Making zucchini recipes to freeze is a great way to preserve a bountiful zucchini harvest or make good use of zucchini picked up at the farmer's market.
As the joke goes, it's important to lock your car doors in the early fall—not for theft prevention, but because friends and family will leave gifts of zucchini in your car during the abundant zucchini harvest season.
Jump to:
All about zucchini
Zucchini, also called courgette, is a fast-growing, versatile summer squash available from mid to late summer. Once it starts producing, a zucchini plant will produce prolifically until the first frost or unseasonable cool weather.
Zucchini does not need to be peeled, and all parts are edible except the tough stem end. Some cooks also prefer to trim the blossom end.
Once harvested, zucchini should be stored in the vegetable crisper drawer of the refrigerator for 3-4 days. Gently wash zucchini before using.
Ideas for using and preserving zucchini
- Eat it raw. Add raw, sliced or shredded zucchini to salads or vegetable bowls.
- Shred & freeze it. You can either measure shredded zucchini into the correct proportions for zucchini bread, or use the equivalent of one zucchini per bag. Flatten the bags and freeze on a cookie sheet, then remove the cookie sheet when zucchini is frozen. Shredded zucchini can be added to spaghetti sauce, meatloaf, vegetable soup, and more.
- Spiralize or slice it. Zoodles, short for zucchini noodles, are a popular substitute for pasta. Zucchini sliced lengthwise and prepped to remove liquid makes a delicious substitute for lasagna noodles (see recipe below).
- Freeze zucchini bread. Prepare the recipe as directed, wrap each loaf in plastic wrap and foil, and freeze. Zucchini Bread makes a great hostess gift, housewarming gift, or holiday gift for neighbors and friends (see recipe below).
- Deep-fry it. Zucchini is a delicious addition to vegetable tempura.
- Sauté in butter. Sauté sliced zucchini alone or with yellow squash and/or onion for a delicious and easy side dish. Sautéed zucchini can be frozen after cooking and thawed and heated for a quick and easy side dish.
- Stir-fry it. Sliced zucchini works well in any kind of stir-fry, or as a side dish stir-fried alone or with onions, tomatoes, and/or yellow squash.
- Roast it. Sliced zucchini can be roasted alone or with other vegetables such as onions, tomatoes, and yellow squash. Just toss with oil and season with salt and pepper, then roast at 450ºF until tender and slightly browned. (Pro tip: use parchment paper for easy clean up.)
- Grill it. Zucchini makes a great addition to vegetable kabobs and grilled veggies.
Flavors that pair well with zucchini
Typically used in Italian dishes, zucchini pairs especially well with the following herbs:
- basil
- marjoram
- parsley
- thyme
Mixing zucchini with bell peppers, onions, tomatoes, garlic, and eggplant can make delicious side or main courses, especially when combined with the following cheeses:
- feta
- Parmesan
- ricotta
- pecorino
- cheddar
Balsamic or red wine vinegar pairs well with zucchini in marinades, sauces, and dressings.
Zucchini freezer recipes
The nice thing about zucchini is that is it versatile and can be used in a variety of ways. Instead of turning down gifts of zucchini, try these zucchini recipes. Each of these delicious recipes freezes well, so give them a try and enjoy your zucchini all year long!
Main dish zucchini recipes to freeze
Zucchini recipes to freeze for fritters, pancakes & tots
Sweet zucchini recipes to freeze
Leave a Reply