Skinny Zucchini Parmesan

If you love eggplant parmesan, you’ll surely love this! It’s easy-to-prep and absolutely delicious. Using zucchini creates a much more delicate flavor than eggplant. Each main course serving has 239 calories and 5 grams of fat. Once baked, this casserole freezes great. I hope you thoroughly enjoy it!
Skinny Zucchini Parmesan

Why You’ll Love Skinny Zucchini Parmesan

Skinny Zucchini Parmesan offers a lightened-up take on a classic Italian flavor combination. This dish appeals to those seeking a healthier alternative to traditional Parmesan-crusted vegetables. With zucchini slices baked to perfection and topped with a flavorful Parmesan crust, it delivers a satisfying and nutritious meal. It's a perfect option for those who want to enjoy the taste of Parmesan without the guilt, making it a great choice for health-conscious eaters.

Ingredients for Skinny Zucchini Parmesan

This recipe offers a lighter take on the classic Parmesan-crusted zucchini dish. Here's a breakdown of each ingredient:
Main Ingredient:
  • 1 pound (~2 large) zucchini, sliced lengthwise: The zucchini is the base of this dish. It's sliced lengthwise to create long strips that mimic the shape of pasta.
Coating:
  • 1 egg + 1 egg white beaten together: This mixture acts as a binder for the bread crumbs, helping them adhere to the zucchini slices.
  • 1 cup regular bread crumbs, plain: Bread crumbs provide a crispy and flavorful coating for the zucchini.
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder: Garlic powder adds a savory flavor to the breading mixture.
  • Salt and pepper, to taste: These seasonings enhance the overall flavor of the dish.
Cooking Medium:
  • Olive oil cooking spray: This is used to coat the baking dish to prevent sticking.
Sauce:
  • 1 (28 oz) jar pasta sauce, I used Classico Tomato Basil or your favorite: The pasta sauce provides a flavorful base for the dish. You can choose your preferred flavor profile.
Cheese:
  • ½ cup reduced-fat mozzarella cheese, shredded: This is the primary cheese used for the topping, providing a creamy and melty texture.
  • 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese, grated: Parmesan cheese adds a salty and nutty flavor to the dish and provides a crispy topping.
This combination of ingredients creates a healthier and lighter version of the traditional zucchini Parmesan while still delivering on flavor and texture.

How to Make Skinny Zucchini Parmesan

Preparing the Zucchini
  1. Preheat oven: Begin by preheating your oven to 425°F (220°C).
  2. Prepare baking pan: Line a 9x9-inch baking pan with foil and coat it with cooking spray.
  3. Slice zucchini: Slice the zucchini lengthwise into slices that are slightly thicker than ¼ inch.
Creating the Breading
  1. Mix breading ingredients: On a plate, combine the bread crumbs, garlic powder, salt, and pepper.
  2. Prepare egg mixture: In a shallow dish, whisk together the egg and egg white.
  3. Bread the zucchini: Dip each zucchini slice into the egg mixture, then coat it with the bread crumb mixture. Place the breaded zucchini slices on the prepared baking pan.
  4. Spray with oil: Lightly spray the tops of the breaded zucchini slices with olive oil cooking spray.
Baking the Zucchini
  1. Bake the zucchini: Place the baking pan in the preheated oven and bake for 15 minutes on each side, or until the breadcrumbs are lightly browned.
Assembling the Lasagna
  1. Prepare the baking pan: Coat a 9-inch square baking pan with cooking spray.
  2. Layer the ingredients: Start by placing a layer of zucchini slices on the bottom of the prepared baking pan. Top with half of the ricotta cheese, then half of the tomato sauce. Repeat this layer once more, ending with a layer of zucchini slices.
  3. Add cheese: Sprinkle the top with shredded mozzarella cheese.
Baking and Finishing
  1. Bake the lasagna: Bake the lasagna in a 350°F (175°C) oven for 20-25 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and bubbly.
  2. Add Parmesan: Sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese and bake for an additional 5 minutes.
  3. Let it set: Remove the lasagna from the oven and let it sit for 15 minutes before cutting into 6 slices.
This process will result in a delicious and healthier version of traditional zucchini Parmesan. Enjoy!

Helpful Tips About this Recipe

Makes 6 servings. Each serving, 1 slice.

WW Freestyle SmartPoints
7–Blue
WW SmartPoints
7-Green
SKINNY FACTS: for 1 slice
239 calories, 5g fat, 2g sat. fat, 60mg chol, 19g prot, 31g carbs, 3g fiber, 757mg sodium, 13g sugar
FACTS: for SmartPoints
220 calories, 2g sat. fat, 11g sugar, 18g protein

 

Skinny Zucchini Parmesan

Skinny Zucchini Parmesan

5 from 1 vote
Prep Time 15 minutes
Bake Time: 40 minutes
Total Time 55 minutes
Course Main Course
Cuisine American, Italian
Servings 6
Calories 239 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 1 pound (~2 large) zucchini, sliced lengthwise
  • 1 egg + 1 egg white beaten together
  • 1 cup regular bread crumbs, plain
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • Salt and pepper, to taste
  • Olive oil cooking spray
  • 1 (28 oz) jar pasta sauce, I used Classico Tomato Basil or your favorite
  • 1 (15 oz) container fat-free ricotta cheese
  • ¾ cup reduced-fat mozzarella cheese, shredded
  • 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese, grated

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line a 9 x 9-inch baking pan with foil and coat with olive oil or canola oil cooking spray.
  • Slice zucchini lengthwise in slices a little more than ¼ inch thick. On a plate, toss together, bread crumbs, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Add egg and egg white to a shallow dish. Mix together. Dip the zucchini slices in the eggs and then in bread crumbs. Place the breaded slices on the baking sheet, Coat the top of the zucchini with olive oil spray. Bake in oven 15 minutes on each side or just until the bread crumbs are lightly browned.
  • Coat a 9-inch, square baking pan with cooking spray. In the pan, place one layer of zucchini on the bottom of dish. Add ½ of ricotta cheese on top of all zucchini slices. Spoon ½ of tomato sauce on top of the entire layer. Repeat the layering process once more. Sprinkle top of casserole with mozzarella cheese.
  • Bake in a 350-degree oven for 20-25 minutes until the cheese is melted. Sprinkle grated Parmesan cheese on top and bake for 5 more minutes.
  • Remove from oven and let set. Once set, cut into 6 slices.

Nutrition

Serving: 1sliceCalories: 239kcalCarbohydrates: 31gProtein: 19gFat: 5gSaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 60mgSodium: 757mgFiber: 3gSugar: 13gBlue Smart Points: 7Green Smart Points: 7Plus Points: 6
Tried this recipe?Let me know how it was!

9 Comments

  1. Looks like a lovely recipe except for the 750mg of Sodium and way too much sugar. I wonder if it would be lower with more fresh tomatoes and less but full fat instead of fat free cheeses.

  2. Cathy, In addition to using full fat cheese, if that’s ok for you, you could cut the sodium by looking for a low sodium pasta sauce. Plus, you could leave out the Parmesan cheese.
    I hope you enjoy!
    My best,
    Nancy

  3. Sorry, Dee. I just a 9 x 9-inch baking pan. You can see a part of it in the photo. I used a Porcelain baking pan but you can use It can be metal or glass.
    Enjoy!
    My best,
    Nancy

  4. So sorry Sarah but at this point, I’m only including Blue and Green points. For all of these years, I’ve used a different program than WW to input all of my recipes to do the nutrition facts and points

    I have hundreds of recipes and don’t have the time to input them into WW to make the calculations for the purple plan. Maybe in the future.

    Thanks for joining me on Skinny Kitchen!

    My best,
    Nancy

  5. Hello. This recipe sounds just great. I have to watch the sodium intake too but I’ve found sometimes if you can’t eliminate it from a recipe, it doesn’t hurt to indulge. Like for sweets if you have some at one meal you eliminate it the rest of the day or at least cut down. I eat less salty foods the rest of the day in that case.

  6. I will be making this next week. Just got off vacation where I cheated my butt off and have to get back to showing some good numbers for my doc as he wants to do my annual blood work which includes a lipid test for cholesterol. Which also means absolutely no bread crumbs due to high carbs. What’s a good substitute?
    Thanks

  7. I would cut the bread crumbs in half and use ½ cup bread crumbs and ½ cup rolled oats. You can mix them together before using in this recipe. Or, you could use all rolled oats but not quite sure how it would taste.
    Best of luck getting back on track and at your doctors appointment!
    Nancy

5 from 1 vote (1 rating without comment)

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