Impossible to resist the zucchini pie

Zucchini pie is a recipe that once you try it you will never abandon it. Creamy and full of flavour, it is an amazing second course.

How can we describe zucchini pie to those who have never had the good fortune and pleasure of trying it? We could begin by saying that it is a sort of lasagna , but without pasta, stuffed with the most disparate ingredients. Some prepare it with béchamel and others with cream but what really matters is the end result.

Baked zucchini pie should be creamy and full of flavours . The courgettes are arranged in layers, alternating with sliced ​​cooked ham and cheese. In our opinion, the ones that lend themselves best to this recipe are the stringy ones such as asiago, fontina and scamorza. But of course you can use whatever you prefer. The beauty of this recipe with courgettes is that it can also be used as a fridge emptyer : the result will hardly not live up to expectations.

How to prepare the courgette pie

1. First prepare the béchamel . Melt the butter in a saucepan then add the flour and cook until it has taken on a hazelnut colour.
2. At this point, slowly pour the milk , mixing with a whisk, add a teaspoon of salt and grated nutmeg and cook the béchamel until it thickens. It will take about 5 minutes from boiling.
3. Add the Parmesan to the still hot béchamel and mix well.
4. In the meantime, wash the courgettes and cut them lengthwise into thin slices ( from 3 to 5 mm thick ). It may be helpful to use a mandolin to obtain more uniform slices. Otherwise you can also cut them into slices if it is more convenient for you.
5. Spread them out on a baking tray lined with parchment paper and cook them at 180°C for 7 minutes . You can also use already grilled zucchini left over from other preparations or cook them in a pan.
6. Spread a generous spoonful of béchamel on the bottom of a baking dish suitable for cooking in the oven (the suitable dimensions are about 25×20 cm) and start forming the layers : first the zucchini, then the béchamel, the ham and the chosen cheese cut into dice. Continue until you run out of ingredients and finish with a sprinkling of breadcrumbs on the surface.
7. Bake the zucchini pie in the oven at 180°C for 30 minutes .
8. We advise you to let it cool down for about ten minutes before serving.

You liked the zucchini pie recipe but are you looking for something suitable to be served as a first course ? Try the lasagna with zucchini or the even tastier white lasagna .

The variants of the baked zucchini pie

There are other ways to prepare a perfect vegetable pie, but different from the recipe we have proposed. Let's see some of them together:

• Instead of making the béchamel you will have to mix together 2 eggs, 1 jar of cooking cream, grated cheese, about 200 ml of milk and flavor with salt, pepper and nutmeg to taste. After the courgettes are cooked, make a first layer in the oiled pan, then add ham and diced cheese and pour the liquid mixture . On the surface finish with a sprinkling of breadcrumbs and immediately in the oven.
• A variant very similar to the previous version is the one with raw zucchini: grate them with the appropriate kitchen utensil and pour them into the liquid mixture together with the ham and cheese. Mix well and pour the mixture into the greased baking dish, then always complete with the breadcrumbs.
• Lastly, you can follow the basic recipe, adding tomato sauce to the layers (just cook about 500 ml of puree in a pan, with a drizzle of oil, salt and pepper) before putting it in the oven.

storage

The zucchini pie can be kept in the refrigerator for 2-3 days , well covered with plastic wrap. You can consume it after heating it in a pan or in the oven for about ten minutes.

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