Cheesy Yellow Zucchini Parmesan and Panko “Fries”

We were at a farmstand the other day, and I saw some beautiful summer squashes. And when I said, “Oh, how cute are these summer squash?” Jedd said, “They’re not ‘summer squashes,’ they’re yellow zucchini.”

And I said, “Huh.”

Then on the sly I pulled out my phone and searched for an image of the yellow squash with the bright green stems.

Well, son-of-a-gun, Jedd was right.

I’d seen the type of squash before, but it had never matriculated into my brain that they looked exactly like zucchini. I saw the sunny yellow, and just thought “Those summer squash are super pretty. Am I in the mood for summer squash? Nah, I’d rather have less-seedy zucchini.”

And then I met the best of both worlds. Hello, yellow zucchini!

So, now that I had those beauties in the crisper drawer, the question came down to what was I going to do with them.

Looking around the fridge, I saw that I had a scant amount of parmesan that needed to be used, so that got set aside on the counter.

Then – as what could only be described as a silly amount of panko – found its way onto the counter too. (I mean, less than a half cup of panko? That’s just a rookie mistake to have in the kitchen. Nearly everything involving panko needs at least 1 ½ cups. Or maybe I’m just heavy handed with panko. That’s a possibility too.)

My mind first went to turning them into zucchini fries – but again – the unreasonably small amount of panko I had on hand kept me from pursuing that avenue at all.

But, even a scooch of those coarse breadcrumbs are enough to give crunch to anything, so I kept the spirit of zucchini fries going by sprinkling the zucchini with buttery panko.

Also by sprinkling the zucchini with copious amounts of parmesan (and even sprinkling it in between the sliced zucchini), gave the whole thing an air of crispy frico.

And I do love me some freaking frico.

These made wonderful little treats for cocktail hour, and when I reheated the leftovers the next day, they handled their second heating like a champ.

So, if you have some odds and ends kicking around with some summer squash, definitely give these bad boys a shot!

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Cheesy Yellow Zucchini Parmesan “Fries”

These yellow zucchini fries are full of cheesy flavor, and they're delightfully crunchy from the panko. Also, they come together in a snap, because there's no 3-part breading process!

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time 12 minutes minutes

Total Time 17 minutes minutes

Servings 4

Author Launie Kettler

Ingredients

• 2 medium yellow zucchhini, cut into "fry" shaped wedges
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup panko
• 1/4 cup grated parmesan
• 1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
• Fit a piece of parchment into a quarter sheet pan.
• Place the zucchini into a large bowl, and toss with olive oil, salt, and pepper.
• Lay the zucchini out on the prepared sheet pan.
• Sprinkle with panko and parmesan, and drizzle with melted butter.
• Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until zucchini is cooked through and the cheese and breadcrumbs are browned.
• Serve immediately.
• For leftovers: Store covered in the refrigerator for up to 3days. To reheat, place in a preheated 350 degree oven for 10-12 minutes.