High-Protein Zucchini Parmesan
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You guys. This is good, like really good. Amazing even!
We’re talking Parmigiana here.
It’s no secret that I’m an eggplant parm kind of guy.
Just like Aristotheles “Give me an eggplant, tomato sauce and Parmesan cheese and I will move the earth!”
OK, not really, but I can certainly make you some badass + low-calorie eggplant parm or some pretty darn tasting roasted eggplant and tomato gratin.
If you’re generous enough and offer me some quinoa, then I can whip you up even a yummy eggplant parm quinoa casserole.
Neat-o.
But that’s not the end of the Parm story.
Because there’s this thing where you can use zucchini instead of eggplant and make zucchini parmesan...and it’s D-E-L-I-C-I-O-U-S!
Seriously, I've been making this recipe for years and it always delivers.
Crispy-crunchy grilled zucchini layered with tasty tomato sauce, Parmesan cheese and eggs.
No mozzarella.
You won’t miss it, I promise. Don’t ask me why. But subbing mozzarella with beatnen eggs works. It’s like our little secret.
Shhhh...don’t tell anyone.
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Finally, let’s talk health. From perspective, this is awesome.
You can check that stats below, but we’re using lots of veggies here. A bit of cheese (and please use real Parmesan cheese if you can). And there’s a lot of protein too, thanks to the eggs.
I’m going to say something controversial here: I think I like it even better than eggplant parm now and I didn’t think that was possible. Wait, WOT?
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Ingredients
Serves 6
Grilled zucchini
6 large zucchini, sliced lengthwise
Zest and juice of one lemon
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
Ground black pepper to taste
Tomato sauce
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 (14.5 oz / 411 gr) cans diced tomatoes (I used Muir Glen)
2 sprigs fresh basil
1 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
Ground black pepper to taste
1 cup / 1.8 oz / 50 gr grated Parmesan cheese, divided
3 large free-range organic eggs, lightly beaten
Directions
Tomato sauce
To make the tomato sauce. Heat the olive oil in a large (preferably non-stick) skillet over medium-high heat, add onion and saute’ until translucent, about 5 minutes.
Add garlic and stir until fragrant, about a minute, then add diced tomatoes, salt, black pepper and basil sprigs.
When it starts to bubble, turn down the heat to medium-low and cook, stirring every so often, until the tomatoes have cooked down and are beginning to stick to the pan, about 25 minutes.
Remove the basil sprigs and set aside.
Grilled zucchini
Wash the zucchini, cut the ends off and cut lengthwise into ¼-inch slices. Be careful as the knife can slip on the shiny surface of the zucchini; work on a solid, unmoving surface.
Place zucchini slices into one of those enormous ziploc bags, or two regular-sized ziploc bags.
Pour in olive oil, lemon zest, lemon juice, salt and pepper.
Seal the bag and shake well to get zucchini slices all coated.
Heat a grill pan (or an outdoor grill) over medium heat (if you don’t own a grill pan, you can use a regular skillet), and grill/cook the zucchini for 5-7 minutes on each side (the zucchini should be soft throughout when poked with a fork and have nice grill marks on each side when they are done.)
Set aside.
Assemble Zucchini Parmesan
Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C) and place a rack in the middle.
Cover the bottom of a 9x13-inch baking dish (about two-quart) with two tablespoons of tomato sauce and arrange zucchini slices on top to form an uniform layer.
Cover the zucchini with tomato sauce, sprinkle some Parmesan cheese and then spread 3 to 4 tablespoons of beaten eggs (you’ll need to use the back of the spoon to spread them uniformly).
Repeat to make 3 layers, making sure to end with a uniform layer of tomato sauce and top with the remaining Parmesan cheese.
Bake in the oven for about 40 minutes until hot and beginning to brown.
Let set at least 15 minutes before serving.
This dish tastes better the day after!
Nutrition facts
One serving yields 210 calories, 12 grams of fat, 13 grams of carbs and 13 grams of protein.
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