Baked “Fried” Zucchini Chips

I think I’ve posted my “last” zucchini/squash recipe about 8 times now. So I won’t say this is my last. However, a couple days ago I finally pulled up my zucchini and squash plants to make room for winter veggies. They were on their way out, but they probably would have produced a little longer. There was really no point in keeping them, though, since I still have a ton of zucc’s on my counter and in my produce drawer, in various states of rot. If you want results from your garden, I definitely suggest planting zucchini and summer squash!

Since I’ve made the same squash dishes over and over and we are, needless to say, getting sick of them, I thought I’d try something new. I’ve had fried zucchini as an appetizer before and thought this would be a tasty healthier alternative! It turned out great and even Nick, who swore about a month ago that he would never eat another zucchini again, scarfed it down.

Baked “Fried” Zucchini Chips

• 3 small zucchini (or yellow squash)
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 cup breadcrumbs
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1/4 tsp Italian seasoning
• Salt & pepper, to taste
• Marinara sauce, for serving

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Slice zucchini into 1/4-inch thick rounds.

In a small bowl, lightly beat eggs. In another bowl, combine Parmesan, breadcrumbs, cayenne, seasoning, salt & pepper. Start a little assembly line, and dip zucchini rounds into egg, and then into breadcrumb mixture.

Place breaded rounds on a baking sheet. (If you don’t have super awesome non-stick sheets, you may want to spray them.)

Bake about 20 minutes, until lightly browned and crisp. Serve immediately, with marinara sauce.

The chips came out crisp on the outside but tender on the inside… just perfect!