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These baked zucchini spears are an easy, flavorful side dish with tender centers, crisp Parmesan edges, and plenty of garlic. They come together quickly with simple ingredients and pair with Chicken, fish, burgers, steak, or spaghetti. Warmed marinara makes a great dipping sauce.
Why You’ll Love It
- Quick prep — about six minutes to get into the oven.
- Crisp Parmesan edges — tender zucchini gets beautifully browned under the broiler.
- Simple ingredients — zucchini, garlic, olive oil, oregano, salt, pepper, and Parmesan.
- Not watery — sturdy spears roast instead of turning into a sad little pile.
Ingredient Notes
Choose medium zucchini if you can. The enormous ones are impressive in a garden-photo kind of way, but they tend to have bigger seeds and more water inside. Medium ones give you nice sturdy spears that roast instead of steaming themselves into submission.
For the garlic, fresh minced cloves really do make a difference here. Garlic powder works just fine, especially when garlic has gone soft in that little ceramic keeper. But fresh garlic has a sharper, warmer flavor in this recipe. If unavailable, use garlic powder—about 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon sprinkled over the zucchini works just fine.
Use olive oil, nothing complicated. A good everyday olive oil is plenty.
And please, if possible, grate Parmesan from a block. The little tubs of pre-grated Parmesan have their place—particularly on spaghetti night—but fresh Parmesan melts and browns better here. It makes those little salty, golden spots on top that crisp beautifully.
Ingredients
- 2 medium zucchini, washed well
- 2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, and I mean freshly grated if you can manage it
Instructions
Preheat your oven to 425°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set it aside. The parchment is not strictly about being fancy—it just saves chipping baked-on cheese off the pan later, with the sort of determination usually reserved for removing bumper stickers.
Wash the zucchini, trim off the ends, and cut each one into quarters lengthwise. This yields 8 zucchini spears total. Try to keep them roughly the same size so they cook evenly, but do not get worked up over it. This is zucchini, not a cabinet.
Put the zucchini spears on the prepared baking sheet. Rub the minced garlic and olive oil all over each spear. Using hands is faster, though a spoon works if garlic under fingernails is not appealing. Place the zucchini skin-side down on the pan.
Sprinkle the oregano, salt, black pepper, and freshly grated Parmesan over the tops. Be sure the cheese is distributed over all the spears, even if a little lands on the pan. Those crispy little Parmesan bits are not a mistake.
Bake for 15 minutes, until the zucchini is tender. Then switch the oven to broil and broil for 3 to 4 minutes, just until the Parmesan is browned. Stay close during this part. Broilers are moody creatures. One minute there is lightly browned cheese; the next minute there is a pan that smells like regret.
Serve the zucchini warm. A little warmed marinara sauce alongside is wonderful for dipping, especially with Italian food. These are also great next to burgers with no sauce at all.
Variations
For mozzarella instead of Parmesan, add it about halfway through the baking time rather than at the beginning. Mozzarella is softer and doesn’t behave quite the same way under the heat. Add marinara afterward for a little zucchini pizza situation.
Garlic powder works when fresh garlic isn’t around. Sprinkle 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon over the zucchini along with the oregano, salt, and pepper. It won’t have quite the same punch, but dinner will still be good, and no store trip is needed for two cloves of garlic.
Breadcrumbs can create a patchy, greasy crumb situation that falls off onto the pan and smokes under the broiler. Parmesan is enough. Let it be enough.
Storage & Reheating
Leftover zucchini spears can be kept in an airtight container or zip-top bag in the refrigerator for up to two days. They will soften some in the fridge; zucchini just does that. It’s not being difficult, it’s simply zucchini.
Reheat them in the oven or toaster oven so the cheese has a chance to perk back up a little. A microwave will warm them, absolutely, but they’ll be softer. Still tasty, just softer. Cold leftovers are still tasty, just softer.
Final Notes
This is one of those recipes that fits into real life. It doesn’t demand much. It doesn’t require a special occasion or a pristine kitchen. It’s just a pan of warm zucchini with browned Parmesan, and somehow that can make dinner feel a little more complete.
Zucchini keeps showing up every summer. Garlic still makes the kitchen smell like dinner. Parmesan still gets crisp around the edges if watched—really watched—under the broiler.
And that’s plenty, most nights.
Baked Zucchini Spears
Ingredients Â
- 2 medium zucchini washed well
- 2 cloves garlic peeled and minced
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese freshly grated from a block if possible
InstructionsÂ
- Preheat your oven to 425°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Wash the zucchini, trim off the ends, and cut each zucchini into quarters lengthwise to make 8 zucchini spears total.
- Place the zucchini spears on the prepared baking sheet, keeping them roughly the same size so they cook evenly.
- Rub the minced garlic and olive oil all over each spear, then arrange the zucchini skin-side down on the pan.
- Sprinkle the oregano, salt, black pepper, and freshly grated Parmesan over the tops, distributing the cheese over all the spears.
- Bake for 15 minutes, until the zucchini is tender.
- Switch the oven to broil and broil for 3 to 4 minutes, staying close, just until the Parmesan is browned.
- Serve the zucchini warm, with warmed marinara sauce alongside for dipping if desired.