Zucchini Recipes
Okay, okay. I confess.
There aren’t really 101 recipes in this article — there are only about 67. But 101 sounds so much better, I just went with it.
Listen up. I’m going to share my number-one, absolute best, tippy top, utmost pinnacle frugal tip with you.
It’s actually really simple.
Never waste.
Even when you have zucchini coming out your ears?
Especially when you have zucchini coming out your ears, because it is probably the most versatile vegetable in your garden, as well as being the most prolific and one of the easiest to grow.
You can freeze, dehydrate and freeze dry zucchini to be used all year long. You can turn zucchini into apple desserts, pineapple desserts, and you can preserve apple pie filling in jars for later. Yum!
Plus, there are literally dozens of recipes for turning fresh zucchini into delicious meals your family will enjoy right now. You could literally feed them zucchini every single day for months and still provide so much variety they would never get bored.
This is how you deal with zucchini overload.
Zucchini tends to get the bad rap, but almost all summer squash plants are similarly fast-growing and prolific.
While all of these recipes are titled zucchini something or other, all of them can be made with any type of summer squash. The wonderful thing about zucchini is that it isn’t strongly flavored by itself so it can be used in other recipes where it takes on any flavor.
For those who are pinching their pennies (who isn’t these days?) most of these zucchini recipes include a cost breakdown. Since you are searching for zucchini recipes, I figure you’ve got them coming out your ears, too, which means you planted a few too many in your garden and you’ve got a kitchen overflowing with zucchini (go you!) for which you didn’t pay a dime.
Since the main ingredient, zucchini, was free, all of these recipes cost mere PENNIES to make!
If you didn’t grow a garden this year, or if your zucchini didn’t work out, post a request on your local facebook page and you’ll be inundated. Trust me, you want as much as you can possible get!
You can even use those long-forgotten, club-sized zucchini in the apple recipes!
Not all of these zucchini recipes are mine. Many of the links go to other sites. But I regularly us all of these zucchini recipes and they are family favorites.
Zucchini Dessert Recipes
Because every list should start with dessert, right? If you don’t tell your kids these delicious desserts are made with zucchini, they’ll never know!
Zucchini Main Dish Recipes
Zucchini season is typically pretty hot and I don’t really feel like turning the oven on or eating heavy meals. So I freeze lots and lots of zucchini to use in the following recipes once fall hits and comfort food is on the menu again. Freezing zucchini is easy!
Zucchini Appetizers & Condiments Recipes
Keto Zucchini Recipes
Zucchini is so versatile, it’s almost like God created it for just people with gluten or carb intolerances.
Quick & Easy Zucchini Recipes
Zucchini Chips. Thinly slice a zucchini into coins; toss with 1/4 cup flour plus 1/2 cup grated Parmesan and 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt. Deep-fry the coated zucchini coins in coconut oil over medium high heat, until browned and crisp, 3 to 5 minutes. Or spray them with oil and throw them in your air fryer. Season with salt to taste.
Quick Zucchini Pickles. Bring 1 cup cider vinegar, 1/2 cup water, 1/4 cup sugar and 1 teaspoon pickling spice to a boil; pour over thinly sliced zucchini and red onion. Let cool at least overnight.
Zucchini Bean Salad. Boil a diced medium zucchini and diced yellow squash in salted water 10 minutes then drain. Let cool. Toss with 1/2 sliced red onion, one 15-oz can kidney beans and one 15-oz can black beans (drained and rinsed). Toss with about a cup of ranch dressing.
Zucchini Slaw. Shred 3 carrots and 2 medium zucchini in your food processor. Mix in 1 thinly sliced red onion. Whisk 1/2 cup mayonnaise, 3 tablespoons rice vinegar, 2 teaspoons sugar, 2 teaspoons Sriracha and salt to taste. Pour dressing over vegetables and toss.
Zucchini Grilled Cheese. Add thinly sliced, sauteed zucchini to your favorite grilled cheese sandwich recipe.
Zucchini Meatloaf. Shred 1 small zucchini and 1 yellow onion in your food processor. Mix with 1 pound hamburger, 1 egg, 1/4 cup breadcrumbs, 1 teaspoon garlic powder and 1 teaspoon salt. Press into an 8″ loaf pan. Top with a can of tomato sauce mixed with 3 Tablespoons molasses, 3 Tablespoons mustard and 2 Tablespoons brown sugar. Bake at 350 degrees F, 1 hour.
Zucchini Salsa. Mix 2 cups diced tomatoes, 1 cup finely diced zucchini, 1/4 cup each chopped cilantro and yellow onion, 2 roasted, diced jalapeno peppers.
Lemon, Sour Cream, Zucchini Pancakes Mix 1 cup grated zucchini, 1/2 cup sour cream and the zest of 1 lemon into 2 cups prepared pancake batter before cooking. Serve with butter and honey.
Some Other Ways to Use Zucchini in your Everyday Recipes
- Sautee zucchini and add it to omelets or scrambled eggs
- Add to fried rice
- Dehydrate or freeze dry zucchini to use it all year
- Add peeled, seeded zucchini to your morning smoothies
- Add zucchini to your favorite everyday recipes, like pancakes, waffles and muffins
- Marinate zucchini chunks, skewer them and throw them on the grill while the burgers cook
- Substitute zoodles for pasta to save carbs and add nutrition
- Add diced, fresh zucchini to your favorite salsa recipe
- Add sauteed zucchini to quesadillas or tacos
- Add fresh or frozen zucchini to stir fry, sweet and sour or pretty much any oriental dish
- How to freeze zucchini
And here are some more frugal recipes you might like!
>>>25 Easy Summer Meals for Pennies <<<
Save these zucchini recipes for later!
