Zucchini alla Parmigiana

Zucchini alla Parmigiana
Zucchini Parmesan

Well, summer is winding down and I'm harvesting the last bits of produce from my garden. What to do with my beautiful zucchinis and tomatoes? To The Italian Cookbook!

Combined with a free summer squash from the gardens at my place of employment, I decided to transform my humble home-garden zucchini into Zucchini Parmesan.

Zucchini alla Parmigiana/Zucchini Parmesan

2 1/2 lbs sliced zucchini
2/3 C chopped onions
1/4 lb sliced mushrooms
2/3 C grated Parmesan
1 1/2 C tomato paste
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp MSG
1 minced clove garlic
1/8 tsp pepper

Heat olive oil in a pot. Add zucchini and mushrooms. Cover pot and cook mixture over low heat 10 to 15 minutes or until tender, occasionally moving and turning with a spoon. The squash I used had such mature seeds inside them that I poked out all the seeds first so they wouldn't be too crunchy in the finished product. I salted the seeds and put them in the oven, just like we do with the seeds from pumpkins in the fall. Delicious!

Remove zucchini mixture from heat. Stir in half of the grated cheese. Pour in remaining ingredients. Blend lightly and thoroughly.

 
Turn mixture into casserole dish. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake at 350F for 20 to 30 minutes.

I paired this delightful Parmesan with a simple pan-browned chicken breast. A little white wine and, PRESTO, a warm and comforting end-of-summer Italian dinner.

Have a question or a request? Put it in the comments below and I’ll be sure to respond. Fröhe essen!