Zucchini and yellow summer squash have an almost identical flavor and texture. They’re also in season right now!
Earlier this week, I declared my love for cucumber. Today, it’s time to show some love to an equally worthy veggie: the zucchini! I love how versatile zucchini is. There are so many ways to prepare zucchini that it’s really hard to get tired of eating it. Here are a few of our favorite ways to prepare zucchini:
So Many Ways to Prepare Zucchini!
- Sauté it! With a little veggie broth, garlic, and spices (we like basil, oregano, and crushed red pepper for a Mediterranean flair)–this is a perfect side dish for almost any meal.
- Roast it! With some cherry tomatoes and a few whole cloves of garlic, and salt and pepper. Place the roasted veg atop a bed of quinoa and arugula, then drizzle with balsamic vinegar for an easy and delicious salad.
- Bake it! In some muffins or bread; zucchini makes a sweet treat, too!
- Spiralize it! Make zucchini noodles or “zoodles” and eat them the same way you would ordinary pasta. How fun is it to say “zoodles”?! (Recipe found on One Green Planet.)
- Steam it! With an assortment of other veggies, zucchini often makes it way into many of our Buddha Bowls.
But, wait– there’s even more ways to eat zucchini!
Zucchini Recipe Round-up:
(Some of the recipes below call for oil. Since we eat a whole-foods, plant-based diet, we avoid processed ingredients like oil and always omit it. It’s really easy to leave the oil out and not have any impact on the taste of the final product.)
- You can stuff zucchini with a variety of fillings and bake it. This recipe from Vegan Heaven looks like a crowd-pleaser.
- This Fruit & Vegetable Curry from the Center for Nutrition Studies really highlights how well zucchini works with sweet ingredients like apples and raisins.
- This salad from Martha Stewart pairs fresh mint with zucchini. It’s simple, refreshing, and perfect for summer.
- These Portobello & Zucchini Tacos from Well Vegan are hearty and delicious.
We eat zucchini year-round, but peak time is right now. Zucchini is in season mid- to late summer and can be picked up at grocery stores and farmers market for a great price. I find that you can also substitute yellow summer squash for zucchini in any recipe that calls for it. When we go to our farmers market, we like to buy from the growers that have the half zucchini/half summer squash trays to get a variety of color onto our plates.
Do you have a surplus of zucchini to go through this summer? What are your favorite plant-based recipes that feature zucchini? Let us know in the comments!
