Scarpaccia is a delightful Italian dish that offers a unique combination of flavours. The taste of scarpaccia can be described as savoury, earthy, and subtly sweet.
The main ingredient, zucchini, contributes a mild, fresh flavor that is complemented by the richness of Parmesan cheese. The zucchini becomes tender and slightly caramelized during baking, adding a hint of sweetness to the dish. The cornmeal and flour create a crispy crust that provides a pleasant contrast to the softness of the zucchini.
If you like zucchini recipes, you may want to try my recipe for Crispy Sweet Potato And Zucchini Scallion Fritter. They are so tasty and easy to make! I love to dip them into my fresh Homemade Tzatziki Sauce.
memories of a delicious scarpaccia
I first had this delightful zucchini treat at my good friend’s house years ago! Her Nona was visiting from Italy and made scarpaccia using the zucchini from my friend’s garden.
I couldn’t pinpoint if it was a quiche or a pizza. Turns out it is more of a tart! There are no eggs required so that throws out the quiche idea. It isn’t a pizza because it doesn’t require yeast! It’s on its own level!
I found myself asking my friend over the years what the hell was that delicious dish that your nona made with zucchini, and she couldn’t remember as her nona made so many delicious dishes using zucchini almost daily when zucchini was in season. Well, here it is and I am so glad to have finally figured it out and now writing the recipe here on my blog.
Ingredients:
- 2-3 medium zucchini sliced into coins
- 1-2 onions sliced
- 1 garlic minced
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup cornmeal
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1 tsp. pepper
- 1 tsp. Italian seasoning
- 1-2 tbsp. olive oil
- 1 cup water
- 1/2 cup grated Peccorino cheese
- 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, chopped
Directions:
Preheat your oven to 400°F (200°C). Grease a 9×13-inch baking dish or line it with parchment paper.
Slice zucchini into coin shaped slices. Approximately 1/4 inch in size.
- Slice your onions thin.
- Saute zucchini and onions in a pan with a little oil for approximately 7-8 minutes.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, corn meal, oil, garlic, Italian seasoning, water. salt and pepper. Whisk. Add in the sautéed zucchini and onion. Mix everything together.
Pour the mixture into the prepared baking dish, spreading it out evenly.
Place the dish in the preheated oven and bake for about 30-35 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and the edges are crisp.
Remove the Scarpaccia from the oven and let it cool for a few minutes. Cut it into squares or rectangles to serve.
Scarpaccia is typically enjoyed warm or at room temperature as a side dish or a light main course. It can also be served as an appetizer or a snack. The tart has a delightful combination of flavours from the zucchini, Parmesan cheese, and herbs. Enjoy!
Some other great appetizer recipes to try!
Let's make it together!
Tuscan Delight - Zucchini Scarpaccia Tart
Ingredients
- 2-3 medium zucchini sliced into coins
- 1-2 onions sliced
- 1 garlic minced
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup cornmeal
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1 tsp. pepper
- 1 tsp. Italian seasoning
- 1 cup water
- 1/2 cup grated Peccorino cheese
- 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/4 cup fresh basil leaves chopped
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400°F (200°C). Grease a 9x13-inch baking dish or line it with parchment paper.
- Slice zucchini into coin shaped slices. Approximately 1/4 inch in size.
- Slice your onions thin.
- Saute zucchini and onions in a pan with a little oil for approximately 7-8 minutes.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, corn meal, oil, garlic, Italian seasoning, water. salt and pepper. Whisk. Add in the sautéed zucchini and onion. Mix everything together.
- Pour the mixture into the prepared baking dish, spreading it out evenly.
- Place the dish in the preheated oven and bake for about 40-45 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and the edges are crisp.
- Remove the Scarpaccia from the oven and let it cool for a few minutes. Cut it into squares or rectangles to serve.
How was your bite?
I hope that you enjoyed this Scarpaccia Recipe! I would love to hear from you. Feel free to comment, or send some feedback. Thank you for reading my blog and happy cooking!
Great taste. Is it supposed to be soggy inside but crisp outside.?
Hi Joy! Thank you for writing👏 It is suppose to be moist on the inside but not soggy. Next time, you could spread it out more thinly prior to baking. A couple other ideas, you could squeeze out the moisture from the zucchini more and bake a little longer. I really appreciate you taking the time to write and thank you for trying my recipe👏😊
Is the Basil in the tart or just a garnish?
Yes, I like to put basil or any fresh herbs that you might like into the batter. Thank you so much for writing! 😊👏
Made it tonight very tasty and moist inside. More dry on the outside than crisp not sure why though.
I really like this recipe. I omitted water and used two eggs which worked really well. I also presalted the zucchini coins in a bowl, placed some paper towels over the zucchini and a used heavy bowl on top to squeeze out moisture. Got a good bit of liquid out after 45 minutes. After mixing everything, it is really important to spread the mixture as thin as possible in the pan – I used a parchment coated cookie sheet.
Can this recipe be baked in a CI pan
I believe this will work great! I would recommend adding a little oil and heat the pan first then add the batter. Please let me know how it turns out!
Can this recipe be made a day in advance and baked the following day OR reheated the following day?
I would recommend making it and then reheating it the following day. Thank you for writing! I hope you like the recipe!