If Your Zucchini Runneth Over, Try These Recipes

By Brandi Koskie for DietsInReview.com

With summer winding down (officially over in 10 days) and pumpkin recipes beginning to float around the internet, gardeners everywhere are scrambling to make the most of their hard-earned summer produce. For gardeners, it means an excessive amount of zucchini to harvest and cook in a very brief time period. For anyone who has a grandmother, neighbor or co-worker with a green thumb, it means trying to figure out what healthy zucchini recipe you’re supposed to make when every time you turn around someone is handing you a zucchini.

This mildly flavored vegetable is a delightful addition to just about any meal. It easily goes on top of salads, grated in to soups, chillis and lasagnas, and bakes into breads and muffins adding bulk without affecting flavor. It also goes without saying just how darn good for you they are. With a mere 36 calories in a cup of fresh zucchini and 10 percent of your daily need for fiber, you shouldn’t be asking HOW to eat it but how to eat MORE of it! The answer lies in the following healthy zucchini recipes—just a few new ways to try your zucchini before it’s too late.

4 Healthy Zucchini Recipes

1. Zucchini Hashbrowns. Move over potatoes, there’s a new hashbrown in town. Let the kids help you shred the zucchini while you prep the rest of the ingredients, and then serve this healthy zucchini recipe alongside scrambled eggs, whole grain toast and some turkey bacon for a hearty weekend breakfast.

2. Hearty Zucchini Soup. The brilliance of this zucchini recipe is that you can make a huge batch, serve it hot and fresh, and then freeze the rest for heat-and-eat homemade soup this winter, or drop in smaller containers for lunch all week.

3. Zucchini Muffins. Whether served as a snack or breakfast, the whole family will love these delicious and filling muffins. Have a lot of zucchini to divvy up from the garden? Make a double or triple batch and share with friends. They’re much more likely to enjoy the share if the work is done for them.

4. Grilled Zucchini. It really is quite simple, and makes a perfect side for any grilled entree, but the FBGs show you how to get the most flavor out of your grilled zucchini.

What’s your favorite healthy zucchini recipe? Share it in the comments!