Roasted Zucchini Torta with Tomatoes and Mozzarella
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Roasted Zucchini Torta with Tomatoes and Mozzarella is a wonderful vegetarian main course. It’s easy to make and leftovers reheat beautifully. It makes a great lunch to pack for school or work the next day.
The recipe is adapted from Jack Bishop’s recipe in The Complete Italian Vegetarian Cookbook. He makes a quick tomato sauce with canned crushed tomatoes, garlic, and basil. I substituted my favorite jarred marinara sauce, Mezzetta Homemade-Style Marinara Sauce.
I have made Roasted Zucchini Torta with Tomatoes and Mozzarella twice now. The first time Bob was home and he seemed to like it. The second time was a few nights ago when he was out of town. He called that night and I mentioned that I was making it for myself. He replied, “That’s good. I really didn’t like it that much.”
Oh, well. If you like zucchini, tomato sauce, and mozzarella cheese give it a try. I think it’s delicious! (I just might have had a piece for breakfast the next morning.)
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Roasted Zucchini Torta with Tomatoes and Mozzarella
(Adapted from Jack Bishop’s recipe in The Complete Italian Vegetarian Cookbook)
Serves 4
4 medium zucchini (about 1 2/3 pounds)
2¼ tablespoons olive oil
1 cup marinara sauce
1½ tablespoons minced basil leaves
8 ounces mozzarella cheese, shredded (about 2 cups)
3 tablespoons freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
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1. Preheat the oven to 400˚. Arrange the oven racks so they are both in the center area of the oven.
2. Trim the ends off of the zucchini. Make a thin lengthwise slice off the side of one of them. Turn it on the cut side so it’s stable and cut it lengthwise into ¼-inch slices. Repeat with the other zucchini.
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3. Lay the zucchini on 2 large rimmed baking sheets. Use about 2¼ tablespoons of olive oil and lightly brush the oil on both sides of the slices. Sprinkle with a bit of salt and pepper.
4. Roast the zucchini in the oven for about 15 minutes. You’ll probably need to use both oven racks. After 15 minutes, switch the baking sheets on the racks and roast for another 10 minutes, or until the zucchini is starting to brown. Remove from the oven.
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5. Reduce the oven temperature to 350˚.
6. Brush an 8-inch square baking pan with a bit of olive oil. Put a layer of about ¼ of the zucchini in the pan. Brush ¼ cup of the marinara sauce over the zucchini. Top with ½ cup mozzarella cheese and a bit of the grated Parmigiano-Reggiano and the minced basil.
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First layer of zucchini with the marinara sauce before adding the mozzarella and Parmigiano
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7. Repeat the layers 3 more times.
8. Bake the torta at 350˚ for about 30 minutes, or until it’s bubbly and has started to brown just a bit.
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9. Cool a bit on a rack for 15 minutes before cutting into servings.
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In the kitchen with Kath 
Be still my heart!! I love zucchini!
Then you’ll love this one, Raven! 😉
This looks fabulous!!
Thank you!
It says zucchini and tomatoes… so where’s the tomatoes? You have sauce but no tomatoes listed. ??
I can see why you would ask that, Wildflower! Thanks for your comment. The author of the recipe, Jack Bishop, gave it its name. I looked up his recipe and he uses crushed tomatoes to make the sauce. I chose to use a top quality jarred marinara sauce instead of crushed tomatoes. So the cup of marinara sauce is the tomato component of my recipe. 🙂
I love zucchini. Thanks for the recipe.