I added basil, thyme and garlic to the crumbs. I went through three eggs and about 2-3 cups of breadcrumbs.
• In batches, fry in olive oil on medium heat for about ten minutes on each side. You want them slightly overdone, so it’s okay if they get a little black. Add a little more oil for each batch.
• Arrange a single layer of fried squash evenly in a large casserole. Top with shredded mozzarella and a little parmesan. Then top with enough marinara sauce to cover.
• Repeat the above steps until the casserole is full. I had about 3-4 layers altogether, which used about a quart of marinara sauce. Sprinkle more cheese on top. I also sprinkled on the remaining breadcrumbs.
• Bake at 350 degrees uncovered for 30 minutes. Check to see how much liquid is in the casserole. Mine had a lot, as the squash purged quite a bit of water, so I ended up cooking for another 30 minutes. I considered it done when there was liquid only on the bottom 1/4 of the pan. It sat for a few minutes to settled before serving.

This is probably not considered a really healthy meal, but I served it with a large green salad and pretended it all balanced out. For the working people of the world, save this for a Sunday afternoon.  Start cooking at 4:00 and invite friends to show up around 6:00. If it takes longer than 30 minutes in the oven, enjoy another bottle of wine and chat about how amazing this thing is going to be when it finally gets done cooking.