I love this recipe because it is perfect for summer or winter! It is light enough to be a summer dish and you can use local zucchini from your farmer’s markets OR you can beef it up and make it a more winter-hearty dish. You can also make this vegetarian by leaving out the prosciutto, or add ground beef to make the tomato sauce a meat sauce.
*This recipe was adapted from Food Network Magazine*
Details
Servings
4 servings
Prep time
30 minutes
Cooking time
20 minutes
Print
Ingredients
2 large or 4 small zucchini
2 eggs
2 tbsp milk
1 cup flour
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
2 cups breadcrumbs
3/4 cup parmesan cheese, grated
2 tbsp Italian seasoning
3 tbsp olive oil, separated
1 cup tomato sauce, jarred or homemade
8 oz fresh mozzarella, sliced
6 oz prosciutto, thinly sliced
parmesan cheese, fresh, shaved, for garnish (optional)
Directions
- Heat oven to 400 degrees.
- Cut ends off of zucchini. The cut zucchini in half long-ways (see picture below). Then slice that zucchini half in half again, but this time width-ways. Then slice the zucchini long ways again but this time standing the zucchini on its ends, starting with the flesh side of the zucchini. You want to try to get even slices so you may not use the skin ends since they end up being a bit smaller. See pictures below for more guidance. You want to get 24 slices of zucchini to make 2 layers of 12 stacks.
- Create breading stations assembly line. Mix flour, salt, and pepper together on a plate. Then whisk together two eggs and milk together in a bowl. Lastly, mix breadcrumbs, parmesan cheese, and Italian seasoning together on a separate plate.
- Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Bread each slice of zucchini in flour mixture, then egg, then breadcrumb mixture. Place breaded zucchini slices in skillet and cook until golden brown, about 4-5 minutes. Flip zucchini over and cook another couple of minutes, getting a nice golden brown crust on each side. Once zucchini are browned, place on a paper towel lined plate. (See note below about cooking the zucchini in batches.)
- Once all zucchini have been cooked, place 12 zucchini slices in rows 3X4 in a baking dish sprayed with cooking spray. Top each zucchini slice with a spoonful of marinara sauce. Then add a slice of mozzarella, then add a 1/3-1/2 a slice of prosciutto. You want each zucchini to be a nice stack. Then top with another layer of zucchini, and another layer of mozzarella.
- Bake in the oven at 400 degrees until mozzarella cheese has melted and bubbly, about 20 minutes. Once out of the oven, add another 1/3-1/2 slice of prosciutto and a few pieces of shaved parmesan cheese.
- Enjoy!
Tips:
- To make this recipe vegetarian, remove prosciutto.
- To make this recipe a bit heartier, add browned ground beef to the tomato/marinara sauce.
- For the breading stations, I use paper plates for easier clean-up!
- When browning zucchini, you will want to do these in batches. With each new batch, add more olive oil and then add more zucchini. I had to do mine in three batches so I used about 3 tbsp olive oil. You might be able to do less batches with a larger skillet.
- Feel free to also add ricotta cheese. I am actually not a huge fan of ricotta (I know!), but for a more traditional lasagna, you can definitely add it to the layers!
