It's summer and some of you might have an overwhelming amount of zucchini on your hands. Of course you can grill or make vegetable soups with your zucchini, but it can get a bit boring.
The following five recipes incorporate zucchini into main dishes as well as meatballs and breakfast. It's a great way to use up your garden's bounty while eating delicious and colorful meals.
Zucchini, Tomato & Feta Gratin Recipe: The smartest part of this recipe was sauteing the zucchini on both sides prior to adding them to the baking dish: this got rid of some of the moisture and gave the zucchini a lot of flavor. This dish is great served hot or at room temperature.
Zucchini Caviar: This recipe is based on my memories of growing up in Russia and can be served as a dip, a side dish or a spread on sandwiches.
Mediterranean Vegetables & Poached Egg for Breakfast: In my opinion, a poached egg makes almost anything perfect for breakfast, but you can also serve this dish as a side with roasted chicken or pork.
Juicy Turkey Meatballs with Zucchini: Ground turkey is a healthy alternative, but try making meatloaf or meatballs with it and you may be disappointed by the dry results. That's where zucchini comes in: grated zucchini is the secret ingredient to make these juicy turkey meatballs.
Barefoot Contessa's Vegetable Tian: I slightly adapted Ina Garten's recipe to include beautiful purple Asian eggplant. It's a great dish to make ahead and serve to your guests.
Please leave a comment and share your favorite way to use zucchini.
All photos by Olga Berman.