Is there anyone who has never eaten sausage? The answer is hardly “no” because there are different types available in various countries, which is why it has become a food accessible almost everywhere.
Just think of typical German sausages or the famous American hot dogs found almost everywhere in the world. The success is due to the flavor that everyone agrees upon and, to emphasize the point, there are dozens and dozens of variants.
In my case, being Sicilian, I prefer the classic artisanal sausage, the one made by the butcher who seasons the ground pork with pepper, fennel seeds, and salt then inserts it into a casing forming the classic knots.
In this recipe, I wanted to venture into a tempting preparation by first frying the sausage in a pan which I then wrapped in thin slices of zucchini. Once placed in a baking dish, I finished cooking in an air fryer and finally topped it with a gratin of breadcrumbs and cheese.
The result was surprisingly tasty and unexpected! Softness and delightfulness at their peak, which will bring much joy to the table for the whole family!
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- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Economic
- Preparation time: 1 Hour
- Portions: 2
- Cooking methods: Air Frying
- Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients
For the gratinated sausage with zucchini
- 14 oz sausage
- 1 zucchini
- 2 tbsps breadcrumbs
- to taste extra virgin olive oil
- 9 oz pizza mozzarella
Tools
- Pan
- Vegetable Peeler
- Air Fryer
Steps
To prepare the gratinated sausage with zucchini
First, cut the sausage links to the ideal length according to the baking dish you will use for the next steps, thus obtaining pieces that are more or less equal
Next, heat a non-stick pan and proceed to well-brown the sausages, turning them often until fully cooked. It will take about 15 minutes over medium heat
Meanwhile, take a zucchini, remove the ends, and slice thinly using a vegetable peeler
Once the sausages are cooked, turn off the heat and place them out of the pan on a cutting board or a plate
At this point, wrap a slice of zucchini around the sausage diagonally. If necessary, add a second slice of zucchini to cover the entire length
Proceed in the same way until all ingredients are used up and arrange all the sausage links in a baking dish, making sure they are all placed together
For this step, sprinkle the entire surface with breadcrumbs and drizzle with plenty of extra virgin olive oil
Now you can proceed by placing the baking dish in an air fryer and cook at 392°F for about 10 minutes until golden brown. Check frequently as air fryers are not all the same
To finish, remove the basket from the air fryer and cover the baking dish with shredded pizza mozzarella
As the last step, gratin again in the air fryer at 392°F for just 5 minutes until the mozzarella is slightly charred, and then serve at the table
Tip!
You can also use variations of sausage that may be available in your area; even salami works well. For the gratin, you can also use alternative cheeses such as Emmental, Provola, or others.

