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I love fried zucchini but I don't like the grease or the calories that come along with the traditional breaded variety. As soon as Tara posted these Crispy Baked Zucchini Fries I knew I needed to try them. For one thing, there's NO oil in this recipe. None. The only fat comes from the egg and the seasoned panko gives these a deliciously crunchy bite.

When I weighed the zucchini at the store I was surprised to see that two small zucchini = slightly over 1 lb. It didn't seem like it would be enough but I had more than enough to cover my baking sheet. I'm glad I didn't cut the recipe in half because we inhaled these. My mom and I enjoyed 3/4 of the tray ourselves and SP finished them off when he got home from work. Baby Girl loved the raw zucchini (with the green skin, please), but wouldn't touch them breaded and baked. Go figure. I served them with ranch dressing for dipping, which was perfect.

I loved these so much I put zucchini on the shopping list so we could have them again the following week. It's a great guilt-free way to enjoy zucchini. Make them soon!

Crispy Baked Zucchini Fries
From Confections of a Foodie Bride, as seen on Smells Like Home

2 eggs
2 cups Panko breadcrumbs
1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 cup flour
1 lb zucchini, cut into 4-5-inch long sticks, about 1/2-inch wide

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Line a 12×18-inch baking sheet with parchment paper.

Whisk the eggs together until bubbly in a shallow pie dish or bowl. In another shallow pie dish or bowl (glass baking dishes work great too), stir the breadcrumbs, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and cayenne pepper together until well-blended. Set both dishes aside.

Place the flour in a large zipper bag (gallon-size works best) and toss in all of the zucchini sticks. Seal the bag well and shake up the zucchini until all of the sticks are coated with flour.

Taking a few sticks at a time, roll them around in the beaten egg then coat them in the breadcrumbs, lightly patting the breadcrumbs onto the zucchini if needed. Try to not to handle the zucchini too much at this point or the breading with fall off. Carefully transfer the sticks to the baking sheet, spacing them about 1/2-inch apart. You’ll be able to fit the entire pound of zucchini on a 12×18-inch baking sheet, so push them close together if needed. Repeat with remaining zucchini sticks.

Bake for 18-22 minutes until golden brown and delicious-looking. Serve with ranch dressing or marinara sauce.

The best way would be to reheat these is in a 375 degree oven for 5-7 minutes until they are heated through.

Once again I found myself with a few ears of corn and no idea what to make. Thankfully Nichole had just posted this recope for Fried Sweet Corn with Basil Butter. I also had half a huge zucchini to use up, so I decided to add it to the corn to bump up the veggies.

Sweet Corn with Zucchini and Basil
Slightly modified from The Cookaholic Wife

1/2 large zucchini (or 1 small zucchini), shredded
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 cups corn kernels (about 4 ears)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, minced
Salt and pepper

Place shredded zucchini in a bowl. Sprinkle with salt and allow to sit for 10-15 minutes. Transfer zucchini to a clean kitchen towel and wring out all the moisture.

In a large skillet melt the butter over medium heat. Add the corn, zucchini, garlic and basil and cook, stirring frequently for about 5 minutes or until the corn is lightly browned and making popping noises.

Transfer to a dish, season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve.

If this Summer Weekend Pasta had tomatoes in it I'd call it summer in a bowl. Tomatoes, zucchini and corn signify summer to me. I can't get enough of any of them from June to August.

This was a great, simple pasta to throw together. I think I'm going insane because the bacon almost seemed superfluous. How is that possible? I found myself thinking if only I'd left it out this would be a vegetarian meal.

I used regular green zucchini and upped the corn to 3 ears because Baby Girl was snacking on the corn kernels as I prepped dinner. I also upped the garlic to 3 cloves and minced it so I could leave it in rather than remove a whole clove after cooking. I decided to saute the corn and zucchini rather than leave it raw. I did find the pasta to be a little dry since there really isn't any sauce, but a little extra pasta water or even chicken (vegetable) broth would fix that.

Summer Weekend Pasta
Slightly modified from Food 52

Salt
1 pound orecchiette or small shells
6 slices bacon, cut crosswise into 1/4-inch pieces
3 medium zucchini, ends trimmed
2-3 ears corn, kernels cut from the cobs, juices and all
3 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
Pinch red pepper flakes
2 tablespoons roughly chopped or torn basil
Freshly ground black pepper
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese, for serving

Bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta according to package directions. Save 1 cup of the cooking liquid, then drain the pasta and set aside.

Grate the zucchini on a box grater. Gather the gratings in a bowl and salt the squash, about 1 1/2 teaspons coarse kosher salt. Toss to mix. Let sit for at least 10 minutes, and up to 30 minutes. Place zucchini in a clean kitchen towel and ring dry. You want to remove as much of a liquid as you can.

Meanwhile, spread the bacon in a large saute pan over medium heat and cook until the bacon is crispy. Remove to a paper towel-lined plate. If there are more than 2 tablespoons of bacon fat in the pan, remove the extra fat so you are left with only 2 tablespoons. Add the zucchini, corn and garlic. Season with salt and pepper and stir in the red pepper flakes.

Add the drained pasta to the skillet and toss. Adjust the seasoning, adding more salt and pepper. Add the bacon and basil. Toss again. If the pasta seems dry, add some of the reserved pasta cooking water. Spoon into shallow bowls and top with grated cheese.

I'm always looking for new side dishes, especially ones that combine starch and vegetable. This recipe for Cheesy Zucchini Rice sounded like a perfect way to use zucchini before the season ends.


When I told SP what we were having he was more than a little skeptical. I think he wasn't sure what to expect, but as soon as he tasted it he proclaimed he would eat an entire bowl of just the rice. And yet the man claims not to like risotto. Go figure. Baby Girl was also a big fan. Not for moms of picky kids, this is a great way to sneak in veggies.

Don't be shy with the salt and pepper in this dish. Because of the zucchini the rice needs a good amount of salt. I've also realized I'm disappointed in my supermarket brand cheddar cheese. Our store brand is pretty stellar in most instances, but their cheese is just bland. Make sure to use a nice, sharp cheese that actually packs some flavor.

Cheesy Zucchini Rice
Very Slightly Modified from Pink Parsley

1 3/4 cups chicken broth
1 cup long-grain white rice
2 tablespoons butter
1 medium zucchini, grated on the large holes of a cheese grater then wrung dry in a clean kitchen towel
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar
Salt and pepper, to taste

Bring the broth to a boil in a medium saucepan. Stir in the rice, cover, and reduce heat to low. Cook 20 minutes, or until most of the liquid has been absorbed.

Remove from heat, add the butter and zucchini, and cover. Allow to stand 5 minutes, then stir to incorporate. Stir in the cheese, season liberally with salt and pepper, and serve.

My basil plant went crazy a few weeks ago so I decided to make pesto and freeze it. When I was trying to come up with a meal plan for the week I saw this recipe for Spaghetti with Summer Vegetable Sauce and remembered the pesto. Done and done.


Even though the recipe calls for large zucchini and summer squash, I felt there was too much of each and not enough tomato. Next time I'll use smaller squash and up the tomatoes. Also, I hate when tomato skin loosens from the flesh so I tossed the tomatoes in at the end, along with the pesto.

All in all this was a delicious and easy meal. Even SP, a spaghetti hater (I don't know what's wrong with him), cleaned his plate.

Spaghetti with Summer Vegetable Sauce
Very slightly modified from Cooks Country, August/September 2011

3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 onion, diced
1 small summer squash, halved lengthwise and sliced thin
1 small zucchini, halved lengthwise and sliced thin
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup dry white wine
salt and pepper
1 pound spaghetti
6 tablespoons basil pesto
12 ounces cherry tomatoes, halved
Grated cheese

Bring water and some salt to in a boil in a large pot. Cook pasta according to package directions. Reserve 1/2 cup of cooking water and drain pasta. Return to the pot.

Melt butter in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add onion and cook until softened, about five minutes. Stir in squash and zucchini and stir until softened, about 3-5 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add wine, 3/4 teaspoon of salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Cook until liquid is reduced, about 2 minutes.

Toss vegetables, tomatoes and pesto with pasta, adding reserved pasta water to thin the sauce as needed Serve with grated cheese.

Want to see what other side dishes were made during the swap? Here is the link to the Side Dish Recipe Swap Roundup.

I sound like a broken record, but I'm really enjoying these recipe swaps, both as a participant and as the organizer for the one on the cooking board. It's been so much fun trying new things, like Stuffed Zucchini courtesy of Kate over at Kate's Recipe Box.


SP and I love zucchini. In the summer we usually grill it, so it was nice to do something a little different. I served the zucchini with grilled steak and mashed potatoes and it was absolutely delicious. Kate also recommended serving it with balsamic-glazed chicken or chicken Parmesan.

Stuffed Zucchini
Modified from Kate's Recipe Box

2 zucchini, if large (4 zucchini, if small)
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/2 medium onion, finely chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 15-oz can diced tomatoes, drained
2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
Pinch salt and pepper
Bread crumbs
Grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Cut each zucchini lengthwise in half. Scoop out the pulp, leaving a shell. Finely chop the pulp and reserve.

In a medium frying pan over medium heat, saute the onions and garlic in oil for one minute. Add the zucchini pulp, tomatoes, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, for 5 minutes or until the zucchini is tender.

Grease a 9 x 13" dish and place zucchini shells inside. Spoon the filling into the zucchini shells and sprinkle with bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese.

Bake for 15 minutes or until the zucchini are tender and the top is brown.