Last night I made some crispy zucchini fries on a whim. I saw a few different recipes posted on Pinterest (check out some inspirations & different versions here and here) a while back and decided to use the remaining zucchini I had for zucchini fries.
Oh my. These are good.
No, I'm sorry, I meant: THESE ARE GOOOOOOD!
These would be great as an appetizer at a BBQ, game day snacks this fall, or just as an everyday side dish. I do have to question the fine folks who describe this as a "healthy" dish, however. True, there's a veggie in there, and yes they are baked and not fried, but... they are still dredged in flour, egg, and breadcrumbs...do you call that healthy? Personally, I don't. Then again, I don't care if they are or not, I still find them absolutely delicious! :)
This is one of my No Measure Recipes. If you are a nervous wreck in the kitchen and need someone to tell you exacting measurements (you know, so you can blame them later when the recipe "doesn't work," ;) then I think it's about high time you try a No-Measure Recipe. They truly are freeing, but more importantly: No-Measure Recipes help you learn to trust your personal palate, and they allow you to have FUN in the kitchen again.
What makes cooking an adventure is making it your own, and that means you use as much or as little zucchini, paprika, breading, etc. as you want based on your specific taste buds.
What you need to make zucchini fries
- zucchini
- flour
- egg
- breadcrumbs (I use Panko and love it, but if you don't like the extra crunch Panko gives, then you can use regular ol' breadcrumbs)
- salt & pepper
- ground paprika
- grated parmesan cheese
How to make zucchini fries
Preheat oven to 400 degrees
1. Slice the zucchini into thin, fry-like sticks. I cut my zucchini in half, then slice each half into four strips, and then make thin slices from there.
2. Prep the breading mixture divided into three bowls. Bowl 1 has flour. Feel free to add some salt, pepper, paprika into this and whisk evenly if you want extra flavor throughout. Bowl 2 has the egg, lightly beaten. Bowl 3 has the breadcrumbs, and here I definitely would suggest adding a dash of salt & pepper, maybe about ¼ teaspoon of garlic powder, about ¼ teaspoon of paprika, and about a tablespoon of grated parmesan cheese.
3. Dredge zucchini sticks first in the flour mixture, then in the egg, and finally in the breadcrumb mixture. Be sure to coat each stick evenly.
4. After dredging zucchini sticks in the breadcrumb mix, spread out in one even layer onto a baking sheet (or Silpat).
5. Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes. Just as I do when I'm baking cookies, about halfway through at 7 minutes or so, I turned the pan around 180 degrees for more even baking. Bake until the breadcrumbs are a nice golden brown, then take the zucchini out of the oven and allow to cool for about 5 minutes.
6. Serve immediately with a side of ranch, marinara sauce, or even tartar sauce. The ranch dip makes it taste almost like fish & chips, so why not go full throttle and dip these babies in tartar sauce, right? :)
Enjoy!
Ingredients
Instructions
- Slice the zucchini into thin, French fry-like sticks.
- Prep the breading mixture divided into three bowls. Bowl 1 has flour. Feel free to add some salt, pepper, paprika into this and whisk evenly if you want extra flavor throughout. Bowl 2 has the egg, lightly beaten. Bowl 3 has the breadcrumbs, salt, pepper, garlic powder, parmesan cheese, paprika.
- Dredge zucchini sticks first in the flour mixture, then in the egg, and finally in the breadcrumb mixture.
- Spread out zucchini sticks in an even single layer on a baking sheet.
- Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes. About halfway through at 7 minutes or so, turn the pan around 180 degrees for more even baking. Bake until the breadcrumbs are a nice golden brown, then take the zucchini out of the oven and allow to cool for about 5 minutes.
- Serve immediately with a side of ranch, marinara sauce, or even tartar sauce.
Nutrition information is a general estimate. Actual nutrition details may vary depending on the exact foods & brands you use to make this recipe. It does not take into account any substitutions, toppings, or optional ingredients.
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