High-Protein Zucchini Parmesan

High-Protein Zucchini Parmesan

Ingredients

Serves 6

Grilled zucchini

6 large zucchini, sliced lengthwise

Zest and juice of one lemon

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon fine grain sea salt

Ground black pepper to taste

Tomato sauce

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 small onion, finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 (14.5 oz / 411 gr) cans diced tomatoes (I used Muir Glen)

2 sprigs fresh basil

1 teaspoon fine grain sea salt

Ground black pepper to taste

1 cup / 1.8 oz / 50 gr grated Parmesan cheese, divided

3 large free-range organic eggs, lightly beaten

Directions

Tomato sauce

To make the tomato sauce. Heat the olive oil in a large (preferably non-stick) skillet over medium-high heat, add onion and saute’ until translucent, about 5 minutes.

Add garlic and stir until fragrant, about a minute, then add diced tomatoes, salt, black pepper and basil sprigs.

When it starts to bubble, turn down the heat to medium-low and cook, stirring every so often, until the tomatoes have cooked down and are beginning to stick to the pan, about 25 minutes.

Remove the basil sprigs and set aside.

Grilled zucchini

Wash the zucchini, cut the ends off and cut lengthwise into ¼-inch slices. Be careful as the knife can slip on the shiny surface of the zucchini; work on a solid, unmoving surface.

Place zucchini slices into one of those enormous ziploc bags, or two regular-sized ziploc bags. Pour in olive oil, lemon zest, lemon juice, salt and pepper.

Seal the bag and shake well to get zucchini slices all coated.

Heat a grill pan (or an outdoor grill) over medium heat (if you don’t own a grill pan, you can use a regular skillet), and grill/cook the zucchini for 5-7 minutes on each side (the zucchini should be soft throughout when poked with a fork and have nice grill marks on each side when they are done.)

Set aside.

Assemble Zucchini Parmesan

Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C) and place a rack in the middle.

Cover the bottom of a 9x13-inch baking dish (about two-quart) with two tablespoons of tomato sauce and arrange zucchini slices on top to form an uniform layer.

Cover the zucchini with tomato sauce, sprinkle some Parmesan cheese and then spread 3 to 4 tablespoons of beaten eggs (you’ll need to use the back of the spoon to spread them uniformly).

Repeat to make 3 layers, making sure to end with a uniform layer of tomato sauce and top with the remaining Parmesan cheese.

Bake in the oven for about 40 minutes until hot and beginning to brown.

Let set at least 15 minutes before serving.

This dish tastes better the day after!