Natalie Chassay’s Zucchini Bake Is the Summer Dish You’ll Make on Repeat
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 favorite home cooks. For this installment, chef and cooking teacher Natalie Chassay, shares her recipe for a crispy, flavorful zucchini bake with basil and lemon sauce.
Light, flavorful, and endlessly versatile, this zucchini bake is everything we want in a summer dish – easy to prepare, satisfying to eat, and beautiful served straight from the oven to the table.
Styled here by Natalie with our signature Bed Threads linens, it’s the kind of recipe that feels right at home on a sun-dappled table, whether you’re hosting friends or enjoying a quiet night in. With tender layers of zucchini, golden edges, and a moreish savory depth, it’s perfect for those warm evenings when you want something fuss-free but impressive.
Best of all, it’s one you’ll come back to all season long – a staple that sits somewhere between comfort food and summer centerpiece.
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 onions, 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 zucchini 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 broiler 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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