Scarpaccia (Tuscan Zucchini Tart)

Scarpaccia is a traditional Italian zucchini tart that's perfect for summer, when zucchini is at its peak. Thinly sliced zucchini is mixed with a light batter, then baked until crisp and golden around the edges with a tender, creamy center. After plenty of recipe testing, this version has the perfect texture and couldn't be easier to make!

This post may contain affiliate links.

When I set out to make this Scarpaccia di Zucchine, I thought it would be really simple and I'd nail it on my first try. Not so much!

There are tons of different variations of this dish, and I wanted to make it my own, but it took me many, many tries to get it just right. 

I played around with different ratios of dry to wet ingredients, experimented with cornmeal, then semolina, then cornstarch. Ultimately I wound up going back to the basics and settled on this version, which I'm really very happy with. 

Although I had a hard time perfecting this recipe, the version I landed on couldn't be easier to make. 

It's light and crisp on the outside, but tender, delicate, and creamy on the inside, and is just so satisfying to eat.

The best part is that it uses up a ton of zucchini! If you have a ton and need a new way to prepare it, this is the recipe for you. 

In fact, when I started testing I was using the zucchini from my garden, but eventually had to go out and buy some since I was going through so much of it. If you've ever grown zucchini, you know how crazy that is!

What Is Scarpaccia?

Scarpaccia is a thin Tuscan zucchini tart or flatbread that's traditionally made with zucchini, flour, cornmeal, and sometimes eggs, and can be either savory or sweet.

Some tend to be softer and more tender, while others are flakier and crispier. My version is the latter and adds onions and Parmigiano Reggiano for a delicious savory flavor. 

Scarpaccia is an example of Italian cucina povera, which essentially means peasant food. These recipes tend to be very simple with few ingredients, but always have lots of flavor. Scarpaccia is exactly that.

How to Keep Scarpaccia Crispy 

The first step to making a crisp scarpaccia is to thinly slice the zucchini and onions, then salt them and let them sit to draw out their moisture. This takes a little bit of time, but it really helps achieve that signature crispy bite. 

Using a mandoline here is key. It gets you nice, thin, even slices, and it's far quicker and more efficient than using a knife. I recommend using a cut-proof glove to avoid injuries. 

The liquid released gets used to make the batter. The amount you get will depend on your zucchini, how long you salt them, and how hard you squeeze them out. I like to put them in a clean dish towel and wring them out, but you can skip that step if you're short on time. If you don't have enough liquid, just make up the difference with water. 

I add a little bit of cornstarch to the batter to make it ultra crispy, similar to my crispy waffle recipe. It really makes all the difference! 

A lot of recipes use cornmeal in the batter, but I find it makes it a bit heavy and dense. Instead, I just use a light coating of cornmeal on the sheet pan before baking. 

The scarpaccia gets crispier when baked directly on the sheet pan rather than on parchment, and the cornmeal plus a generous coating of olive oil keeps it from sticking. 

The other key to getting this nice and crispy is a super high oven temp. I even pop on my convection oven, which I find makes it even crispier. And if you have leftovers, they recrisp really nicely in an air fryer!

A little Parmigiano in the batter and on top contributes to the creamy interior and crisp, lacy exterior. Plus, it has great flavor and works really well with the mellow zucchini. 

I keep the seasoning plain and simple. Garlic and herbs can burn in the super hot oven, so I leave them out. And honestly, it doesn't need them. It gets so much flavor from the onions, cheese, zucchini, olive oil, and beautiful charred caramelization. 

It's great as an appetizer, a side, or a light meal. It goes nicely with salads, vegetables, cheeses, and other picky things. 

It's such a great summer recipe to have on hand!

How to Make Scarpaccia

1. Toss the zucchini and onion with the kosher salt in a large bowl. Let stand for 30 minutes, tossing once or twice, until softened and the zucchini has released its liquid.
2. Transfer the zucchini and onion to a colander set over a bowl. Let drain for 5-10 minutes, pressing gently to remove excess liquid without squeezing the vegetables dry. Reserve the liquid.

3. Heat the oven to 450°F.
4. Brush an 18 x 13-inch half sheet pan with 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Sprinkle evenly with the cornmeal, then tilt the pan to coat the bottom. 
5. Measure the reserved zucchini liquid and add enough water to equal 1 cup.
6. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cornstarch, Parmigiano and black pepper. Whisk in the zucchini liquid and 2 tablespoons of olive oil until smooth. 
7. Fold in the zucchini and onion until evenly coated.

8. Spread the mixture into the prepared pan in an even layer, using your hands to make sure everything is evenly distributed with no holes.
9. Sprinkle the top with a little additional Parmigiano and drizzle evenly with the remaining tablespoon of olive oil.
10. Bake for 25 minutes, then lower the heat to 425°F. Rotate the pan and continue baking for another 15-20 minutes, or until the edges and bottom are deeply browned and crisp and the top is golden.
11. Let cool on the pan for 10-15 minutes before loosening with a thin metal spatula. Transfer to a cutting board and cut into squares. Sprinkle with flaky sea salt, and serve warm or at room temperature.

FAQ