MAY 13, 2026
Stanley Tucci. – Credit: Getty Images/Allrecipes
Stanley Tucci is a man after our own comfort food-loving hearts. Whether he’s showing off a pasta dish on Instagram or sharing his family’s favorite soup recipe in his book, “What I Ate in One Year (and Related Thoughts),” Tucci always seems to have a comfort food recipe up his sleeve.
The beloved actor once told Allrecipes that he eats pasta practically every day—and his 2024 memoir, which is a food diary and personal diary all in one, is proof. He waxes poetic about carbonara; says he makes homemade marinara sauce at the beginning of each week for easy dishes; and even shares that he packs his own pasta and supplies (pots and all) when he goes on vacation.
However, on days when Tucci isn’t making pasta, he’s still leaning into a tasty comfort food dish like his zucchini parmigiana.
Stanley Tucci’s 4-Ingredient Zucchini Parmigiana Casserole
Tucci’s four-ingredient casserole is quite simple, with just zucchini, potatoes, marinara, and Parmesan cheese. He says it’s how his father’s family makes eggplant parmigiana, but on that particular day, he omitted the eggplant.
The easy meal features roasted zucchini, pan-fried potatoes, Tucci’s homemade marinara sauce (or your favorite store-bought), and lots of Parmesan. Tucci whipped it up for dinner one day to save some “fading zucchini from the fridge,” but found himself devouring the leftovers the next morning for breakfast.
“Full disclosure: I am writing this at 10:05 a.m. the next day. I just ate the zucchini parmigiana on a warm baguette for breakfast. I had to stop myself from eating all of it,” he wrote. “My repertoire is limited, but I must admit that the dishes I do make are pretty good.”
How To Make Stanley Tucci’s Zucchini Parmigiana
Credit: Bailey Fink
By now, we all know that Tucci isn’t the best at providing a full recipe. In fact, he addresses that in his book when he makes a pot of chili con carne.
“The chili was delish, but I’m not sure why. This is the reason I will never be a great cook. I never measure anything. I almost always judge every phase of a dish by my eyes, my nose, and my mouth,” he writes.
But here’s the basic recipe he provided—we’ll fill in the gaps.
“I wrangled four fading zucchini from the fridge, sliced them into rounds, coated them with olive oil and salt, and placed them in the oven to roast for about 20 minutes,” Tucci recalls in the book. “I fried up some sliced potatoes in a cast-iron pan, then layered the whole lot in a small baking tin with the previous day’s marinara and some grated Parmigiano, and baked it for about 30 minutes.”
For four zucchini, slicing about four large potatoes thinly into rounds will work. You’ll want to use enough marinara sauce and Parmesan to cover the whole dish, so you’ll have to measure by eye. Lastly, heat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C), then bake the whole casserole until the marinara is bubbling and the vegetables are tender.
We took a page out of Tucci’s book (literally) and tried it for breakfast with a fried egg and toast, and that was our favorite way to enjoy the casserole. While it’s tasty on its own, it also makes for a great side dish alongside a heartier main. Recipe or not, the Tucc has done it again with this perfect comfort meal.
Courtesy/Source: The article originally posted on Allrecipes
