Zucchini, Mozzarella and Prosciutto

Zucchini, mozzarella and prosciutto.

Even if you think you’ve had enough zucchini now that it’s cooling off, it’s a great excuse to make this casserole/gratin recipe!

Joyce, from Quattro’s, our local butcher, gave the Accidental Locavore this recipe. It’s super easy and might have served 4, but Frank and I ate the whole thing because there was no more room in the fridge for leftovers.

That’s our story and we’re sticking to it.

Zucchini, Mozzarella and Prosciutto:

• 1 large or two medium zucchini
• 1 ball of mozzarella (about a pound)
• 3 ounces of prosciutto, thinly sliced (if you buy it packaged that’s the size, otherwise go for ¼ pound)
• Bread crumbs or panko
• Olive oil
• 1 medium sized garlic clove (optional)
• Parmesan cheese for the top (optional)

Preheat the oven to 350°.

If you have really large zucchini, slice in half across the middle, stand on the cut end, and slice into 1/8″ long slices. Otherwise, just cut off an end and stand it up and slice it. If you have a mandoline, this is a good time to pull it out.

Slice the mozzarella into 1/8″ slices*.

Pour some of the olive oil into a plate and pour about a cup of bread crumbs into another plate.

Rub a medium-sized gratin pan with the cut garlic if using and lightly grease with some of the olive oil.

Dip a slice of zucchini into the olive oil and then the bread crumbs. Repeat with the rest of the zucchini.

Make a layer of zucchini in the pan. Top with a layer of prosciutto and a layer of mozzarella.

Repeat, ending with mozzarella on the top.

Sprinkle with Parmesan if using and any leftover bread crumbs (also optional).

Loosely cover the pan with aluminum foil.

Bake for about 30 minutes, until the zucchini is cooked and the cheese is melted and starting to brown.

Serve and enjoy!

My verdict:

Might not have been the prettiest dish ever, but you can’t eat pretty! The fact that there was nothing left tells you that it was really good!

We decided that it would be a great platform for a lot of different variations. Italian sausage could take the place of prosciutto, eggplant could sub for the zucchini etc.

Joyce used a particular Italian zucchini which didn’t have a lot of seeds, we used a very large unknown variety that had some seeds but wasn’t watery. If you’re going to use standard zucchini, go for the smaller ones.

*Mozzarella slices much easier with a serrated cheese knife like this one: