Parmesan Zucchini Chips with Harissa

Parmesan Zucchini Chips are made even more flavorful with harissa powder! This zucchini gets roasted in the oven with parmesan cheese to make a cheesy parmesan crust. The harissa spice adds a little kick!

These days, I've been putting harissa on everything. Vegetables like cauliflower, carrots, and this roasted zucchini with parmesan cheese. I've even made harissa butter! The flavor of harissa is so intoxicating, it always leaves me reaching for both the condiment and the spice.

Recently I had a leftover zucchini in my kitchen, I knew exactly what to do with it. Slice it up, and toss with harissa, and olive oil. Even better? Add some parmesan cheese for that delicious salty parmesan crispness.

Ingredients:

• Zucchini
• Olive oil
• Harissa powder
• Salt
• Freshly grated parmesan cheese

What is harissa?

Harissa is a spice that is commonly used in North African cooking, especially in Tunisia, Morocco, and Algeria. It has a smoky and slightly citrusy flavor to it. It comes in condiment form, where it is jarred, in a tube as a paste, or in powder form, as a spice.

If you can't find harissa, you can use smoked paprika as a substitute in this recipe. Smoked paprika will be less spicy and less citrusy than harissa powder.

Where can you find harissa?

Harissa powder can easily be found at most grocery stores, or online at Amazon. Look in the spice aisle at your grocery store first. If you can't find it with the spices, check International sections, depending on your grocery store.

Cooking tips

• All ovens cook differently, check to make sure your zucchini is tender before removing from the oven. When using your broiler, also keep a close eye on your zucchini.
• Freshly grated parmesan cheese works best with this recipe. I highly recommend keeping a wedge of parmesan cheese in your refrigerator. I love using a microplane to grate the cheese.
• If you want to slightly amp up the spice level, add an additional ¼ teaspoon harissa to the zucchini.
• If you slice your zucchini a little thinner, it will still work, but won't be as sturdy as if you slice it thicker. I have found that around ¼ inch works best.

How to make:

Slice the zucchini into ¼ inch thick rounds. Place in a bowl with oil and harissa powder.

Place zucchini slices in a single layer on a baking sheet.

Add parmesan cheese to each parmesan round.

Bake until tender, then broil for 3-5 minutes (watch carefully!)

Plate, and serve with additional parmesan cheese if desired.