Late Summer: fireflies, warm nights, last quick getaways, and….zucchini. 🙂 If you’re a gardener, live near a gardener, or are related to a gardener, you probably are feeling a little overrun with zucchini right about now. I’ve got to tell you though, I actually love zucchini. In fact, it’s one of the few veggies that all of us agree is something to look forward to seeing on the dinner table and sometimes we even fight a little over the seconds! We don’t even make it into bread. Here are some of our favorite ways to cook up all that zucchini!
If you’ve never tried spiralizing your veggies, you really, really should! A few years ago, our daughter gave us this handy gadget. We were skeptical. I mean, as seen on TV? Vegetable pasta? But I’m telling you, I wouldn’t want to be without it now. It makes veggie noodles in minutes, goes in the dishwasher, plus cooking those zucchini noodles is so simple. This year, we even gave a veggetti to our zucchini supplier (aka my mother-in-law). This delicious recipe only uses four simple ingredients and takes about seven minutes of cooking time!
Easy Butter Garlic Zucchini Noodles
Ingredients
3 Small Zucchini
4 T. Butter
2 t. Dried Oregano
2 t Garlic, minced
Salt and pepper to taste
Spiralize the zucchini and place it on paper towels for 15 minutes to absorb some of the liquid. Melt the butter in a large skillet on medium heat. Add all ingredients to the skillet and saute, stirring constantly, until the zucchini is cooked through, about seven minutes.
Oven-Baked Zucchini Parmesan
This easy, cheesy side dish is oh-so-delish. This week when I made it my family wished I had made a double batch! For a lower carb option, eliminate the breadcrumbs and use double the grated parmesan.
Ingredients
2-3 Zucchinis, sliced thin (about enough to cover one cookie sheet)
1 T Olive Oil
¼ cup grated parmesan (we love this 4C Homestyle for this recipe and really all cooking. It tastes fresh but is so convenient)
¼ cup panko bread crumbs (for a lower carb option, use ½ cup parm and omit bread crumbs)
!/2 t garlic powder
¼ t white pepper
¼ t salt
Preheat oven to 450.
In a large bowl, combine the zucchini slices with olive oil, stir to coat
In a separate bowl, combine parmesan, bread crumbs, garlic powder, white pepper, and salt.
Line a baking tray with foil and spray with non-stick spray
Cover the zucchini slices in the cheese mixture and put on the baking sheet in a single layer.
Bake for 30 minutes.
Enjoy!
My husband requested we try substituting zucchini in our favorite lasagne recipe to cut out the carbs. Making a whole meal with one pound of lean ground chuck and this tasty vegetable turned the typical heavy lasagna into a healthy dinner option! As a bonus, we had some leftover pieces for lunch the next day.
Cheesy Zucchini Lasagna
Ingredients
2-3 large zucchini- enough to make “noodles” for your lasagna
1 pound ground chuck
1 24 ounce jar of pasta sauce (we use RaguTraditional)
15 ounces ricotta cheese
1 cup shredded parmesan cheese
1 egg
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
Slice the zucchini lengthwise using a mandoline. Slice them thin (about ⅛ inch) so they will retain less water. Place the slices on paper towels while you mix the rest to help them dry a little before cooking.
Combine the ricotta, parmesan, and egg in a bowl, set aside
In a large skillet, brown the beef until no longer pink, chopping it up as you go.
Add the jar of sauce to the meat, reserve about ½ cup
Put this reserved sauce in the bottom of a 9 by 13 baking dish
Add a layer of zucchini noodles
Place ½ cup of the meat sauce on top of the zucchini
Place ½ cup of the ricotta mix over the meat sauce
Sprinkle with mozzarella
Repeat these layers three times
Top the lasagne with a generous amount of the grated mozzarella
Bake for 45 minutes
Let cool for five minutes before cutting.
Blue Willow Lane 