My zucchini turned to mush. What happened?

Either you had zucchini that were too large, you didn’t use enough oil or your oven was too hot. Try again with smaller zucchini and make sure you oil them well.

Can I use yellow squash instead?

Sure, but the flavor is a little different. Yellow squash is sweeter than zucchini.

The cream mixture looks weird. Is it supposed to look like that?

If it looks lumpy, your cream might have been too cold. Let it come to room temperature and mix again.

Can I make this without the thyme?

Yeah, but it won't taste like my grandmother's recipe. The thyme is what makes it special.

What do I do with all the zucchini guts I scooped out?

Zucchini bread, obviously. Or throw them in scrambled eggs tomorrow morning.

Creamy Parmesan Baked Zucchini Recipe

Description

Creamy Parmesan Baked Zucchini filled with a rich, creamy Parmesan cheese mixture and baked until golden brown. This easy 35-minute recipe transforms humble zucchini into an elegant side dish perfect for any dinner table

Ingredients

Scale

The Zucchini Part:

- 4 medium zucchini (seriously, don’t use the baseball bat sized ones)

- 2 tablespoons olive oil (the good stuff, not the cooking spray)

- Salt and pepper (more than you think you need)

The Magic Cream Mixture:

- 1/2 cup heavy cream (don’t you dare use skim milk)

- 3/4 cup real Parmesan cheese, grated by hand

- 1 teaspoon garlic powder

- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

- 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning

- Salt and pepper to taste

Cook Mode Prevent your screen from going dark

Instructions

Step 1: Get Your Oven Ready Preheat to 400°F. Don’t skip this step – cold ovens make soggy zucchini.

Step 2: Prep Your Zucchini Cut each zucchini in half the long way. Take a spoon and scoop out the middle, leaving about a quarter-inch of flesh. Save the scooped stuff – I’ll tell you what to do with it later.

Step 3: The Oil Situation Brush each zucchini boat with olive oil. Get in there with your hands if you need to. Season with salt and pepper. This step is non-negotiable – it’s what keeps everything from turning into soup.

Step 4: Make the Cream Mixture Mix the cream, most of the Parmesan (save some for sprinkling), and all the seasonings in a bowl. Use your hands to mix it – you want it to feel like thick cake batter.

Step 5: Fill ‘Em Up Spoon the cream mixture into each boat. Don’t be stingy – fill them all the way up. Sprinkle the leftover Parmesan on top.

Step 6: Bake Until Beautiful 25-30 minutes, until the tops are golden brown and the zucchini gives when you poke it with a fork. Don’t open the oven door every five minutes – just trust the process.

Notes

Zucchini Size Matters: Medium zucchini (6-7 inches) are your sweet spot. Too small and there’s no room for filling. Too big and they’re watery with huge seeds. I learned this the hard way after ruining three batches with baseball bat zucchini.

The Cream Temperature Thing: Let your heavy cream sit out for 30 minutes before mixing. Cold cream can curdle when you add the seasonings, and nobody wants chunky filling.

Don’t Drain the Zucchini: I used to salt and drain my zucchini like I read in fancy cookbooks. Big mistake. The olive oil coating is what prevents wateriness, not pre-draining.

Parmesan Quality: The green can stuff works, but freshly grated Parmesan melts completely different. It gets creamy instead of just… gritty. Worth the extra two minutes of grating.

Oven Position: Middle rack only. Top rack burns the cheese before the zucchini cooks through. Bottom rack leaves you with raw vegetables and perfect cheese. Learn from my burnt-cheese disasters.

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 25-30 minutes
Category: Side Dish, Vegetarian
Method: Baking

Nutrition

Serving Size: 2 zucchini boat halves
Calories: 185
Sugar: 6g
Sodium: 420mg
Fat: 15g
Saturated Fat: 8g
Unsaturated Fat: 6g
Trans Fat: 0g
Carbohydrates: 8g
Fiber: 2g
Protein: 7g
Cholesterol: 45mg