Cheesy Zucchini Breadsticks

These zucchini breadsticks are cheesy, golden at the edges, and hold together well enough to actually pick up and dip — which, if you’ve made other zucchini-based things before, you know isn’t a given. They come together in about thirty minutes and nobody ever guesses what’s in them.

Why You’ll Love It

Ready in 30 minutes — minimal prep, no complicated steps
Low-carb without feeling like a sacrifice — hot, cheesy, and satisfying enough that nobody’s reaching for actual bread
The texture actually holds up — squeeze the water out properly and you get a firm, sliceable base that doesn’t fall apart
Easy to customize — red pepper flakes, Italian seasoning, a little provolone — it takes to variations well
Crowd-friendly — scales up easily and disappears fast when there’s marinara nearby

A Few Notes on Ingredients

The zucchini — get the biggest one you can find, or a couple medium ones. You’ll need about four cups shredded, which sounds like a lot until you squeeze the water out and suddenly you’re left with what feels like a small, damp handful. That’s normal. Don’t panic.
Parmesan: I use the stuff from the green can when I’m in a hurry and I won’t apologize for it. I’ve also used freshly grated from a block and yes, it’s better. It’s always better. Use whichever one you have.
The mozzarella — this is divided, half going into the base and the rest going on top at the end. I’ve used both the pre-shredded bag kind and a block I shredded myself. The block melts nicer. The bag is easier. You know which one you’ll choose.
Garlic powder rather than fresh garlic here. I know that sounds like a shortcut — it is a shortcut — but fresh garlic can get a little sharp and weird when you’re baking it this way, and the powder distributes more evenly. Trust me on this one.

Ingredients

4 cups zucchini, shredded (maybe a little more — I always shred extra and see what I’ve got after draining)
1 large egg
⅓ cup parmesan cheese, grated
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1½ cups mozzarella, shredded and divided — ½ cup goes in, 1 cup goes on top
Salt and pepper, to taste (I go fairly heavy on the pepper)

How to Make Them

Preheat your oven to 425 degrees. You want it properly hot before anything goes in, so do this first, even before you deal with the zucchini.
Now — the zucchini. This is the step people rush and then wonder why their breadsticks are soggy. Shred it, then get as much water out as possible. I use a clean kitchen towel and I squeeze it in batches, really wring it out over the sink. My mother used to do this with a potato ricer and I’ve thought about getting one a hundred times and somehow never have. The towel works fine. You want the zucchini to look almost dry when you’re done — drier than you think is necessary.
Put the drained zucchini in a bowl. Add the egg, the garlic powder, the parmesan, salt, pepper, and that first half cup of mozzarella. Mix everything together until it’s pretty well combined — I use my hands toward the end because a spoon stops doing anything useful.
Line a baking dish with parchment paper. I use a rectangular one, roughly 9×13, though I’ve done it in a rimmed sheet pan too and that works. Press the zucchini mixture out into an even layer — not too thick, maybe half an inch or so. If it’s too thick in the middle it won’t set up right.
Into the oven for fifteen minutes.
When you pull it out, it should look set — not jiggling, lightly golden at the edges. This is when you add the remaining cup of mozzarella, just scattered over the top. Then back in for another ten minutes, or until the cheese is doing that bubbly, brown-spotted thing that means it’s ready. My oven runs a little hot so I check at eight minutes. Yours might be different.
Let it sit for a few minutes before you cut it into strips. I learned this the hard way — cut it too soon and everything slides around and you end up with more of a zucchini mess than a breadstick.

Variations

Adding red pepper flakes — just a pinch mixed into the base — gives it a nice little kick. Italian seasoning instead of just garlic powder works well too, if that’s what you’ve got on hand.
I tried a version once where I added some finely diced sun-dried tomatoes into the base. It was interesting. I’m not sure it was better, exactly — different. You could also mix in a little provolone with the mozzarella. I’ve done it. It worked.

Storage

These keep in the fridge for a few days, though I find they lose something — a little crispness at the edges, a little structural integrity. Reheat them in the oven or a toaster oven rather than the microwave if you can, because the microwave makes them go soft in a way that’s not ideal.
I’ve left them on the counter under foil for a few hours when I made them ahead of a dinner and that was fine. I wouldn’t leave them overnight out. Probably obvious but just in case.

I usually serve these with marinara for dipping, the jarred kind, because I’m not going to make marinara on a weeknight when there’s already enough going on. Sometimes I set them out as an appetizer and sometimes they’re just the side dish to something simple like a big salad or a bowl of soup.