I almost didn’t post these because the pictures are so meh but seriously you are going to LOVE the flavor of this zucchini so I had to share anyway! Plus, they are incredibly easy to make!
Yes, zucchini can be kind of bland and boring but when you brush it with a garlic lemon oil and top it with plenty of parmesan cheese it goes from drab to fab. I just couldn’t stop eating them. These are a summer side that you must try. You might even like them so much you’ll forget about the main dish.
Roasting veggies in the oven is my favorite ways to cook them, I just love the texture it gives (it softens them without drowning them out) and how it enhances their flavors. Then when you add another favorite of mine to that oven roasted goodness, a delicious oven crisped cheese you know it’s gotta be good, right? My younger brother and I used to always scrape the crisped cheese bits left over from oven baked dishes my mom would make – the best were the ones from the twice baked potatoes. Great cheese memories :).
Keep this recipe for that abundance of garden fresh zucchini soon to be harvested this summer or better yet grab some at the grocery store tonight and make this lemony flavored, parmesan crusted, oven roasted zucchini to pair with your meal.
Enjoy!
Garlic Lemon and Parmesan Oven Roasted Zucchini
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 lbs zucchini (about 4 – 5 small/medium zucchini)
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- Zest of 1 small lemon (1 tsp)
- 2 cloves garlic, crushed through a garlic crusher or finely minced
- 3/4 cup finely shredded parmesan cheese
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a rimmed cookie sheet with aluminum foil.
- Cut zucchini into thick wedges or halves (cut each zucchini in half then that half in half, so you have 4 wedges from each zucchini. Next time I might try to do just halves so the parmesan bakes more evenly, plus it would be easier to add the parmesan). In a small bowl, stir together olive oil, lemon zest and garlic. Align zucchini on prepared baking sheet spacing them evenly apart. Brush olive oil mixture over tops of zucchini (working to get some of the garlic/lemon zest on each piece and not just in one spot. It clumps together a little so just spread it out). Sprinkle tops with parmesan cheese (try to get as much of it on the tops as possible, you can pick up what was sprinkled off to the sides of the zucchini and add it to the tops) and season lightly with salt and pepper. Bake in preheated oven 11 – 13 minutes then, adjust oven rack near top of oven and broil for several minutes until parmesan is golden brown. Serve warm.
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