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Parmesan Crusted Zucchini is the perfect easy way to cook zucchini for everyone who loves Parmesan cheese. And this is one zucchini recipe where the whole family will devour it and ask for seconds!
PIN Parmesan Crusted Zucchini to try it later!
Today I’m reminding you about this delicious Parmesan Crusted Zucchini that’s one of those zucchini recipes I make every year! We haven’t quite reached the time of the summer when people start leaving zucchini on the neighbor’s porch. But zucchini is already pretty abundant in many places. So this easy way to cook zucchini with Parmesan Cheese is perfect to add to your collection of low-carb cheesy zucchini recipes!
And everyone who likes melty Parmesan Cheese is going to love this perfect easy way to make zucchini! I promise you it doesn’t get easier than this for a cheesy way to cook zucchini that even the kids are going to devour.
You might need to experiment to get the timing perfect for your broiler, since they can vary in temperature. But other than that, this Parmesan Crusted Zucchini recipe really is foolproof and delicious, enjoy!
What ingredients do you need for this recipe?
(This is only a list of ingredients; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)
How did a reader improve this Parmesan Crusted Zucchini recipe?
This zucchini parmesan recipe originally came from Vegetables Every Day by Jack Bishop (affiliate link), a very old book that I still love to use to look for ideas for cooking vegetables. But my preferred version of the recipe and the one I’m sharing here is actually simpler than the one in the cookbook! That’s because years ago a reader told me they cooked the zucchini completely under the broiler, and that’s the way I’ve been doing it ever since.
What kind of Parmesan should you use for Parmesan Crusted Zucchini ?
Of course freshly-grated Parmesan would be great for this recipe. But if you don’t have a block of Parmigiano Reggiano, this recipe will work perfectly well with the coarsely-grated Parmesan that’s widely available. I wouldn’t use the finely grated Parmesan in the green jar for this. That won’t melt and cover the zucchini in the way that makes this parmesan crusted zucchini recipe so good!
How low in carbs is this broiled zucchini crusted with Parmesan Cheese?
A generous serving of this recipe (one small zucchini per person) will have 7 net carbs with 9 grams of protein. If you make it into six servings, each serving will have 4.6 net carbs with 6 grams of protein.
How to make Parmesan Crusted Zucchini:
(This is only a summary of the steps for the recipe; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)
- Trim the ends and cut each zucchini in quarters lengthwise, cut into strips about 3 inches long and then cut away the inner seedy part of each piece.
- Cover baking sheet with foil and lay the zucchini on the baking sheet in rows.
- Then brush or mist the zucchini with a tiny bit of olive oil (I used my Misto Olive Oil Sprayer (affiliate link) and sprinkle with Italian Herb Seasoning (affiliate link) or your favorite seasoning.
- Put in a pre-heated broiler for 6-8 minutes, or until the zucchini is starting to get barely tender. (Remember the zucchini will cook longer when you’re melting the cheese.)
- While the zucchini cooks, melt the butter (or use a combination of butter and olive oil, or all olive oil) and measure about 3/4 cup of Parmesan cheese. (I recommend coarsely grated Parmesan that comes in a plastic jar or grate it yourself, but powdery pre-grated Parmesan won’t work well for this.)
- When zucchini is nearly as tender as you’d like it, remove from oven, brush with butter, sprinkle the zucchini generously with Parmesan, and put back under the broiler for 4-5 minutes, or until it’s melted and starting to brown. Watch carefully towards the end!
- Serve the Parmesan Crusted Zucchini hot and wait for compliments! And there will not be leftovers!
Make it for a Low-Carb Meal:
This amazing cheesy zucchini would be great for any of these summer main dishes:
Want more low-carb zucchini winners?
This recipe is featured in the Top Ten Low-Carb Zucchini Recipes on my site. That collection of zucchini ideas includes Easy Cheesy Zucchini Bake that’s one of the most popular recipes on my site!
Ingredients
- 4 medium zucchini
- 1 T olive oil, for misting zucchini
- 1 tsp. Italian Herb Blend (or your favorite seasoning blend)
- 1/4 C butter, melted (see notes)
- 3/4 cup coarsely grated Parmesan cheese (more or less to taste)
Instructions
- Preheat the broiler and adjust the rack so your pan will be about 6 inches away from the heat.
- Cover a large baking sheet with foil (or spray with non-stick spray if you prefer).
- Wash zucchini skins and pat dry, cut off stem and blossom end of each zucchini, and cut zucchini into four lengthwise strips and cut the zucchini pieces into strips about 3 inches long. Then cut away the inner seedy part of each piece.
- Arrange zucchini on broiler pan in rows, close together, skin side down.
- Mist or brush the zucchini with olive oil and season the zucchini with the Italian Herb Seasoning (affiliate link) or your favorite seasoning blend.
- Broil zucchini about 6-8 minutes, or until it’s starting to feel barely tender when you pierce it with a fork. (If your broiler is powerful I’d start checking after about 4-5 minutes. Remember the zucchini will cook more when you melt the cheese.)
- When the zucchini is barely tender, remove the pan from under the broiler, brush zucchini with melted butter (or whatever combination of butter and olive oil you’re using), and sprinkle Parmesan cheese over the zucchini, trying to get most of the zucchini covered.
- Put zucchini under broiler and cook until cheese is completely melted and well-browned, about 4-5 minutes, or a little more or less, depending on how hot your broiler is and how close the pan is to the heat source.
- Serve the Parmesan Crusted Zucchini hot or warm. There won’t be leftovers, so you don’t need to worry about whether this will keep in the refrigerator.
Notes
You can use a combination of butter and olive oil or all olive oil for brushing the zucchini if you prefer, but the butter adds a nice flavor.
This recipe adapted from Vegetables Every Day. (affiliate link)
Nutrition Information
Yield
4
Serving Size
1
Amount Per Serving
Calories 251Total Fat 21gSaturated Fat 11gTrans Fat 1gUnsaturated Fat 8gCholesterol 47mgSodium 438mgCarbohydrates 10gFiber 3gSugar 5gProtein 9g
Nutrition information is automatically calculated by the Recipe Plug-In I am using. I am not a nutritionist and cannot guarantee 100% accuracy, since many variables affect those calculations.