Caprese Tower with Parmesan Fried Zucchini

I could eat this Caprese Tower with Parmesan Fried Zucchini all day. It’s a great option if you’re looking for a fresh and colorful appetizer.  Here’s the super easy and quick recipe!

Caprese Tower with Parmesan Fried Zucchini

Ingredients

2 Tomatoes, Sliced

2 Bocconcini (Small Mozzarella Cheese)

(If you are vegan, you can replace both types of cheese used with tofu- Vegan instructions will follow)

Fried Zucchini

2 medium Zucchini

2 tablespoons Olive Oil

1/4 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

1/4 cup Italian Seasoned Dry Bread Crumbs

1/2 Tablespoon Garlic Powder

Salt & Pepper

1/2 Tablespoon Lime Juice

1/2 Tablespoon Lemon Juice

Instructions

Prepare all of your ingredients by slicing the tomatoes and the zucchini.  Shred the cheese.

Put the shredded Parmesan, bread crumbs, garlic powder, salt, and pepper in a bowl; mix well.

In another bowl, mix together the olive oil, lime juice, and lemon juice.  Toss the zucchini slices in the olive oil mixture and then dip them into the bread crumbs.  Coat both sides well.

Now, you have two options.

One, you can bake the zucchini slices in the oven at 450 degrees for about 30 minutes on a greased baking sheet.  Two, you can fry them over medium-high heat in a frying pan.  Simply heat extra olive oil and fry each side for 3-4 minutes.  The zucchini edges should be a little bit brown and the middle should be soft.

Next, take a slice of tomato, and place it on a plate.  Layer on top of it, the zucchini (while it is still hot), and then a piece of bocconcini.  Repeat until you have as many layers as you would like.  The heat from the zucchini will melt the cheese a little bit and it is delicious!  

Drizzle the tower with a bit of olive oil, season with salt and pepper, and garnish it with a bit more shredded parmesan.

As promised, here are the instructions for the Vegan Option thanks to The Fitchen.

This method will take longer because you need to prepare the tofu (unless you enjoy preparing it a different way)!

To prep and cure tofu, drain liquid from the container and use paper towel or a towel to remove excess water. I highly recommend using organic, non-GMO tofu. Given that it is a soy product, non-organic brands of tofu are very likely to be GMO.

Slice tofu into ⅓” thick pieces, about 2″ by 3″ in size.

Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil or saran wrap and place a cooling rack on top of the baking sheet.

Arrange tofu slices on baking sheet and squeeze lemon juice over the pieces, then flip and repeat on other side.

Sprinkle tofu slices with 2 teaspoons of sea salt.

Refrigerate, uncovered for 12 hours.

Replace the breadcrumbs with vegan panko or corn flake crumbs etc and assemble the tower as mentioned above and that’s it!

Enjoy!

See Also:

Low-Calorie Lasagna Rolls Recipe

Green Curry Salmon Bowls Recipe