Zucchini Is For Dinner AND Dessert

Last week, I wrote about preparing fresh green beans. This week I’m back with another seasonal vegetable -- the zucchini. 

On Monday, I returned from a 10-day visit in my hometown to find a crop of zucchini ready for picking in my garden. So far this week we’ve eaten it raw, in casserole and fried.

That’s the beauty of zucchini, it’s so versatile! It’s delicious raw and served on a relish tray but it’s also excellent in pasta dishes, casseroles, skillet dinners, omelets and quiches.

You can stuff zucchini and bake it, slice it up for a healthy pizza topping, sauté or grill it for a side dish, or pickle it for a sandwich topper. And while we all know that fried food is really not good for us, zucchini is very tasty when fried.  

Of course, zucchini is not only for dinner. It can also be dessert! Adding shredded zucchini to cakes, quick bread, and even cookies makes for moist, flavorful baked goods.  

Baking is the ideal solution for those zucchini that have grown too large for grilling or frying, but are still edible. Just remove the seeds, grate, and add to your baked goods. You can even freeze shredded zucchini to use all year long.

To choose the perfect zucchini for your purposes just follow these guidelines:

For eating raw, grilling, sautéing, and frying, choose small to medium-sized zucchini that are shiny with bright green skin. They should feel firm and heavy in your hand. The best size for zucchini is 6 to 8 inches long and 2 inches or less in diameter.

For chopping for casseroles or shredding for baked goods you can harvest or purchase larger zucchini. Zucchini with minor, superficial scratches and mild bruises are usually still okay to use as long as these undesirable spots are cut away. Just avoid those with a flabby or spongy texture and remove the seeds of larger zucchini before use.

I have so many zucchini recipes that I enjoy, it was difficult to choose which recipes to share here. I resolved to choose a favorite from each of my grandmas. These recipes represent the savory and sweet preparations of zucchini and they are certainly of the “tried-and-true” variety.  

Grandma Bailey’s Zucchini Casserole

1 1/2 lb. ground beef
1 onion, chopped
1/2 -1 teaspoon garlic powder

Salt and pepper, to taste

2 zucchini, cut into 1 inch cubes
3 tomatoes, chopped or 1 large can whole tomatoes

16 oz. sour cream

1 box or bag of seasoned croutons

Shredded Colby Jack or Cheddar Cheese

Place all of the ingredients in a skillet. Break up the beef as it browns. Cook until the meat is no longer pink. Drain the fat. Add the zucchini and tomatoes to the beef mixture. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 20 minutes or until the zucchini is tender. Salt and pepper again, to taste. Remove the skillet from the stove.  Stir in sour cream. Spray a 9X13 inch baking dish with non-stick cooking spray. Empty croutons into the bottom of the baking dish. Pour the beef mixture over the croutons. Top with cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes or until the cheese is melted and the casserole is bubbling around the edges.     

Grandma Shirley's Chocolate Zucchini Cake

3 cups flour
1/2 cups cocoa
1 1/2 t. baking powder
1 t. baking soda
1 t. salt
1-2 t. cinnamon
3 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups oil or 3/4 cup oil, 3/4 cup applesauce
4 eggs
2 t. vanilla
3 cups shredded zucchini
1 cup finely chopped nuts (optional)

Combine flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Sift twice. Combine sugar, oil, eggs, and vanilla. Mix well. Add flour mixture and beat until combined. Stir in zucchini and nuts. Pour into tube pan or bundt cake pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 60-90 minutes, until cake tests done with a toothpick. Cool on a rack for 10 minutes. Then invert and continue cooling to room temperature. Transfer to a serving plate before icing.

Icing:

1 c. powdered sugar, sift
2 t. melted butter
2-2 1/2 T. milk
1 t. vanilla
1 t. cinnamon

Combine ingredients and mix until smooth. Drizzle on cake. Sprinkle with chopped nuts, if desired.

For more of my favorite zucchini recipes, click HERE. I promise that my zucchini bread recipe is that best you will ever taste!