12 Tried and Tested Zucchini Recipes

12 tried and tested, family-friendly, sweet and savory recipes that use summer's favorite vegetable - Zucchini!

I am a happy Mom when my kids willingly eat their vegetables. One vegetable they don't  snub is Zucchini. Perhaps because I add Courgettes (the british name for Zucchini) in breads and cakes but, certainly, they love them in savory dishes, too! Over the years,  we have enjoyed these sweet and savory recipes that all use Zucchini! We hope you enjoy them as much as we do!

Sautéed Zucchini with Lemon and Parmesan

A quick, delicious and healthy way to use up all these summer squash is to make Sautéed Zucchini with Lemon and Parmesan!

We are at the peak of Zucchini season and it would certainly be hard to miss these tasty summer squash. They are everywhere from the Farmer's market to your favorite grocery and yes, of course, in your neighbor's vegetable garden! In our house when I have already baked 3 Zucchini breads in a row in less than a week, then you can be sure it truly is zucchini season!

One Pot Meatballs and Zoodles (Zucchini Noodles)

Last weekend we attended the fair at Durham here in Connecticut. I believe it is the biggest in the state, much anticipated and certainly well-attended. There was so much to see and check out that you can honestly spend an entire day during the fair without getting bored at all. My kids and I had a lovely time checking out the rides, games and exhibits and the animal shows. I have honestly never attended a fair this huge so it was something new and exciting for me.

Baked Chicken with Olives and Zucchini

Yay for Fall! That means the weather is cooler and we can finally turn our ovens on to bake and cook delicious meals for our family. When I make a savory dish for my family, I try to use simple recipes that I can easily prepare and do not require too much fuss. After all, when school season begins, there are tons of activities to attend to and oftentimes, there isn't a lot of time to make dinner.

Double Chocolate Zucchini Bread

We have been given some huge zucchinis by some friends from church and I didn't know what to do with them! Then I remembered that one of the ladies in our previous church brought some chocolate zucchini bread and I got to taste it there and couldn't believe it had vegetable in it! It was so moist and really tasty and with no hint at all that there's zucchini in it, just plain good chocolate yummy-ness in each bite. I was hooked!

Garlic and Thyme Roasted Chicken with Courgettes (Zucchini)

We went to England in 2010 and stayed with my hubby's very good friend, Robin, while in London. His wife was away visiting her family abroad at that time so he was left in-charge of taking care of us and feeding us. Wow, I was almost afraid for him - not that we are difficult guests (LOL) but just because I didn't want him to make a fuss or to be intimidated with our presence.

Sweet and Spicy Shrimp and Zucchini Stir-Fry

In Asian cooking, we like our food to have layers of flavors. It's not enough for it to be just plain salty or savory or even sweet. It's got to be more than that. It has to be a little sweet, a little spicy, quite tangy....a combination of flavors that will excite one's palate - delicious complexity in other words.

Zucchini Soup

Winter means soup and I have been trying my hand on a few vegetable soups so we can enjoy a healthier version everytime we want some. After trying out and loving our Brocolli Soup it was time to try a Zucchini version. However, I wanted to add a little extra flavor to the soup and I thought I'd try to add some fennel seeds. I know they have a nice anise flavor and perhaps that will work with Zucchini. I wasn't sure though if it will even manifest itself but when I pureed the whole batch, I tasted just a hint of it and I was pleased with it. It does not overpower the other ingredients but gives it that extra flavor dimension which for me is enjoyable. But if you cannot find fennel seeds or they are not handy, then don't worry I am pretty sure it will still be a good tasting soup. It just so happened I have some left in the pantry so I decided to try it.

If you use 6 cups of broth, it will be more of a runny and thin soup but if you wish a creamier and thicker version, then feel free to lessen the cups to about 4. Either way, I think it's lovely and delicious and wonderful with grilled ciabatta and melted provolone which is what we had with this soup. Unfortunately, the bread got eaten before I could take the photo. Anyway, enjoy another lovely and healthy soup to last you during the last few months of winter.

Ingredients

2 Tablespoons Olive oil
1 Tablespoon Butter
3 garlic cloves, choped
1 medium onion, chopped
1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds
4 Zucchini (medium to large), thickly sliced
1/2 Tablespoon Fresh Thyme
6 cups chicken or vegetable stock (4 cups only if you wish a thicker or creamier soup)
Salt and pepper, to taste (optional)
Cream and Chives (for garnish)

Procedure

Melt the butter with the olive oil in a large saucepan. Saute the onion, garlic and fennel seeds in gentle heat for about 5-8 minutes or until the onions has softened and has changed its color. Add the sliced zucchini and toss gently for about 5 minutes. Add the fresh thyme and the stock. Bring to a boil then simmer just until zucchini is tender roughly 5-8 minutes. Add salt and pepper, to taste, if it needs seasoning or if you use low-sodium chicken or vegetable stock.

Set aside the soup to cool down a little before you puree it.

In a blender or large food processor, puree the zucchini mixture to your desired  thickness and consistency. Serve in bowls with a dollop of cream and some snipped chives. Enjoy!

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Blueberry-Zucchini Bread

With both blueberries and zucchinis added, this summer bread comes out so moist and so deliciously good!  Perfect treat for the whole family!

One of the summer rituals in Michigan is blueberry picking. I love blueberry picking! I love that I can bring the tots to a blueberry farm so they can enjoy getting the blueberries straight from the trees. They love it too! They especially love to eat them straight from the trees as well so I end up doing most of the picking. I ask them, "So where are the berries that you picked?" And with that silly smile on their faces they say, "But we ate them already." Oh well, at least they had some free snacks! Here's Sophie with her friend, Gabby, posing by a blueberry tree.

Aren't these girls gorgeous?

We picked over 3 kilos of blueberries ( 6 lbs +) and now I have to think about what I'm going to do with them. Half of them would be eaten by my family, but the other half would be used for cooking. Am planning to go back to the blueberry farm before the season is over so I can get some more for freezing. That way, I can still enjoy my berries in the middle of winter! Yay!

Here's one of my favorite summer recipes, Blueberry-Zucchini Bread.

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Ingredients

1 ½ cups plain Flour 
1 cup plus 2 Tablespoons Sugar
½ teaspoon Salt
1 teaspoon Baking Powder
½ teaspoon Baking Soda
1 teaspoon  ground Cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground Nutmeg
2 Eggs
1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
½ cup vegetable Oil
1 cup Zucchini, grated/shredded
1 cup Blueberries (roll in flour before you fold them in to prevent the berries from sinking into the bottom of the pan)

Procedure

Preheat oven to 350 F/ 180 C. Lightly grease a loaf pan or line with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, combine the dry ingredients - flour, salt, sugar, leavening agents, cinnamon and nutmeg. 

In a mixing bowl beat together the eggs, vanilla, oil and zucchini.

Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and mix just until combined.

Fold in the blueberries. Transfer to the prepared loaf pan.

Bake for about 55-60 minutes, or until a tester/toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. 

Cool for about 30 minutes in the pan and then turn onto a wire rack to cool completely. Enjoy!

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Spaghetti with Zucchini

I love the Farmer's Market! I can get all my local produce during their peak season. For me fresh is best, indeed. One of the lovely summer veggies is zucchini or courgette, also known as summer squash. Zucchini is very versatile for it is not only great with savory dishes, it's perfect for baking too. Add it to a sweet bread recipe and you're sure to have a yummy moist bread. My favorite is the combo of zucchini and blueberries but I will do that for another post.