Spicy Baked Zucchini Fries with the Perfect Crunch
It's only a few weeks until National Zucchini Day on August 8. Zucchini is a food that I used to dislike, but now I can't get enough of the delicious vegetable! I've featured zucchini in several of my favorite dishes:
Today's zucchini dish tops my list of favorite recipes! I've been wanting to try the recipe out for a while, but I wasn't sure about the Parmesan cheese...I'm not a huge fan. But, I recently saw some hot pepper seasoned grated Parmesan cheese in the grocery and was intrigued! It inspired me to take a spicy twist on the baked fries. The black pepper, seasonings in the Parmesan cheese, and the red pepper flakes all contributed to a nice level of heat. I even added some red pepper flakes to the marinara sauce I dipped them in!
Once I had the spices figured out, I still had some reservations. I love fried zucchini, but it's hard to replicate the delicious crispiness with baking. Amazingly, these zucchini zucchini fries have the PERFECT crunch, though! It's nice to have a healthier alternative to fried zucchini, without sacrificing flavor or crunch. The Panko breadcrumbs are the key to this texture. I use the breadcrumbs for my baked macaroni and the fake fried chicken recipe that I love!!
Here's how I made the delicious, spicy zucchini fries -
Spicy Baked Zucchini Fries ingredients:
- 1/2 cup Panko breadcrumbs
- 1/4 cup hot pepper seasoned grated Parmesan cheese
- 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
- Salt, black pepper, and red pepper flakes to taste
- 2 zucchini, halved lengthwise and cut into fries
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 egg, beaten
- Preheat oven to 425F
- Coat baking sheet with nonstick spray
- Combine Panko, Parmesean, and seasonings
- Dredge zucchini in flour, dip in egg, dredge in Panko mixture
- Place on baking sheet
- Bake 20 minutes
- Cool for a few minutes
- Dip in marinara sauce or your favorite dipping sauce
