Delicious crispy zucchini sticks — you can also use young summer squash instead of zucchini, and they turn out just as great. The sticks bake up quickly in the oven, so the zucchini stays juicy and slightly tender inside. The cheese crust makes them wonderfully crunchy, and the spices add a lovely aroma. My family devoured them in no time — they came out incredibly tasty! Even die-hard veggie haters will eat these sticks, including people who normally can't stand zucchini or summer squash. That's because the cheese crust makes the dish taste a lot like nuggets or something similar — basically fast food vibes. So it's a great way to sneak vegetables into veggie skeptics, and vegetable lovers won't need any convincing at all. Everyone will love them!
Ingredients:
- 700 g zucchini (or summer squash)
- 2 eggs
- 100 g cheese
- 30 g semolina (or breadcrumbs)
- 20 g flour
- salt, pepper
- spices to taste (I used oregano, basil, garlic)
- For serving:
- sour cream, garlic, fresh herbs
How to cook cheese-crusted baked zucchini sticks
Into a separate bowl, grate the cheese on a fine grater. I used a half-and-half mix of Dutch cheese and Parmesan — you can use any cheese you like, but it's really best if it's on the firmer side. Add the semolina (or breadcrumbs), flour, salt, pepper, and spices. I used 1/2 tsp each of oregano, basil, and garlic powder — you can substitute paprika, turmeric, curry, etc.
Then coat in the breading. It's easiest to do this with small kitchen tongs — it's more convenient and keeps the breading from sticking to your fingers.
Arrange on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. The coating won't be perfect — it doesn't stick to the zucchini all that well, and that's totally normal. Don't stress about getting a flawless coating, it just won't happen at this stage. :) Once baked, though, the crust will hold on beautifully.
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