What to do with extra zucchini

Posted on by Forest in General, Recipes & Food

What to do with extra zucchini= I love Zucchini but it really can grow like a weed. Seeing as it’s so yummy and nutritious, low in fat, calories, very high in vitamin C not to mention folate, potassium, and vitamin A we should be celebrating it. All too often when zucchini’s are covering all the counter tops in the kitchen and there are still more on the plants in the garden it can be more of a frustration.

I don’t think it should be wasted and luckily there are lots of great ways to use it up and create a variety of very different tasting meals.

Ideas for what to do with extra zucchini

Give it away!

If you have been blessed with an uncontrollable harvest then just give them away. I would take a bag of Zucchini in a split second if someone offered them to me.

Zucchini bread

A good way to use up zucchini is by making that sweet yummy bread from it. A lot of zucchini can be mashed to make a few loafs and everyone loves it. It’s super easy to make and is very cheap. You can find some great recipes on All Recipes.

Dipping Spears

if you are trying to keep your diet on the straight and narrow then healthy snacking is no doubt part of your regime. Zucchini is very low in calories and mostly water so they make for ideal snacks. Simply cut the zucchini into spears and snack with healthy oil and sugar free salsa or bean dip. You may have to go easy on the dips but you can pretty much eat as much zucchini as you like.

Poor man’s crab cakes

A great vegetarian crab cake style patty can be made with shredded zucchini instead of crap. Just take your regular crap cake recipe and use the zucchini in it’s place. For seasoning Old Bay seems to be the general consensus on the best option.

Zucchini boats

This is a super simple and versatile recipe and works great with the bigger out of control zucchini (well call them marrow in England). Cut the squash in half and then scoop out the zucchini to leave a canoe shaped boat. Boil or steam these boats until tender and fill with a yummy filling. For a filling recommendation I would suggest taking the scooped zucchini and frying along with onion, beans (pinto and white work well), tomatoes and spices (chilli and basil do great). Then topping with mozzarella and placing in the oven for a few minutes to melt the cheese. You can also fill these with regular pasta sauce, curry, stew or anything that you can think of.

What zucchini recipes and ideas do you have?

As I mentioned, I love zucchini so if you have any good ideas for cooking it then please let me know!

GD Star Rating
loading...

Tags: giant zucchini recipe, grown too much zucchini, overgrown zucchini, squash recipes, too much zucchini, what to do with too much squash

10 Responses to “What to do with extra zucchini”

Adam

06. Oct, 2010

I almost never make my crab cakes with crap, that is definitely a rarity in the Mlynarcik house hold. But I will definitely be trying them with zuchini.
Adam recently posted..The Cutler Trade…Would You Do It Again

GD Star Rating
loading...

Reply to this comment
- Forest
  
  07. Oct, 2010
  
  Ooops, I saw that mistake when writing and was sure I had fixed it, ha ha! Glad you are going to try the cakes.
  
  GD Star Rating
  loading...
  
  Reply to this comment
Money Funk

06. Oct, 2010

Awesome list, Forest. Although the first one gets tough to do after a few times because your friends deny it. LOL. I did take my neighbors extra, where I cut them and put them in the freezer so I can make a stir fry or my yummy zucchini-pineapple muffins (I love them so!).

Mmmm… and zucchini boats – I found a great recipe in Sunset Magazine – with brown rice, tomato sauce, mozarella cheese… truly yummy!
Money Funk recently posted..Plastic Wars- Credit or Debit Card

GD Star Rating
loading...

Reply to this comment
- Forest
  
  07. Oct, 2010
  
  Hey Christine, ha ha yeah you need to rotate who you give them too.
  
  That sounds really similar to a recipe I make sometimes. It’s yummy!
  
  GD Star Rating
  loading...
  
  Reply to this comment
Elijah

07. Oct, 2010

I’m all about some zucchini bread infusing my apartment with the smell of freshly baked goods.

I actually don’t know if there’s such a thing as extra zucchini – there’s always a reason to cook with it!
Elijah recently posted..7 Ways To Keep Your Hustle On Point in 2011

GD Star Rating
loading...

Reply to this comment
- Forest
  
  07. Oct, 2010
  
  Hey Elijah, I guess you have never grown zucchinni….. It’s amazing how much you get! But you are right you can always freeze it too.
  
  GD Star Rating
  loading...
  
  Reply to this comment
Andy R

11. Oct, 2010

Slice. Marinate in Italian dressing. Barbeque. Delicious.

GD Star Rating
loading...

Reply to this comment
- Forest
  
  13. Oct, 2010
  
  Hey Andy, I love BBQ Zucchinni!!!! YUM
  
  GD Star Rating
  loading...
  
  Reply to this comment
Cathy Moran

17. Oct, 2010

A variation on the crab cakes is a zucchini fritter, with onion, herbs (or mint leaves), and cheese if you like.

It helps with zucchini to be proactive and pick them when they are little. They taste better and they don’t outweigh you
Cathy Moran recently posted..What’s in Your Budget

GD Star Rating
loading...

Reply to this comment
- Forest
  
  24. Oct, 2010
  
  Hey Cathy, yep the cakes in the post are Zuchinni crap cakes (hence the poor man).
  
  The Cheese would be a nice touch and I agree they are nicer when smaller.
  
  GD Star Rating
  loading...
  
  Reply to this comment