Zucchini and summer squash are delicious and have a myriad of uses. You can bake, boil, steam and chop for a delectable meal. You can use them in soup, pasta, as side dishes or for a main entree. Mix with meat for a delicious main dish. They are also great with lentils, rice, noodles, and fish. Here are ten uses for Zucchini and summer squash.
- Steamed Squash – use dill and steam on the stove for about 10-15 minutes. Melts in your mouth.
- Mix your zucchini with other veggies that you will probably have on hand, like tomato and corn, and put them into the oven. Baking this dish in the oven will get you a delicious crisp on the outside without the added fattyness from frying it in a pan.
- For a tasty cake, Zucchini, carrot, and apples add moisture and flavor, eliminating the need for excess butter and oil. This soft cake type batter takes around 10 minutes for the cake to be ready to go.
- Zucchini, banana and flaxseed muffins with shredded zucchini, ripe bananas and flaxseed make a very nutritious baked treat. These are perfect for a nice meal or light snack!
- Creamy zucchini and squash ricotta spread. Includes sautéed (make sure it’s grated) zucchini, garlic, ricotta cheese and lemon juice. Can be served with pita chips or as a dip.
- Marinated zucchini and yellow squash salad is bright, colorful summer salad and packs a lot of flavor, considering how few ingredients it uses. You’ll get an added dose of vitamin A from the fresh basil. Use the peeler lengthwise rather than horizontally to create long, beautiful green and yellow ribbons of squash.
- If you’re looking for a crispy summer snack, try making Parmesan-encrusted zucchini fries. The secret to their light, lean taste? These squash strips are baked, instead of deep fried. You can lower the cholesterol content by tossing the yolk and using only egg whites.
- Try cheesy, flavorful, zucchini-filled quesadillas. They’re so easy to put together, you can even cut time and do it in the microwave!
- If you’re a meat lover, add your favorite lean protein to the mix.
- Garden lasagna – delicious and nutritious. It calls for 3 1/2 cups of zucchini, in addition to a plethora of other veggies and herbs—including onions, carrots, and fresh basil.
As you can see, there are tons of recipes and ways to use zucchini and summer squash. The recipes are only limited by the time you have to spend searching for recipes. Bon appetite.
CC Photo courtesy of Ben.Millett at Flickr. Also thanks to Marta Stuart and Health.com for some of the tips!
