Today, I’m sharing my favorite 5 irresistible and easy savory zucchini recipes that take us out of the zucchini bread recipe rut. It happens without fail every summer. Zucchini season is abundant in every way. This leaves us with tons of green and yellow squash to enjoy in a myriad of recipes.
Whether we received a bunch in a previous farm CSA box or spot them at our local farmers market, recipes are endless. If you’re looking for a few new savory recipes for your summer zucchini, I’ve got a few below that I know you’ll enjoy. Scroll down to read the list and click on the links below for recipes that help us use up all that summer squash!
Savory Zucchini Recipe 1: Zucchini and Basil Pesto
A seasonal pesto is a great way to use up our seasonal zucchini! And this Zucchini Basil Pesto couldn’t be easier to make. First we grate our zucchini. You can use a food processor or box grater. Place the zucchini in a clean linen towel or in a paper towel and gently squeeze to remove any excess moisture. The shredded zucchini is then place in a food processor with the remaining pesto ingredients.
Process the grated zucchini with remaining ingredients until smooth. Click on the recipe below for tips on making this freezer-friendly to make a sauce that is perfect for pizzas, pastas, and salad dressings.
Savory Zucchini Recipe 2: Zucchini Tart in Puff Pastry
This Zucchini Tart in Puff Pastry is one of those easy recipes that looks like you spent a lot of time to prepare it but it’s so simple to do. We sauté our garden zucchini with green onion and seasonal greens until just caramelized. Add in some summer tomatoes and a pesto ricotta mixture then bake until golden brown and delicious. It’s elegant for impromptu company but easy to pull off on a given weeknight.
Savory Zucchini Recipe 3: Pasta with Caramelized Zucchini
I love this Pasta with Caramelized Zucchini for a speedy weeknight dinner option. This simple recipe flirts with a mac and cheese like texture, but it’s made from a whipped ricotta. It yields a truly creamy sauce that cradles the pasta and caramelized zucchini in flavors that are oh-so-good your entire family will love it.
Savory Zucchini Recipe 4: One Pot Orzo with Corn, Tomatoes and Zucchini
This One Pot Orzo with Corn, Tomatoes, and Zucchini is another easy healthy recipe that is ready in minutes and capitalizes on all that summer produce. After cooking the seasonal vegetables in a bit of olive oil with kosher salt, black pepper, and green onions, and we then add in our dried orzo and a bit of stock to cook until pasta is al dente. This is a great vegetarian option though I’ve also included a bit of ground Italian sausage or ground beef seasoned with herbs and spices for some additional protein.
Savory Zucchini Recipe 5: Zucchini Parmesan
The final dish in this collection of recipes is Zucchini Parmesan. This is truly a labor of love and is a great dish for the weekends. This main course is a showstopper! We first begin by drawing out excess moisture from the zucchini after slicing them long about 1/2 inch thick. Removing excess moisture is a good thing to do to ensure they fry up crispy. Create a dredging station with several bowls. In bowl one, we’ll have our flour mixture with all purpose flour and Italian seasoning. For bowl two, we have our egg mixture. In bowl three, we have our seasoned bread crumbs.
The recipe calls for using fresh garlic but garlic powder can also work in the dredging mixture. Once each zucchini slice is prepped, it’s time to shallow fry. Check out the full blog post below with recipe card to see how we prepare this excellent idea for dinner tonight.
Final Thoughts and Tips
Summer is truly the best time of year to test so many great ideas for using a lot of zucchini. Hopefully, these 5 savory zucchini recipes are great options for your when looking for that main dish inspiration. These dish ideas have become my favorite way to enjoy the seemingly endless supply of zucchini from our zucchini plant every season. Let me know if you try any of the recipes featured here and if you have feedback, please click on each post and leave a 5 star rating if you loved it! In the meantime, cheers to the next nourishing meal. 🧡
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