This is one of those recipes that I always forget to make, even though I absolutely love eating it. It tastes like pizza with the fresh basil and oregano except with out all the carbs which is a definite win in my book!
I loved when my mom made this dish growing up and the smell of it cooking up in my own oven was enough to transport me to my dinner table with my sisters all around me. I’m really trying to make a concerted effort to have more of a vegetable focus when making summer dinners. There’s something about the slow warming of the earth in May and June that makes me want to simplify my meals and focus on fresh bright flavors. Or maybe it’s because my annual family beach vacation is coming up in just 20 days and I want to consume the healthiest stuff I can before a week of boozing and eating chips on the beach?
Either way, I think you’ll feel really good after eating this meal. The thin sliced zucchini topped with spicy tomato sauce and layered with fresh oregano, parmesan, and mozzarella is the perfect balance of healthy vegetables and indulgent cheese. In the words of the great Ina Garten, “How bad can that be?”
- 4 zucchini, sliced thin longways
- 1½ c tomato sauce
- ½ c parmesan cheese
- 1 c mozzarella cheese
- 5 leaves of fresh basil, torn
- 2 sprigs of fresh oregano, torn
- Slice zucchini and layer in a colander. Sprinkle salt on each layer of zucchini and place over a bowl to let the salt pull the water from the zucchini. Let this sit for at least 30 minutes. You may also want to take a clean dish towel to squeeze out excess moisture before assembling the dish. *This is an important step to ensure that the dish doesn't become super watery when baked.
- Preheat oven to 350.
- In a Pyrex dish, place a ladle full of tomato sauce on the bottom then arrange the zucchini to cover the bottom while overlapping the pieces a bit. Top with more sauce over the zucchini, parmesan, mozzarella, basil and oregano.
- Repeat until all the zucchini is used up and finish the top layer with sauce and as much cheese as desired. Bake until golden and bubbly or 30-40 minutes.
