Suburban Homesteading – Frugal Living

Zucchini’s can be very plentiful in the garden. In fact, most home gardeners harvest way more than they can consume. One particularly ambitious year found us planting six, yes six, zucchini plants for a family of two.

Talk about a green flood. After a while I couldn’t even give them away. The chickens had a field day, though.

I thought I knew every possible way to cook or prepare zucchini, but I was wrong. I recently came across a recipe that is so easy and so delicious that it has become our “go to” way of cooking the little green gems…no matter how many we have.

Zucks taste best when they are harvested at about 6-8” long and no more than 1-1/2-inches in diameter.

You’re on your own with the monster-sized zucchini’s that hide until they become so big no one knows what to do with them.

This oven baked recipe is not only healthy and addictive; it also makes for a crispy and tender zucchini stick.

Oven Baked Parmesan Zucchini Sticks

INGREDIENTS:

• 4 zucchini, ends removed, cut lengthwise into quarters
• ½ cup grated parmesan cheese
• ¼ teaspoon garlic granules
• 1 tablespoon Herbs de Provence or Italian herbs
• Kosher salt and ground pepper to taste
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley

DIRECTIONS:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly spray a cooling rack with oil and set on top of a baking sheet.

• In a small bowl, combine parmesan cheese, garlic, herbs and salt and pepper, to taste.

• Place zucchini spears on the cooling rack and drizzle with olive oil. Use your hands to completely coat each spear, and then sprinkle with herb mixture.

• Place baking sheet into oven and bake until tender, about 15 minutes. The turn on broiler and broil for a few minutes until cheese mixture turns golden brown. Watch to make sure the spears don’t burn.

• Plate up, sprinkle with parsley and serve while still warm.