8 Zucchini Recipes to Up Your Starter Game

This time of the year, our kitchen gardens and backyards will be a chock-full of mild-tasting and prolific squash plants like Zucchini, Yellow Crookneck, and Pattypan etc. Steamed, boiled, fried, grilled, stuffed and baked, barbecued, fried, or incorporated in other recipes, out of these, Zucchini is the perfect pick for making delectable starters to serve at your dinner party! Containing useful amounts of folate, potassium and pro-vitamin, zucchini is not calorie-dense and takes a little longer to cook unlike winter squashes.

You can shave them into thin ribbons (using a spiralizer) for noodles, or slice them into full rounds for longer-cooking dishes like ragouts, braises, and stews. You can also dice them into cubes and toss them in a salad with cheese, nuts, olive oil, and a basic vinaigrette. Okay, instead of putzing around the kitchen, let’s get some actual work done! We’ve successfully gathered a bunch of recipes that you can try making and impressing your guests.

Handy tip: When you go squash picking, make sure they are firm, blemish-free and the rind is still tender and edible. Happy cooking!

Zucchini Bread-

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SXxzLMXbCQ0&w=560&h=315]

Your first stop? This super moist, sweet and deliciously quick bread with walnuts for crunch. Your guests will gobble them up in no time. So make a lot of loafs just in case!

 Zucchini Patties-

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hiBM65IgJJ8&w=560&h=315]

Here’s a fun recipe if you’re looking to sneak in an extra helping of vegetables into your diet. This video shows you how to mix grated zucchini and freshly chopped herbs with eggs, onion, flour and cheese and fry them up into delicious savoury pancakes. You can replace the flour with shredded breadcrumbs to dial up the taste factor! Serve them with chucky tomato sauce or sour cream! YUM.

Creamy Zucchini Soup-

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PJwPlRk4egU&w=560&h=315]

This cream of zucchini soup is absolutely mouth-watering and perfect to dunk your toasted bread or soup sticks in!

Stuffed Zucchini-

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=89IfRgL60MA&w=560&h=315]

Watch how to make zucchini stuffed with sausage, seasoned ground beef, and a rich tomato sauce. There’s no tastier way to use up the extra reserve of zucchini in your refrigerator!

Baked Panko Parmesan Crusted Zucchini Fries-

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7HNbI7R-cto&w=560&h=315]

We all know nothing’s truly as good as deep fried. But who wants to fry them when you can bake them and win the admiration of your fitness instructor, amirite? So here’s a simple recipe that shows you how to prepare sticks of zucchini, coated with breadcrumbs, Parmesan cheese, and quickly baking them to crunchy perfection.

Oven Fried Zucchini with Garlic Aioli-

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nyi7DITmUKY&w=560&h=315]

This video shows you how to turn this wonderfully fresh, crisp, and hearty vegetable into a fried food that all of us love and enjoy eating.

Zucchini Noodles-

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AgVDphGDOQs&w=560&h=315]

Zoodles! This video shows you how to convert a monstrous and brightly coloured zucchini into a faux-pasta dish that’s totally gluten-free. Grate them into thin strips, sauté in squashed garlic and olive oil and then top with parmesan cheese and chopped fresh herbs. That’s all there is to it!

Crispy Courgette Fritters-

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S9Gim0T1_M0&w=560&h=315]

This dish can be made with a fresh handful of chopped courgette, spring onions, dill and minced garlic. You can serve these with buffalo mozzarella, crumbled feta cheese and an array of sauces, depending on what you like – mayonnaise, hummus, salsa and soured cream, tzatziki, tomato chutney – almost anything goes!