TL/DR – Zucchini Au Gratin. Not low maintenance and not low calorie, but a fantastic final result! Zucchinis sliced on a mandolin are salted and drained for several hours in the fridge, then layered with an easy béchamel sauce, Gruyere and jack cheeses. –
Time for more… zucchini! Ah yes, more #$%&*@! zucchini. It’s zucchini season… again. Try Lemony Zucchini Bread, Zucchini Lemon Pancakes, or even Zucchini Brownies.
This recipe is a savory treat involving lots of Gruyere and Monterey jack cheese. For a slightly less intensive savory way to use zucchini, try Meatless Shepherd’s Pie.
The first step can be done up to a day ahead. Slice two large zucchinis between 1/8 and 1/16 of an inch on a mandolin. Spread the slices out on towels, salt each side with just 1/4 t of carefully sprinkled kosher salt, then roll them up into the towels and place in the refrigerator for up to a day. The moisture will drain out.
Make a béchamel sauce. In the first step with the butter, cook minced garlic in the butter being careful not to brown it, then add the flour to make the roux. When the milk, salt and pepper are added, also add lemon zest and allow it to thicken.
Spread a thin layer of olive oil in the bottom of an 8 x 8 baking dish, then make four layers each starting with zucchini slices, followed by a ladle full of béchamel sauce, then shredded Gruyere and jack cheeses. After the last layer, top with Panko crumbs and bake for 35 minutes at 350.
Zucchini Au Gratin
Thinly sliced zucchini layered with garlic lemon béchamel sauce, Gruyere and jack cheese and topped with panko.
Ingredients
- 2 large zucchinis, sliced between 1/8 and 1/16 inch on a mandoline
- 1 1/4 t kosher salt, divided
- 1 T olive oil
- 2 T butter
- 2 cloves garlic, minced finely
- 1 T flour
- 1 1/2 c milk
- Zest of one lemon
- 1/4 t ground black pepper
- 1 c shredded Gruyere cheese
- 1 c shredded Monterey jack cheese
- 1/2 c panko crumbs
Directions
- Step 1 Thinly slice the zucchini on a mandoline between 1/8 and 1/16 of an inch thick.
- Step 2 Spread the slices out over tea towels and lightly salt both sides with 1/2 t salt.
- Step 3 Roll the towels up with the slices inside and refrigerate for two hours or up to a day.
- Step 4 Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Step 5 Coat an 8 x 8 inch baking dish with the olive oil and set aside.
- Step 6 In a medium sauce pan, melt the butter on medium heat. Add the minced garlic and allow it to cook for about 5 minutes, lowering heat if necessary to keep it from browning.
- Step 7 Whisk in the flour and allow it to cook for about a minute.
- Step 8 Add the milk slowly, whisking constantly, then add the remaining 3/4 t salt, pepper and lemon zest.
- Step 9 Over medium heat, allow the milk mixture to come to a simmer and then cook it on medium-low heat, stirring constantly until it thickens a bit, about 7 minutes. It will not be very thick, but will coat the back of a spoon.
- Step 10 To assemble, layer the zucchini slices in rows with about 5 or 6 slices overlapping in each row until the bottom of the baking dish is covered.
- Step 11 Pour about one small ladle full of sauce over the zucchini layer. It will not coat all of the slices. This is OK.
- Step 12 Then layer about 1/4 cup of each cheese over the sauce. Repeat these layers four times. After the last cheese layer, top with the panko crumbs.
- Step 13 Bake at 350 for 35 minutes. Allow to cool ten minutes before serving.
