Even the pickiest vegetable eater may be certain to love those crispy-on-the-outside, tender-on-the-inside bites of zucchini.
Coated in a mix of panko crumbs and finely shredded cheese, they grow a good crunch within the oven, making them much more healthy (and simpler to make) than a fried version.
They're positively delicious simply as they are, but we want to serve them with warm marinara sauce for dipping.
Crunchy Oven-Fried Zucchini Sticks
These oven-fried zucchini sticks are coated in a mix of panko crumbs and grated Parmesan cheese and baked in a hot oven till crispy and golden.
INGREDIENTS:
1–1/2 lbs zucchini
1/2 cup flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon freshly flooring black pepper
2 big eggs
2 tablespoons milk
1–1/2 cups panko crumbs
3/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan or Romano cheese
INSTRUCTIONS:
Preheat the oven to 400°F and liberally coat 2 shallow baking sheets with nonstick spray.
Trim the ends from the zucchini, cut them in half crosswise, then cut every piece into lengthwise wedges about 1/2-inch thick.
Combine the flour, salt, garlic powder and black pepper in a big zip-top plastic bag. Add about 1/3 of the zucchini strips and shake the bag to coat them with the flour. Transfer to a plate and repeat with the ultimate zucchini.
Whisk the eggs and milk collectively in a shallow dish. Thoroughly combine the panko crumbs and grated cheese on a big sheet of wax paper and set it subsequent to the egg mixture.
Using tongs, dip the zucchini strips, one at a time into the egg mixture, being certain to coat them on all sides.
Next, coat them with the panko-cheese mixture. An simple option to do it is to region a strip of zucchini within the heart of the pile of crumbs, then lift the aspect of the wax paper to “bury” the zucchini in extra crumbs. You'll lose very little of the egg combination this method and the coating will adhere better.
Transfer the crumb-coated zucchini to the ready baking sheets and spray the tops calmly with nonstick spray.
Bake till the coating is crisp and golden brown and the zucchini is gentle but now not mushy, 18 to 22 minutes. Be certain to rotate the baking sheets within the oven as quickly as or twice to guarantee even browning.
Sprinkle the zucchini with a bit of salt and pepper as quickly because it comes out of the oven. Serve at the moment with warm marinara sauce for dipping if desired.