Perfect as a side dish, or as a component to an easy comforting meal. These baked zucchini taste a little like an Italian pizza with the delicious marinara sauce, basil and cashew ‘parmesan’, but are vegan and dairy and gluten-free.
Zucchini Parmigiana
By Saskia Gregson-Williams (www.naturallysassy.co.uk)
Serves 4 | Prep 5 mins | Cook 35 mins |
GF SF DF EF V MF
Ingredients
- 2 Large zucchinis (courgettes), halved length-ways
- 1 tin chopped tomatoes
- 2 tablespoons minced oregano
- 4 tabslespoons minced basil (plus extra to garnish)
- 1 clove garlic, crushed
- 1 Red onion, minced
- A dozen button mushrooms, pealed and sliced
- 1 red pepper, sliced thinly
Vegan ‘parmesan’:
- 1/2 cup cashew nuts
- 4 tbsp nutritional yeast
- salt to taste
Method
- Preheat the oven to 190 degrees.
- Slice your zucchinis and place on a baking tray with a drizzle of olive or avocado oil. Bake for 20-25 minutes.
- Meanwhile prepare the sauce by first adding the onions, pepper and mushrooms to a pan with a drizzle of olive oil, sauté until well cooked – then add all ingredients to a saucepan and simmer for around 3 minutes.
- For the ‘parmesan’ process the ingredients in a food processor or blender. Once the zucchini has baked, remove from the oven, spread with sauce and scatter with 1/4 of the Parmesan on each half.
- Put back in the oven and bake for another 5 minutes (or until Parmesan starts to brown).
About the author: Saskia is a professional ballet dancer with a passion for healthy eating. Her blog, Naturally Sassy, is all about embracing pure, natural whole-foods and making recipes with simple ingredients that really do taste amazing! Keen to show everyone the incredible the effects natural nutrition can have on every aspect of your life, Saskia has published a cookbook, ‘Naturally Sassy’ packed with 120 recipes for an energised, healthy and happy you.