Bite Of Minnesota: Zucchini Parmesan Crisps

Does your family ever fight over the crispy edges of a casserole, especially when cheese is involved?

That's my husband's family, digging into the salty, crunchy ends whenever available. It explains why my husband is such a fan of my Ultimate Grilled Cheese, with cheese on both the inside and outside of the sandwich. We often make Parmesan cheese or blue cheese crisps, always intended to garnish a dish, but often eaten before even sitting down for the meal.

It seems my friend, Amanda Paa, also enjoys a cheese crisp, which is why she included a recipe for Zatar-Spiced Parmesan Zucchini Crisps in her new cookbook Smitten with Squash. Yep, it's a cookbook all about squash for every season with many recipes perfect for the fall weather.

(credit: Crystal Grobe)

Amanda was nice enough to let me share this recipe with you. It's incredibly easy to make and so rewarding in terms of flavor. Not a bad way to eat your veggies, right? Zatar seasoning is a Middle Eastern spice blend and can be found in the spice aisle or in a specialty market. Have a different seasoning blend? Go ahead and use it – the recipe is versatile.

Zatar-Spiced Parmesan Zucchini Crisps

makes 20 small crisps

1/2 cup zucchini shredded using coarse blade of a food processor (I used a cheese grater)
1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp olive oil
1 1/2 tsp zatar seasoning

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Wrap zucchini in a paper towel and squeeze out excess moisture. Mix together all ingredients and drop spoonfuls of the mixture on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper or a Silpat mat. Gently flatten each mound with your finger and spread out a bit like snowflakes, leaving a little room in between the cheese shreds. This is the key to getting them thin and crispy. As the Parmesan melts, it will hold the crisps together.

Bake for about 8 minutes. The crisps should be sizzling and golden brown when you remove them from the oven. Allow crisps to settle on baking sheet for about 5 minutes, then transfer to a serving plate using a spatula. Crisps will firm up as they cool.