Dear Reader: These are extraordinary times we’re living in, and while we always have a view toward health and wellness, sometimes the concept of self-care and wellness becomes a little different. As our needs shift, self-care might look like an over-the-top blanket fort in the living room… or decadent treats that aren’t normally a part of your diet. We believe that sometimes it’s OK to forego the usual self-care routine. That’s why the Pandemic Pantry series includes some “yummy but maybe not for every day” recipes for you to try. Enjoy!
What’s not to love about zucchini? You plant a few seeds and all of a sudden you have hundreds of these long, tender squashes. They grow easily, and everywhere, and you’re constantly offering them to the neighbors because you definitely overestimated your needs in the zucchini department. So it’s great to have many different ways of cooking them, and this is one such example. It’s easy, it’s fast, it’s cheesy, it’s garlicky. It’s the perfect melt in your vermouth zucchini recipe, and it won’t even take longer than 20 minutes to prepare.
With this recipe it’s important to get the zucchini coated evenly, so tossing everything together in a bowl first will get the flavors coming together nicely. Put the olive oil, salt, pepper, and garlic powder all together and then toss the zucchini in with it. This is not the time for sprinkling, and definitely no drizzling of olive oil. You want those little squash slices coated well.
Make sure you are not stacking any zucchini on top of others. Be sure to spread them in an even layer, and if they aren’t touching that’s even better. The idea is to thoroughly roast them, and the more they crowd each other, the less those edges can get crispy. Neither will the parmesan be able to do its thing by developing that delicious cheesy crunch that we love, so give these babies some room to breathe!
So easy, cheesy, garlicky, and delicious, this will be your new go-to recipe for at least your next 500 zucchinis.
Ingredients –
- 4 large zucchini or summer squash
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 1/3 cup parmesan cheese, freshly grated
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Method –
- Preheat the oven to 400°F.
- Slice the squash into 1/4 inch rounds. Put them in a large bowl. Add olive oil, garlic powder, salt, and pepper, and toss to coat.
- Arrange the squash in a single layer on a baking sheet. Sprinkle everything evenly with parmesan cheese.
- Bake for about 10 minutes, until just tender. Then turn the broiler on high and broil for about 3 minutes, until golden brown.
- Enjoy!
