Zucchini is in abundance at the farmer’s market right now, and if you are lucky enough to have your own garden, you may be overflowing with summer squash right now. Looking for some different ways to use up your abundance? Read on for three different recipes where zucchini is the star. That’s right, folks–one post with three recipes! Each recipe is tasty and showcases zucchini’s versatility, so even if you don’t have your own garden, it’s worth buying some extra to give the recipes a try.
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Zucchini and Gruyere Grilled Quesadillas
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
Delicious meat free quesadillas made on the grill with garden fresh zucchini and creamy Gruyere cheese!
Ingredients
Scale
- 2 zucchini squash, sliced
- 1–2 tablespoons olive oil+more for brushing tortillas
- sea salt
- freshly ground black pepper
- 8 whole grain tortillas*
- dijon mustard
- 1 cup shredded gruyere cheese
Instructions
- Preheat your grill to medium-high heat.
- Cut the zucchini length-wise in quarters and then slice it into small triangles.
- In a large skillet, heat the avocado oil over medium heat. Add the zucchini and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Stir the zucchini around to coat it with the oil, salt, and pepper.
- Sauté the zucchini until it’s tender and just starting to brown (about 6-10 minutes). Remove from heat.
- Bring all of your ingredients close to the grill. Place one tortilla on the grill and let it heat for 1-2 minutes. This warms one side of the tortilla so the cheese melts easily.
- Using a spatula, flip the tortilla over and add mustard to it. I squeeze it on straight from the bottle!
- Use a pastry brush to spread the mustard to the edges of the tortilla evenly.
- Add the cheese and allow it to melt a little.
- Once the cheese is starting to melt, add the cooked zucchini and add the second tortilla to the grill.10. Flip the second tortilla on top of the one with toppings and press it down with the spatula to flatten it if necessary.
- Allow the quesadilla to cook another minute on that side, and then flip it to the other side and let it cook an additional 1-3 minutes.
- Cut the tortilla into wedges and enjoy!
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: main meal
- Method: grill
- Cuisine: Mexican
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 350
- Sugar: 6g
- Sodium: 658.5mg
- Fat: 12.5g
- Carbohydrates: 47g
- Protein: 12.5g
These were very tasty and the leftovers were actually great for lunch the next day.
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Zucchini Gratin
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
This Zucchini Gratin is a simple, yet delicious side dish that it lightened up from traditional gratins.
Ingredients
Scale
- 2 zucchini squash
- 1 yellow squash
- 1 tablespoon avocado oil
- 1/2 cup parmesan cheese (freshly grated if possible)
- 1/2 cup Italian style bread crumbs (whole grain if you can find them)
- 5 large basil leaves, chiffonade
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Wash and dry your zucchini and summer squash and slice them into coins, place on a cooling tray on top of a baking sheet, and lightly salt. Allow the veggies to sit for 30 minutes. Make sure you don’t skip this step to ensure your gratin doesn’t become soggy. Pat them dry with a clean kitchen towel or paper towel.
- Heat the oil in a large skillet and sauté the vegetables until they start to brown, 8-10 minutes. In a small casserole dish (sprayed with oil), cover the bottom with a layer of squash. (It’s okay if the squash overlaps some.) Top with a layer of breadcrumbs and cheese.
- Continue layering the squash, breadcrumbs, and cheese. Top with a little extra cheese. Cover with foil and bake for 10 minutes. Remove the foil and bake an additional 20 minutes until the top is brown and bubbly.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Category: Side Dish
- Method: oven
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 148
- Sugar: 3.5g
- Sodium: 317mg
- Fat: 7.5g
- Carbohydrates: 14g
- Protein: 6.25g
Yum! We accidently ate all 4 servings. (In case you don’t know–there are only 2 1/2 of us. 1 woman+1 man+1 toddler)
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Summer Vegetable and Quinoa Skillet
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
Description
A fresh and tasty main meal
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 1/2 cups quinoa
- 2 3/4 cups vegetable stock
- olive oil
- 1 zucchini squash, sliced and then quartered
- 1 yellow squash, sliced and then quartered
- 1 cup cooked corn (fresh or frozen)
- 2 tablespoons fresh minced parsley
- 1/8 cup coarsely chopped fresh basil
- juice of one small lemon
- 1/2 cup sliced almonds, toasted
- sea salt, to taste
- freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- lemon zest
Instructions
- Heat a few swirls of olive oil in a large skillet. Add your squash to the skillet and saute until it starts to get tender, about 5 minutes.
- Add the quinoa and stir. Add the vegetable stock and bring to a boil. Once boiling, lower the heat to medium low and cover. Allow to simmer until the liquid is absorbed, about 20 minutes.
- ~This is a good time to cook your corn if it isn’t already (I used the microwave because I only had frozen corn available), toast your almonds (just use a small pan and dry toast them over medium heat), and prepare your parsley and basil. ~
- Once the quinoa is ready, remove the cover and stir in the lemon juice, parsley, basil, and almonds. Taste and add salt and pepper to your liking. Top each serving with a some lemon zest.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Category: main meal
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 256
- Sugar: 6g
- Sodium: 119mg
- Fat: 13.25g
- Carbohydrates: 29g
- Protein: 8.75g
Tim really liked this dish and made sure to tell me he wanted me to make it again. I have a tendency to make something he likes and then forget about it and never make it again. What can I say? I like trying new things. 🙂
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| I served this dish with roasted cauliflower. Who knew cauliflower could be so good? |
Sure, zucchini is available all year round. But why not take advantage of the time when it is its freshest and most abundant?
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