This Baked Zucchini recipe is utterly delicious! Sprinkled with pecorino cheese and garlic, they get irresistibly crispy and golden brown in the oven. A healthy, easy zucchini side dish the whole family will love. Video.
We are never really happy until we try to brighten the lives of others.
Helen Keller
Why You’ll Love This Baked Zucchini
I have yet to meet a person who doesn’t love this crispy, golden, baked zucchini—kids included! They are deceptively simple but made with a little twist.
Swap out the parmesan and use grated pecorino cheese. It truly elevates!
Pecorino packs a punch of umami flavor, so you don’t need to add too much, keeping them light and healthy and zucchini-forward.
- A 30-minute recipe. This quick and easy side dish has simple ingredients and a simple method.
- A family-friendly, versatile dish. A crowd-pleasing side that goes with everything!
- Elevated flavor. Swap parmesan for pecorino for savory, umami flavor.
Baked Zucchini Recipe Ingredients
- Zucchini: Use zucchini or a mix of zucchini and yellow squash. for beautiful color!
- Pecorino cheese: Buy a block of cheese to grate. You can sub asiago or parmesan cheese.
- Granulated garlic powder: Or use finely minced garlic cloves. Adds aromatic, pungent taste.
- Aleppo chili flakes: Or sub regular chili flakes for a bit of heat! Optional but adds a nice bite.
- Olive oil, salt and pepper: Basic ingredients that help roast the zucchini and enhance its natural flavor.
- Basil leaves: For a fresh, herby, summery feel!
How to Make Crispy Baked Zucchini
Preheat oven to 425F.
Step 1: Slice and season zucchini. Slice into 1/3-inch disks. Add to a large bowl and drizzle with olive oil, salt, garlic powder, pepper, and chili flakes (optional). Mix well!
Transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet. Sprinkle each slice with a 1/3 teaspoon grated pecorino.
TIP: If you can’t find grated pecorino– pulse a block of pecorino in your food processor into fine crumbles to have on hand. Store in an airtight container in the fridge.
Step 2: Bake. Bake for 18 minutes. Rotate the pan, or if the zucchini is getting too dark tent lightly with foil. Bake 5-10 additional minutes, until fork tender. The tops should be golden and crispy with tender middles.
Step 3: Garnish and serve. Place zucchini on a serving platter and sprinkle torn basil leaves over top.
Chef’s Tips
- Add even more flavor! In addition to seasoning the zucchini before baking, toss a little salt, pepper, and chili flakes over the dish after it has been removed from the oven. You can also add a squeeze of lemon juice!
- Make it a meal. Toss with noodles, oil, and pine nuts for a quick weeknight pasta, lay it on top of a bowl of creamy polenta with marinara, or add it to a bowl of whole grains with chickpeas and a sauce, like romesco.
Serving Suggestions
This crispy baked zucchini side dish goes well with just about anything! It is particularly delicious with summery and Italian-inspired dishes. Here are some ideas to get you started:
- Easy Italian Meatballs
- Savory Summer Galette
- Mediterranean Stuffed Peppers
- Caprese Pasta Salad
- Orecchiette with Broccoli
- Healthy Spaghetti with Fresh Tomato Sauce
- Polenta Lasagna
- Spinach Lasagna
- Italian Grilled Chicken
Recipe FAQs
When slicing the zucchini, be sure to cut even pieces so that the zucchini bakes evenly. You also want to give the zucchini slices enough space between each piece so they can caramelize and crisp up instead of simply steaming. Keep an eye on the zucchini while baking, being mindful not to over-bake the dish.
Yes! Zucchini is full of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. It is particularly high in vitamin A, which supports vision and the immune system. It is also high in fiber and water content, both of which support a healthy digestive system.
If you use too large of a zucchini the flavor can end up being bitter due to the excess seeds. Look for small or medium zucchini. If the dish is bitter, you can try adding some extra salt at the end.
You can salt the zucchini rounds and place in a colander for 30 minutes or lay out on paper towels for 20-40 minutes to draw out excess moisture. This step is optional, but can help the zucchini get extra crispy while baking.
Instead of disks, you could slice lengthwise or make zucchini fries by cutting zucchini spears!
Hope you enjoy these Crispy Baked Zucchini! Let us know what you think and what you serve them with in the comments below.
Have a delicious weekend.
xoxo
More Favorite Baked zucchini recipes
- Our 31+ Best Zucchini Recipes
- Sautéed Zucchini Ribbons with Lemon and Garlic
- Zucchini Lasagna
- Tomato Zucchini Gratin
- Curried Zucchini Soup
- Baked Zucchini with Garlicky Parmesan Breadcrumbs
Watch how to make Baked Zucchini!
Baked Zucchini Recipe
- Prep Time: 10
- Cook Time: 20
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 4
- Category: side dish
- Method: baked
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
Baked Zucchini with Pecorino and Basil- a crispy flavorful zucchini side dish that is simply irresistible and pairs well with many things!
Ingredients
- 4–5 medium zucchini, sliced into 1/3 inch thick disks (about 5 cups)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon granulated garlic powder, or 2 finely minced cloves
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon Aleppo Chili Flakes (or regular chili flakes )
- 1/4 cup finely grated pecorino cheese (or sub parmesan or asiago)
- 6–8 torn basil leaves
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425F
- Slice the zucchini into 1/3 inch disks. Place in a bowl and drizzle with the olive oil, sprinkle with salt, garlic powder, pepper and optional chili flakes. Place in a single layer on a parchment-lined sheet pan. Lightly sprinkle each slice with 1/3 teaspoon grated pecorino.
- Bake in the oven 18 minutes, check, and if need be, rotate, or tent lightly with foil (if getting too dark) and continue baking 5-10 minutes until fork tender. You want tops nicely golden and crispy with tender middles.
- Place on a plater and scatter with the torn basil leaves. Enjoy!
Notes
Pecorino rather than parmesan really elevates this, but parmesan works too!
TIP: A quick, easy way to grate a block of pecorino cheese, is to break it apart into small chunks and pulse it in a food processor until it becomes a fine crumb. Store in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. Nice to have on hand!
If you like extra crispy, feel free to swap add a couple of tablespoons of panko to the cheese, spray the tops with olive oil spray.
Nutrition
- Serving Size:
- Calories: 122
- Sugar: 0.1 g
- Sodium: 500 mg
- Fat: 10.9 g
- Saturated Fat: 3.5 g
- Carbohydrates: 1.8 g
- Fiber: 0.4 g
- Protein: 5.1 g
- Cholesterol: 14.8 mg
First time making this and it was a big hit! Easy and delicious. I will definitely share w friends.
Glad you gave it a try Ruth!
This was easy to make and quite tasty, a good way to make a dent in our copious garden zucchinis. It looked beautiful loosely stacked on a beautiful serving platter.
Great to hear!
So good!
This was excellent. I also added slices of potato and they were great together!
Nice! Sounds good.
I have not cooked this recipe yet, but I think it will be a great dish for tomorrow’s Sunday Lunch with Friends
Let us know how it goes Alois!
Let us knwo what you think!
This is one of my favorite appetizers to serve in the summer when zucchini is fresh. Everyone loves it.
So happy you are enjoying Jennifer!
Great recipe. We found the zucchini needed a bit more salt..I added about 1Tbsp. of panko to the cheese mixture and it helped keep the cheese from falling off the zucchini slices.
It’s a great side dish, easy and delicious & was loved by my guests.
Thanks for this recipe.
Debbi
Thanks Debbi!
I love vegetables, my husband not so much.
He actually liked them and had seconds.
I love hearing that Susan!
This is a crowd pleaser! I have made this several times and everyone loves it. Easy, simple, delicious.
So happy you are enjoying it Joan!
Slyvia, thank you so much for sharing the story about your Mom. It inspires me to love and care not just others, but especially myself. Most of the time, we become selfless, we forget to care for ourselves – a very typical mom.
By reading your story, it inspirits me to discover my own happiness/freedom and share it with my family and friends.
Sincerely,
Imel
I’m so glad the story found you Emilda!
I’m terrible at following recipes and tend to just use them for inspiration. I made this but I when I went into the spice cabinet for garlic and chili, there was a berbere mix (North African sweet, spicy goodness) calling to me instead. I also didn’t have any pecorino on hand so I used a microplane to grate a rosemary asiago over it. It crisped up perfectly in my air fryer and was SO EASY. I had a veggie night and ate it alongside creamed spinach with mushrooms and onions.
I am the same way, Britty. I love that you made this your own! Sounds like a fun dinner. 🙂
Vraiment délicieux !!! Et tellement simple à réaliser ! Merci beaucoup
So happy you enjoyed this!
love it!
Glad you enjoyed this!
I am not a huge zucchini eater but this recipe is the bomb. I made this last week and I wish I had some zucchini on hand as I am craving some right now.
Oh good! Great to hear it converted you!
I used parmesan, because I didn’t have pecorino. They turned out great, so tasty, and look good too. Thank you for posting the recipe!
Great to hear!
This was absolutely amazing!!! I doubled the garlic content and kept the rest the same. So easy to make and still tasted like an elaborate dish. I used it as a side for veggie meatballs with marinara sauce (inspired by your turkey meatball recipe) and I cannot recommend this enough
Love it Elsa- thanks so much!
Delicious
Thanks so much Stephen!
This was fantastic. Due to the moisture content in zuchinni and squash I lightly salted my veggies and laid on the cookie sheet to evaporate the moisture. Patted dry and started from your recipe. It was exceptional!!
Great to hear!
Sylvia – Another amazing recipe. OMG. So good. Who knew what simple ingredients could combine so amazingly?
Great to hear!
Very tasty but I definitely wasn’t crispy. I’m wondering if I increase the temperature a bit if it would help? The taste was spot on but I need to work on the texture. I need to pay attention to how thick I cut the zucchini and make sure my oven is at the right temperature.
They really don’t get very crispy all the way through- just crispy on the top where the cheese is. Zucchini has so much water in them…hard to crisp. 🙂
Tasty. The pecorino is a nice complement. I used zucchini and squash and then followed the recipe as written. Easy and delicious.
Glad you enjoyed this Christina!
Hi Sylvia.
I am a little confused about the zucchini recipe (discs cut with Pecorino cheese). In one place you say, pan should be parchment paper lined, in different Parmesan lined. Also you recommend chili paper in one of directions and chili flakes (although optional) in another. What if I use both?
Oops Mona, sorry, some typos, I will fix. 😉 Parchment-lined. Fine to use both chili pepper or chili flakes. 🙂
Was looking for a snack and voila! Feasting at home delivers! So good! Made as instructed except had dubliner so used it. Excellent!!! Thank you.
I’m so glad you enjoyed this Connie!
Hi Sylvia,
I absolutely love all your recipes that I have made – many several times.
But I am wondering if you could put the nutrition facts so they would print out on one double-sided sheet of paper. For instance, your picante tuna salad and zucchini bake places the nutrition facts on the third page. Perhaps the facts could go aside the ingredients list. Just a thought. Thank you so much.
I will look into this!