Baked Parmesan Zucchini
by Chungah
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Crisp-tender zucchini sticks with an irresistible Parmesan topping! The perfect side dish to sneak in veggies for both kids and grown-ups.
Featured Comment
Why you’ll love baked parmesan zucchini
- Great way to use up zucchini. Already made zucchini bread with your summer bounty? Time to whip up some parmesan zucchini sticks, the most perfect side dish (or appetizer) to elevate any meal.
- Completely baked, start to finish. There is absolutely zero frying or sautéing here. The zucchini spears are completely baked, sprinkled with a simple Parmesan-herb coating, and broiled the last few minutes for that nice golden brown crust.
- Kid-friendly. These parmesan zucchini sticks are such a great, low-carb alternative to french fries, providing so much more fiber and nutrition. It’s truly the best way to sneak in some veggies for kids and grown-ups!
How to cut zucchini into sticks (or spears)
Slice the zucchini into even spears every single time, ensuring they brown and cook evenly.
- Wash under cold water to remove dirt and debris, using a kitchen towel to dry thoroughly.
- Trim the ends, both the stem and the base, about 1/2-inch on each side.
- Cut the zucchini crosswise (horizontally) into two halves.
- Cut each half into two or three equal pieces, depending on how big the zucchini is.
How to make baked parmesan zucchini
- Cut the zucchini. Cut the zucchini into even sticks or spears (instructions above), cutting as long or as short as desired.
- Make the Parmesan mixture. Toss together the Parmesan, thyme, oregano, basil, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Freshly grated cheese is best here for that favorited crispy golden-brown crust as pre-shredded cheese can clump and burn easily.
- Coat the zucchini. Place the zucchini sticks in a single layer on a wire rack inside a baking sheet, leaving a 1/2-inch space between each stick. Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkling the seasoning mixture in an even layer on top.
- Bake and broil. Bake the zucchini until tender. Pro tip: broil the last few minutes of cook time for that crispy crunch and golden brown crust.
- Serve. Serve warm with additional Parmesan.
Pro tip
Use a cooling rack on a baking sheet.
- Prevents soggy zucchini. When zucchini is baked directly on a sheet pan, it will often steam in its own moisture. Elevating the zucchini on a cooling rack will allow for even air circulation.
- Uniform browning. The rack will ensure golden browning on all sides of the zucchini sticks.
- Allows for easy clean up. Line the baking sheet with aluminum foil (under the rack) to catch any drippings or fallen seasoning for the easiest clean up ever.
Baked Parmesan Zucchini: Frequently Asked Questions
A medium zucchini is typically 6 – 8 inches long, 2 inches in diameter, and weighs around 6 ounces.
No, leave the zucchini peel intact as it provides strong structural support, allowing the zucchini to hold its shape during baking. Removing the peel will make the zucchini soft and mushy.
Zucchini is 95% water, the common culprit behind soggy, limp zucchini. For crisp-tender zucchini, dry the zucchini thoroughly and bake on a wire rack over a baking sheet to ensure even air flow and to prevent steaming.
Parmesan zucchini is so versatile and can pair well with your favorite dipping sauces such as Ranch, fry sauce (burger sauce), garlic aioli, or marinara sauce.
Yes! The air fryer is a great way to get crispy zucchini sticks. Add the zucchini sticks in a single layer in the air fryer basket and cook at 400°F for 8-10 minutes, shaking halfway through.
Zucchini sticks are best when served immediately, but leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 1-2 days, reheating in the oven at 375°F until warmed through.
Freezing is not recommended here as the texture may become mushy upon thawing.
Baked Parmesan Zucchini
Ingredients
- 4 medium zucchini, quartered lengthwise and patted dry
- ½ cup freshly grated Parmesan
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon dried basil
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley leaves
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Coat a cooling rack with nonstick spray and place on a baking sheet; set aside.
- In a small bowl, combine Parmesan, thyme, oregano, basil, garlic powder, salt and pepper, to taste.
- Place zucchini onto the prepared baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with Parmesan mixture in an even layer.
- Place into oven and bake until tender, about 10-15 minutes, flipping halfway. Then broil for 2-3 minutes, or until crisp and golden brown.
- Serve immediately, garnished with parsley, if desired.
Equipment
Notes
- Dry thoroughly. Zucchini has a very high water content. Pat the zucchini dry with paper towels before baking to guarantee that crispy exterior.
- Cut into uniform pieces. Cut the zucchini into similar-sized sticks to ensure even cooking and browning.
- Freshly grated Parmesan goes a long way. Pre-shredded cheese contains anti-caking agents, burning easily and leaving a meal crust. Use freshly grated cheese for that crispy, golden, flavorful crust.
- Use a cooling rack on a baking sheet. No more soggy limp zucchini! Baking the zucchini directly on an oven-safe cooling rack inside a baking sheet will prevent steaming and provide even airflow with easy clean up.
- Don’t overcrowd the pan. Space the zucchini sticks out in a single, even layer, about 1/2-inch, for proper browning. When the pan is crowded, the steam will get trapped between the sticks, causing the zucchini to steam instead.
- Make it in the air fryer. These can easily be cooked in the air fryer at 400°F for 8-10 minutes, shaking halfway through.
- Reheat in the oven. Leftover zucchini sticks can become mushy when reheated in the microwave. For best results with leftovers, reheat in the oven (to regain some of its crispness) at 375°F until warmed through.
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I love zucchini, these look incredible!
Nice recipe. Thank you.
What would you serve these with? They sound yummy.
Janet, these can be served as an appetizer or side dish.
Janet, nice name! 🙂
I will serve zucchini with just about anything in the summer! I think I will try this with some grilled steaks or butterfly chops and a salad, but I don’t think you could go wrong with any type of dinner. Love zucchini, and thank you for posting!
I would dip them into a nice marinara sauce as an appetizer.
A restaurant in Elkins, WV, CJ Maggies, would serve zucchini strips with a tempura-like breading and a remoulade sauce. I loved that sauce with it.
I’ve cook them on the grill before it’ll work great just be careful not to burn them you may want to put them on one of those Grill mats so they don’t fall through the the Grate. You’ll get the wonderful Smoky Taste from the grill along with the parmesan flavor….YUM!!! You can dip in a homemade ranch for an appetizer taste delish
I like them as side dish for grilled salmon.
Well don’t these look so good! I made some baked parm zucchini last week! I bought a value-pack of zuke from TJs and I swear it was multiplying in the fridge, so I figured a little cheese wouldn’t hurt it to jazz it up. Yours is gorgeous and you make zucchini look amazing 🙂
I made some and it turned out soggy. How do you get the zucchini to be crispy? Mine tasted amazing but the texture was very off.
Kasey, did you follow the instructions and broil these for an additional 2-3 minutes to let them get nice and crisp?
Sorry for the beginner question to follow… I’ve NEVER broiled, but I did search it and what not. Based on my limited understanding on it from reading on the internet. When you broil for the zucchini for 2 minutes to get browned, are you saying you take out the baking sheet from the oven, after the 15 minutes of baking, and put it in the broiler (lower part of the oven) for those extra 2 minutes? Thanks in advance! This recipe looks delicious and I want to get it just right for Thanksgiving 🙂
I’m not sure how your oven is set up but my broiler is in the same oven space as everything else so once the 15 min is up, I just change the oven settings to broil without transferring the baking sheet. But if your broiler is located at the bottom, then yes, you are exactly right!
Diana,
Broiling is usually used to brown food or quickly cook at high heat. I’m not aware of any broilers in the bottom of an oven, because they have to heat the surface of the food, not the bottom of the pan. To check, put your oven on Broil and check to see which element heats up. It should glow red hot. And usually you move the oven rack to the highest available level, keeping your food at least a couple of inches below the heating elements. With something as small as the zucchini in this recipe I would think that would be the top level.
Also, broiling cooks hot and fast so stand right there and keep an eye on it. It will burn in no time.
I hope that helps. Good luck.
I had an in-the-wall oven that had the broiler on the bottom. You could like pull it out. It was an older oven. There is no way you could put the rack in it.
When I had a gas stove, the broiler was a drawer under the oven. It fit a cake pan though, so you should be able to put the baking sheet in there, assuming they are all uniform in size.
Depending on where Diana is from, broil may not be a term commonly used. For example, here in New Zealand we use the word grill rather than broil, when something needs to be put under the top oven heating element for the last few minutes to finish it off, brown it, melt a topping etc.
Some stoves do have broilers on the bottom. I had one. Personally I liked it better. I could do the baking and broiling separately…:)
Years ago I had an over with the broiler where most of the storage draws in the newer overs are, so Yes take it out and slip it down into the broiler section. let it broil there and mmm mmmmm good eats!!!
Put them on your broiler pan and put in the bottom to broil for 2-3 Minutes.
She probably did not. Like kids people do not listen!!!! Not an insult!!!!
If you have to say “not an insult” after something you say, then it’s usually an insult. Unless, you have something useful to add to the discussion, you really shouldn’t comment
Marie Czarnecki- it’s hard to say things without emotion and have them come across with your meaning. I knew exactly what your comment meant 🙂 I too tend not to listen/skim over content. Imagine the next generation – they are not learning the art of conversation 🙁
Regarding the do not listen comment. The fact that a newish cook is trying a recipe shows she or he is truly interested in “listening” or in this case “reading”. A lot of us have made mistakes in reading a recipe including yours truly and I think each time is a learning event. Asking questions is a good thing don’t you think?
Re the oven: I, too, have a gas oven with the broiler at the bottom – “bottom” meaning underneath the baking oven. Nowadays there is always the internet to look up things like “how to broil”. In my day – I’m 80 years old now – I relied on my mother to teach me. Fortunately she was an excellent cook. My daughter-in-law’s mother did not like to cook, so she would be one to come up with “how do you broil”. I don’t mind because I love to pass on what my mother taught me.
I love this recipe. Using the rack allows the zucchini to get heat all around it, drying it so it is less soggy. And definitely you have to watch while it’s under the broiler.
She is listening but just lives on a different planet – like me. In most English speaking countries outside the US we use the term ‘Grill’ instead of ‘Broil’.
So in England, Australia etc. you should put the zuchs under your griller (not to be confused with a gorilla). Broiling is a rarely used term outside the the US but when it is I think it would refer to grilling in shallow liquid?
Not exactly – here is a great tutorial on how to use your broiler: http://www.thekitchn.com/kitchen-basics-how-to-use-your-112585.
I followed explicitly the instructions..broiling etc. …They still came out soggy, limp and unappetizing
I’m sorry that this recipe did not turn out the way you had imagined. I only post recipes that have been successfully tested in my own kitchen, and as you can see from the comments here, many of these readers have had great outcomes in the final dish as well. However, I understand that we all have different taste preferences, and I really appreciate your honest feedback.
David it can also depend on your elevation and what type of oven you have i.e. gas or electric height in the broiler etc. when broiling anything it’s all about watching and waiting. In higher elevations I have found the broiling process takes longer, also it can depend on the age of your zucchini. I have taken a large zucchini and cut it down and it came out a bit soggy with a recipe close to this. One thing I do for larger suck I is to core out the seeds then proceed until top is browned and I get the crispness. Good luck budding chef!
David, does your oven have a fan-forced option? Mine does and my zucchinis came out perfect. As I didn’t know the term “broil ” which I would confuse with “boil” I just placed my Pyrex dish in the top half of the oven on fan-forced, a coffee cup of water in the base, and left to cook for about 20 mins. Came out lightly browned and lightly crisped.
Sounds to me like they inadvertently got overcooked that would be why they were soggy try cooking them less next time. It’s common for the calibration of ovens to be different. And then everyone take a breath and put your testosterone in your pocket it’s kind of silly to be having such a snippy conversation about zucchini..
Oh and the recipe looks good to me I will be trying it.
well sounds good to me, I’m going to try it tonight in Arkansas, broiler on top eh,
Dear Chung-Ah,
Older broilers have the broiler on the bottom of the oven. I had an oven with a bottom broiler as a child in the 60’s, and also experienced this on a recent trip to Mexico. My rental had a bottom broiler oven.
Hope this information is helpful!
Hi Chung-Ah,my name is Patty. I was wondering if I could use my grill instead of the broiler ? I can’t use it right now. Also,will it still come out crispy from the grill ? thanks so very much and have a wonderful day.
Unfortunately, without further recipe testing, I cannot answer with certainty. As always, please use your best judgment regarding substitutions and modifications.
I’ve cook them on the grill before it’ll work great just be careful not to burn them you may want to put them on one of those Grill mats so they don’t fall through the the Grate. You’ll get the wonderful Smoky Taste from the grill along with the parmesan flavor….YUM!!!
When I read the recipe I skimmed over it and went to it in the kitchen without carefully reading how she used a rack. I didn’t use a rack and mine turned out soggy too :/ oops! So make sure that you have done that. Otherwise maybe turn up the cooking temo? Next time I will make sure to use my cooling rack to get that crisp texture. Thanks for the recipe!
Hannah, it is best to read a recipe at least twice prior to cooking – you won’t believe the difference it makes!
This is GREAT ADVICE, especially for those new to cooking and it’s terms!
I read three times or the same reason. For people who may not be super savvy cooks those details can be important. I actually thought that rack did something else before cooking and, per your instructions, you didn’t use them during cooking/baking. But that didn’t make sense either so I started reading the comments and now I get it. Could’ve saved time if that detail was clear in the instructions though, that’s the theme of these recipes after all 🙂 Anyway great idea, thanks for sharing!
Ugu, the instructions clearly indicate to place zucchini onto prepared baking sheet (the baking sheet in which a cooling rack is placed onto the baking sheet as indicated in the first step).
And when you get older, like me, you have to read it 3 or 4 times! I’m definitely trying that heart healthy zucchini recipe – it looks yummy! Your instructions were very clear and easy to follow. Thanks for sharing!
Haha yes, I did that too!
Mine were soggy despite broiling as well. About 15 min left to go with *correct* rack usage this time, fingers crossed.
I also just threw some grape tomatoes in the pan, which soaked up the extra seasonings and juice, and they were AMAZING.
I also blot the zucchini first to strip some moisture.
Ha!! I DID the same thing.. I think I caught mine in time.. luckily if you grow zucchini.. it is plentiful! I have them back in the oven on the rack!!
I have seen mainly recipes that work better if you raise the food off the bottom of the pan. I tried placing cookie cooling grates in the pans that I already have – worked good but not perfect!I finally went to out and bought a roasting pan with a flat grate in it! Fantastic!
I think it could depend on the zucchini itself I’ve lived in 4 different states and some places the zucchinis had less water than others more of a dry squash then a cucumber like vegetable. Not sure if anyone understands what I mean…. Anyways I think adding salt to them and letting dehydrate a bit and def using a baking rack will let these crisp up. When I’ve used a juicier zucchini I’ve sliced them into discs instead of spears to make them less meaty and become less soggy.
I’ve made these, best thing to do when you slice them is put salt on each one and soak in paper towel and that gets the moisture out of the zucchini!!
^^^^Dawn is exactly right!
I, too, made some and they turned out very soggy. They were delicous, but soggy. I did do the broil at the end, but that would not have helped Kasey. I think, at least partly, our problems resulted from not putting the zuch on a raised cooking grid, as it appears in the picture.
The parmesan mixture feel right off the zucchini so I had cooked zucchini with toasted parmesan mixture underneath. This was a waste of perfectly good zucchini.
After they were done I cut mine up in chunks and sautéed in olive oil with peppers and onions.Very good
Mine turned out soggy twice (once burnt on the top from the broil) at the same time. So my husband told me to brush on the oil add the herbs and garlic only for the bake. Add the cheese only right before the broil part and it worked better the third time.
Have you ever frozen them?