The American Homemaker's Zucchini Recipes and Ideas

I taught a Relief Society class last week on using up your garden zucchini.  We eat zucchini and/or squash every day at our house this time of year.  Every.  Single.  Day.  Here's the info from my class.  Enjoy!

Double Chocolate Zucchini Cake

4 eggs
2/3 c. sugar
2/3 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. oil
1 T vanilla
2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
2/3 c. cocoa 1 tsp Pero powder (or coffee)
3 c. flour
4 heaping cups grated zucchini
2 c. mini chocolate chips

Mix everything well and pour into a greased 9x13 pan. Bake at 350 for 45-55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Serve warm or at room temperate with butter or frosting on top.

Zucchini Relish 

Shredded zucchini
Ball Brand Dill Pickle Mix
Vinegar called for in mix

This is a hodge-podge method that my family loves. Add required vinegar & mix. Mix to shredded zucchini in a pot. I don’t add water since zucchini has so much water in it already. Heat until hot. Process pints for 20 minutes.

Zucchini Parmesan

Slice zucchini. Dip the slices in flour, then milk or eggs mixed with water and finally Panko crumbs. Panko is sold in the Asian or breadcrumb aisle of the grocery store. Fry in hot oil until golden brown and crisp on each side. Place on a paper towel lined pan when done. Top hot cooked spaghetti noodles with the fried zucchini in a 9x13 pan. Pour your favorite spaghetti sauce over the top. Top with shredded mozzarella or Italian mix cheese. Bake for 15 minutes or until sauce is hot and cheese is melted.

Fried Zucchini

Peel zucchini. Take out the seedy part if it’s a big huge zucchini. Cut the meaty part into “french fries”. Dip the fries in flour with some pepper added, then milk or eggs mixed with water and finally Panko crumbs. Panko is sold in the Asian or breadcrumb aisle of the grocery store. Fry in hot oil until golden brown and crisp on each side. Remove from oil to a paper towel lined plate or tray. Serve hot with ranch dressing for dipping.  

Sweet Cooked Zucchini

zucchini or yellow squash
onion
butter
salt
pepper
brown sugar

Slice the squash into 1/2-inch rounds, cutting large ones in half. Add the butter to a frying pan that has a lid and melt over medium heat. When the butter has melted, add the onions and cook until soft, about 4-5 minutes. Add zucchini/squash, salt, pepper and brown sugar. Stir, then cover and cook for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Cook until squash is very soft. Remove the lid and cook for a couple more minutes until some of the liquid is evaporated and thickened a bit.

Zucchini Skillet

1 lb hamburger
Zucchini or squash, diced
2 cans diced seasoned tomatoes
Shredded cheese

Fry hamburger and zucchini together until hamburger is done. Drain, if needed. Add tomatoes and stir well. Top with cheese and let melt.

Zucchini Funeral “Potatoes”

Use fresh shredded zucchini in place of frozen hash browns in your favorite funeral potato recipe! It’s delicious!  

Freezing Zucchini 

Zucchini freezes well, both cubed and shredded. Remove the peels before freezing because they become tough and bitter once frozen. I use frozen zucchini in cookies, cakes, brownies, chilies, soups, pastas and casseroles. If you put frozen diced zucchini into a crockpot meal it will break down and your family won’t even know it’s there, but it will stretch the meal further!

If you plan to serve your frozen zucchini in a way that you want it to still look like zucchini, leave the peel on, cut into half inch slices and blanch for three minutes, then drain and freeze. If you are unfamiliar with blanching, you boil the slices for three minutes then remove the squash from the boiling water and place it directly into ice water. Once cool you drain and freeze. These same freezing ideas work for summer squash and eggplant as well! I like to freeze eggplant, squash, zucchini and spinach together in the same bag to add to winter crockpot meals! I cook the spinach just for a minute before freezing.

Other Ideas for Using up Zucchini, Eggplant & Squash 

Add diced zucchini, eggplant or squash into:

Scrambled eggs
Hashbrowns
Spaghetti & other pastas
Casseroles Soups & chilies
Bbq beans
Enchiladas & burritos
Rice dishes