Roasted Zucchini Sticks with Parmesan Cheese

One of my favourite things about living where we do is all the nearby farms and farmer’s markets. Right now is the best season for creating healthy and delicious farm to table meals for my family. Over the next few months, we’re going to be spoiled rotten with a huge variety of local produce.

This week we picked up some zucchini at the farmer’s market along with local cherries, blueberries, golden plums, and Okanagan peaches. Now when it comes to fruit, my kids would eat every single piece within the day if I’d let them, but with zucchini I need to be a little more creative.

Zucchini is one of those veggies that my kids both love (raw with ranch dressing) and hate (pretty much any other way). Sometimes I despair at the weird things my kids decide are inedible, despite having eaten them just fine the week before. That’s why I’m ridiculously happy to have found a way of preparing zucchini that they’ll eat and even like a little (at least this week). The secret is the fresh Parmesan cheese! Use the real stuff though, not that powdered stuff in the shaker.

Roasted zucchini sticks are a delicious, quick, and easy side dish, even on weeknights. Wash and cut your zucchini into quarters. Ours were on the small side so I cut up two of them for our family of four. Toss the cut zucchini sticks with avocado or olive oil, garlic powder, your favourite dried herbs (herbes de Provence, Italian seasoning, or dried basil work really well), salt, and pepper.

Lay your zucchini sticks skin side down on a parchment paper lined baking sheet and roast for 10-12 minutes. You want them soft but not soggy. It’s a fine line though, so keep a close eye on them.

As soon as the zucchini sticks come out of the oven, transfer them to your plate or serving bowl and sprinkle freshly grated Parmesan cheese over them. My kids love their cheese heavy-handed and, to tell you the truth, so do I!

Roasted Zucchini Sticks with Parmesan Cheese

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Ingredients

  

• 1 zucchini
• 2 tablespoons avocado oil or EVOO
• 1 teaspoon herbes de Provence or Italian seasoning
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese grated

Instructions

 

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Wash and cut zucchini into 3-4" pieces, then into quarters lengthwise.
• Toss zucchini sticks in a mixing bowl with oil, herbs, garlic powder, salt, and pepper.
• Place individual zucchini sticks, skin side down. on baking sheet and roast for 10-12 minutes until softened.
• Serve hot with grated Parmesan cheese sprinkled on top.