7 Ways to Survive the Zucchini Flood
So far my little garden has given me 36 zucchinis and counting! How do I know? Well, once I realized how flooded I was becoming with zucchini I started numbering them. That way I know which ones to use first. And boy have I been using them!
7 Ways I’ve Used my 36 Zucchini:
1) Give them AWAY! – This is number one because without doing this, I would have lost my mind.
2) Saute them in olive oil & added some spices – Nothing too exciting, but easy and yummy.
3) Beef Vegetable Soup – I made up this recipe. I don’t do things like that, so this was a pretty big deal in my house. Nate even said that it was the best beef vegetable soup he’s ever had! Go me! See below for recipe.
4) Oven Baked Zucchini Fries – These weren’t bad, but they weren’t really good enough to share the recipe. Honestly I’m pretty sure I was just thinking about french fries too much while I was making them. Honey, these are not an adequate substitute for french fries.
5) Fried Zucchini – I got this recipe from Amy’s Finer Things. These were much better than the oven-fried zucchini fries. Hmm… could it have something to do with all the oil???
6) Chocolate Whole Wheat Zucchini Muffins – Um… these are amazing. I got this recipe from Lynn’s Kitchen Adventures. I’ve made these twice and I can’t seem to get them to rise very much, but I’ve decided that I don’t care. They taste too good to care about how pathetic they look. The last time I made them I used coconut oil instead of vegetable oil. Yum-yum-YUM!
7) Zucchini Herb Casserole – Folks, I have saved the best for last and that is pretty impressive since it doesn’t have chocolate in it! I got this recipe from Hey Donna. This dish makes a fantastic vegetarian meal or you can pair it with something like grilled chicken. I’m seriously in love with this dish. One tip for you: be sure you use sharp cheddar cheese or even extra sharp. We accidentally used mild once and it just wasn’t the same.
Beef Vegetable Soup
- beef broth
- potatoes, peeled & diced
- zucchini, diced
- 1-2 bay leaves
- salt, to taste
- 1-2 bags of frozen mixed vegetables
- 4-8 oz tomato sauce, tomato paste, or pizza sauce
- roast beef, cooked & cut up into small pieces
Simmer the potatoes and zucchini in your beef broth until they are almost tender. Then add remaining ingredients and continue simmering until all veggies are tender.
The ingredient list is vague because the dish is very flexible depending on how many servings you want to make and what you have on hand.
Tips:
- Save this recipe to make when you already have leftover roast beef on hand. That makes the meal super easy to pull together.
- Use kitchen sheers to cut up your roast beef. Easy-peasy, folks!
- Look for a bag of frozen veggies with a lot of variety. I buy one that has green beans, corn, lima beans, carrots, and peas.
- Need some more flavor? Add some Italian seasoning.
Yum!! I, of course, Love the Zucchini Herb Casserole! Another favorite of ours is our Faux-Crab Cakes (made with NO crab!)> It also makes a great Faux-Falafel if you add greek seasoning instead of Old Bay! YUM!
I have a zucchini flood coming, my first ones are just beginning to grow, so I’m looking forward to trying some of these recipes. The zucchini her casserole looks really good! Here’s a zucchini chocolate chip cookie recipe that’s really yummy. And I have a zucchini bread recipe that I love, but I’m trying to tweak it to use whole wheat flour and sucunat instead of white flour and sugar, but I haven’t gotten it quite right yet. I’m hoping to post it once I do.
I’m all over those muffins! Here’s what we’re gonna do… I’ll provide the coffee drinks, you provide the muffins… and YUM!
Sounds perfect to me, Dorothy!
Just watched your pop bottle sprinkler video…brilliant! I love zucchini and wanted to share how we eat it…especially in the summertime. The big ones work best…
Slice up about quarter inch thick
brush with olive oil
sprinkle salt, pepper, garlic powder
then put a coat of Parmesan cheese
Put them right on the bbq’er and cook til tender and lightly brown on outside.
They are soooo good!
Yes, Amanda! I definitely need to try grilling zucchini. You aren’t the first person who has told me how wonderful it it. Honestly, I don’t know what I’m waiting for. Thanks for the tip!
yummy recipes!
One of my standard gotos for the zucs is to slice it into a backing pan, cover with a can of tomatoes, add some spices and back for about 30 minutes (until soft)…add some cheese to the top and broil until the cheese is bubblin…a great use for the super zucs!
Oooooo! That sounds good and easy! Thanks for the suggestion.
OK..all you with tons of zucchini you have got to try this..desert!! Zucchini Crisp..its tastes just like apple crisp only its much better for you!! I have used this recipe for a few years and everyone always ask for a copy when I make it….really give it a try its amazing!! heres a link for one
http://www.cooks.com/rec/doc/0,1837,141180-226206,00.html
a few hints…use lots of cinnamon..be sure to both peel and take the seeds out of the zucchini let the zucchini set in the lemon juice as you go. I like it better with the smaller ones but have used any size I have on hand. Cut them about the same thickness you would an apple. I use half whole wheat flour and I use raw sugar I have tried a few other things in place of the white sugar but it does effect the taste.
I will come make you dinner if you try and this and do like it!! If you like apple crisp you will be in love with this.
Well with a recommendation like that, I have to try it! Thanks, Carol.
Ah, zucchini. In addition to what has been mentioned, I slice it lengthwise, fairly thin, and use as a substitute for lasagna noodles.
I use a julienne peeler to julienne the zucchini and then use the strips like spaghetti. I saute the zucchini “spaghetti” and then serve it with sauce.
I have used shredded zucchini it to make a fake coconut pie. I found the recipe online somewhere, but it was just like a real coconut pie- fooled my nieces and nephews! lol
I also freeze shredded zucchini and sliced (lengthwise) zucchini for later.
Great ideas, Karen! I’ve seen the lasagna noodle idea on Pinterest before, but I’ve never heard of using it in a coconut pie recipe!
We love oven zucchini fries. The trick is breading in flour then egg then bread crumbs. Serve with marinara for dipping. Yum! Shredded and mixed with potato for hash browns is pretty good. Sliced and grilled or grilled in a foil packet with potatoes onions and meat is great too.
Maybe I should try the zucchini fries again. I wasn’t crazy about them, but they do sound good. Thanks for all the ideas!
Just an FYI…You can freeze shredded Zucchini! I shred all that I won’t be using right away, and then measuring out 2 cups per freezer container (or bags if preferred) Pop them into the freezer. In the middle of winter I can grab to make a recipe of Zucchini bread, puree it to go into a soup, toss into a meatloaf mixture (excellent way to fool your kids into getting their veggies in!) etc.
I have frozen zucchini for bread, but I never thought to use it in soup, meatloaf, or other dishes. Duh!! Thanks for the tip!
All that works, but one could plant less plants & plant other stuff.
We use fresh zucchini in an easy stir fry. Using a beef and broccoli seasoning packet, substitute cubed chicken, cubed zucchini, and sliced mushrooms for the beef, broccoli, and onions. We serve it over linguini pasta and it is so good! The whole meal takes about 20 minutes from start to finish, so it’s great in a busy weeknight. Hope you enjoy!
Sounds good, Kristen!
A great way to use zucchini especially if they are large is to make the same as eggplant parmeson. Slice dip in egg wash. then bread crumbs and fry or bake until crisp tender. Layer like a lasagna with sauce, then eggplant, cheeses and keep doing that. Bake 350 for 40 minutes and put cheese on top. Flavor sauce with whatever i.e. garlic, oregano etc. This can be frozen before baking and cook frozen.
I never, ever cook with eggplant. I should give it a try! Thanks, Lorene.
Zucchini can be coursly grated and used as the “spaghetti” pasta with sauce on it and either cooked with sauce or cooked separately and add sauce and grated cheese.
Hey!
I loved this post! I found this post through Pinterest and it inspired me to write my own blog post about various ways I use zucchini. I hope that’s okay; I linked back to you! (: Thanks for sharing your ideas for using these monsters!!!
Thanks for the heads up! I look forward to reading it.