Test Kitchen: Zucchini Parmesan

Easy, healthy recipes tested for you weekly at the Sargent Choice Test Kitchen
Jay Patruno, Dietetics Student, SAR ’18

About the Sargent Choice Test Kitchen: We’re all about making healthy taste delicious here at Sargent Choice.  That’s why we’ve teamed up with faculty-in-residence Dr. Karen Jacobs to offer students a one-of-a-kind opportunity to trial and taste-test new Sargent Choice healthy recipes each week at the Sargent Choice Test Kitchen.  Dr. Karen Jacobs invites students of all majors (not just nutrition) into her home on Boston University’s campus to cook up a recipe developed by Sargent Choice Registered Dietitian, Jennifer Culbert.  Feedback from the weekly Test Kitchen gets incorporated into future Sargent Choice recipes and helps shape the face of healthy dining at BU.

Why we tested this recipe: We love healthy twists on classic recipes and this zucchini parmesan recipe was no exception. The best part about this one is that it includes a homemade tomato sauce recipe that is easy to complete and doesn’t take too much time. This could easily be substituted with a store-bought jar of low sodium sauce as well. Zucchini makes a great noodle substitute, particularly when it is in-season and both affordable and fresh.

Feedback from the SCTK: Getting the zucchini to be even in size is a bit tricky.  We found that if the zucchini noodles were too thin, they yielded a soupy consistency in the end product. Also, it helps to be mindful of how much sauce you add when compiling the dish. Overdoing it on the sauce can also lead to a mushy consistency.  We found that draining some of the liquid out of the sauce using a slotted spoon was helpful when it came to layering the sauce and the zucchini. Substitutes that could work for this recipe are sheets of extra firm tofu, another kind of summer squash, or using a boneless chicken breast as in a classic parmesan.

Sargent Choice Zucchini Parmesan
Recipe modified from New York Times
Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients:
For the tomato sauce:
1 28-ounce can tomatoes
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 small onion
2 to 4 garlic cloves (to taste)
½ teaspoon salt
pepper to taste
¼ teaspoon sugar
2 sprigs fresh basil

For the zucchini:
2 to 2 ½ pounds zucchini
½ teaspoon salt
pepper to taste
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
½ teaspoon red pepper flakes (or to taste)
¾ cup freshly grated Parmesan

 Directions:

1. To make tomato sauce: heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium head and add onion. Cook, stirring often, until tender, about 5 minutes. Add garlic. Cook, stirring, until fragrant, 30 seconds to a minute, and tomatoes, salt, pepper, sugar and basil sprigs. Increase heat to medium-high. When tomatoes are bubbling briskly, stir and reduce heat to medium. Cook, stirring often, until tomatoes have cooked down, about 15-25 minutes. Remove basil sprigs.
2. Heat oven to 450 degrees. Line 2 sheet pans with parchment. Trim ends off zucchini and cut in half crosswise, then into lengthwise slices, about ¼ to ⅓ inch thick. Season on both sides with salt and pepper and toss with 2 tablespoons olive oil.  Arrange zucchini slices on baking sheets in one layer and sprinkle with red pepper flakes.  Roast for 12 minutes, until lightly browned and easily pierced with a knife.  Remove from oven and reduce heat to 375 degrees.
3. To assemble the dish, oil a 2-quart gratin with olive oil. Spread ¼ cup tomato sauce over the bottom of the dish. Arrange a third of the zucchini in an even layer over tomato sauce. Spoon a third of the remaining sauce over zucchini and sprinkle with ¼ cup Parmesan. Repeat with 2 more layers, ending with ¼ cup Parmesan. Drizzle on remaining tablespoon olive oil.  Bake 30 to 35 minutes, until bubbling and browned on the top and edges.  Remove from heat and allow to sit for 5 to 10 minutes before serving.