Natalie Chassay’s Zucchini Bake Is the Ultimate Comfort Dish for Chilly Nights
Creamy, crispy, cheesy, and just the right amount of indulgent.
Welcome to Put on a Spread, a recipe series that takes you inside the kitchens – and dining rooms – of some of our favourite home cooks. For this instalment, chef and cooking teacher Natalie Chassay, shares her recipe for a crispy, warming zucchini bake with basil and lemon sauce.
Hearty and packed with flavour, this zucchini bake is everything we want in a seasonal comfort dish – simple to make, delicious to eat, and beautiful on the table.
Styled here by Natalie with our signature Bed Threads linens, it’s a gentle reminder that comfort food can still feel elevated. The kind of dish that fills the room with warmth and a delicious aroma as it bubbles away in the oven, it's perfect for winter evenings when you want something nourishing without too much fuss.
With soft layers of zucchini, a golden crust, and the richness of good olive oil and cheese, it’s the kind of recipe you’ll want to revisit all season long – especially when shared with good company. Whether you're hosting or just treating yourself, this one is destined to become a regular in the rotation.
Ingredients
For the basil and lemon sauce:
- 1 large handful of basil leaves
- A generous glug of extra virgin olive oil
- Juice of 1 lemon
- Salt to taste
For the zucchini bake:
- About 8 large ripe zucchinis. Ideally a mixture of colours, sliced into thin rounds using a mandoline or a sharp knife.
- 2 brown onion, halved and sliced into strips
- 6 garlic cloves, finely sliced or crushed
- 1 teaspoon or more of ground black pepper
- Half a teaspoon of ground nutmeg, optional
- 1 cup of grated gruyere
- 1 cup of grated Comte
- Lots of Parmesan for grating
Method
Blitz all the ingredients for the basil and lemon sauce until smooth. Taste it to make any adjustments. It should be herby, salt and very lemony!
For the zucchini bake:
- Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F fan
- After slicing the zucchinis, tip them into a colander or spread out on a rack set over a tray, sprinkle generously with salt, and leave to drain for at least 45 minutes to an hour.
- After draining, pat the zucchinis slices dry with paper towels, and press gently to remove even more water. The more water you can get out of them, the better. You can even squeeze them a bit to release more water if they’re still very moist.
- In a large frying pan, sauté the onions and garlic in a drizzle of olive oil until softened and golden.
- Add the milk and simmer until thickened and reduced. You can also whisk in a tablespoon of flour here if you like to thicken it more
- Season with black pepper, salt and nutmeg
- Spread a third of the onion and milk mix to the base of an oven proof dish
- Top with a third of the zucchinis, spread all over. Scatter with the cheeses and repeat the process until you’re out of zucchinis
- Drizzle generously with olive oil and pop in the oven until golden and bubbling, around 45 minutes
- If the top doesn’t get golden enough you can turn on the grill setting for 5 minutes at the end to achieve that colour
- Serve with fresh bread, salted butter, a zippy side salad and lashings of the lemony basil oil all over the zucchini bake.
For more from Natalie, follow her at @nataliechassay.
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