Vegetarian Recipes

20 Best Zucchini Recipes

A page for those of us with bumper crops of zucchini. For any of you who don’t often use zucchini, I’m hoping this will give you a change of heart! It’s an incredibly versatile ingredient in season throughout the summer, from June to late August.

The Many Ways to Use Zucchini

You can shave zucchini into salads, puree it into delicious soups, spiralize it into noodles, bake it into cakes and breads, or even grate it along with other ingredients into a slaw of sorts. It’s great with pasta, wonderful grilled, and welcome in many soups and stews. I’m including recipes below for my favorite ways to use zucchini.

How to Store Zucchini

Any zucchini you aren’t using immediately, can be preserved, pickled or frozen for later (instructions below). Because, unfortunately, with zucchini the deal is use it or lose it. When you’re faced with a crop that produces a lot of squash at once, it can feel like a part-time job to use it. The good news is you have options.

Twenty Favorite Zucchini Recipes

If you’re looking for great zucchini recipes, you’re in the right place! These are some tried and true recipes we revisit often. The Pasta with Smashed Zucchini Cream and Zucchini Bread are especially popular.

Grilled Zucchini & Bread Salad

Put a 2-pound dent in your zucchini supply with this bread salad made with torn pieces of toasted multi-grain bread, grilled zucchini, chickpeas, and a simple, garlic-forward ponzu dressing.
Zucchini Bread Recipe

A single beautiful loaf of walnut-studded, sugar crusted zucchini bread. It’s popular every year!
Pasta with Smashed Zucchini Cream

A summer favorite. This simple, garlic-boosted pasta uses two pounds of zucchini, and is endlessly adaptable.
Simple Sautéed Zucchini

Coins of zucchini are browned in a pan with toasted gold slivers of garlic combined with lots of fresh dill or scallions. Finish with a sprinkling of almonds for a bit of crunch.
Quick Pickled Zucchini

They’re quick to make and great to have on hand. Delicious on crusty, goat-cheese slathered grilled bread (or just about anything cheesy or crunchy) and simple salads.
Buttermilk Farro Salad

Farro with shaved radishes, zucchini, and fennel tossed with a tangy herbed buttermilk vinaigrette.
Summer Squash Gratin

A decadent, crunchy-topped summer squash gratin made from thinly sliced summer squash, potatoes, oregano pesto, and brown-buttered breadcrumbs.
Buttermilk Summer Squash Soup

A pureed summer squash soup with a buttermilk twist.
Quinoa with Currants, Dill, and Zucchini

Made from a quirky combination of quinoa, dill, shredded zucchini, and currants – a quinoa salad from Maria Speck’s book, Ancient Grains for Modern Meals.
Shaved Fennel Salad

A favorite salad recipe from Super Natural Every Day – shaved fennel, arugula, zucchini coins, feta, toasted almonds.
Zucchini Agrodolce

Shredded zucchini doused with a garlic infused agrodolce splash of vinegar, honey, and olive oil.
Sopa Verde de Elote

Sweet corn, zucchini and peas are off-set by a spike of green chile, a finishing dollop of creme fraiche, and generous squeeze of lime.
Zucchini Ricotta Cheesecake

A savory, summertime ricotta cheesecake recipe made with shredded zucchini, dill, garlic, and Parmesan cheese. Perfect picnic or brunch fare.
Quinoa and Grilled Zucchini

Quinoa and grilled zucchini recipe is tossed with a pretty, pale green cilantro-flecked avocado dressing.
Spinach and Zucchini Soup

Vibrant green spinach and zucchini soup, it’s light-and-healthy, but still creamy textured and plenty tasty.
A Tasty Frittata

The prettiest, tastiest, frittata recipe. Made with potatoes, onions, zucchini and eggs drizzled with a cilantro chile sauce.
Quinoa with Currants, Dill, and Zucchini

A quinoa salad made from a quirky combination of quinoa, dill, shredded zucchini, and currants.
Summer Vegetable Cianfotta

A vibrant, colorful Campagnian summer stew from the A16: Food + Wine cookbook. It features zucchini, eggplant, cherry tomatoes, fennel, and other ingredients braised in olive oil.
Lasagna Tart

A noodle-free lasagna baked in a pie crust – layers of zucchini, ricotta, and tomato sauce.
Lemony Chickpea Stir-fry

An easy stir-fry featuring golden crusted, pan-fried chickpeas, chopped kale, summer squash, tofu, and a bit of lemon zest.

Have fun cooking with zucchini and all the wonderful summer squash this time of your! Experiment with different varietals and ask your neighboring shoppers at local farmers’ markets to share their favorite ways to cook it. I hope this inspires you. Enjoy!

How to Freeze Zucchini

When you’ve used all the zucchini you can stand, and there’s still more coming, freezing is a quick and easy way to store it.

INGREDIENTS

2 pounds zucchini or summer squash
water

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Start by slicing zucchini into 1/2 inch coins, or4-inch batons along the length. This way you maintain skin on each piece, which provide structure.

2. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. While the water is coming to a boil, prepare a large ice bath – the bowl of a salad spinner works well for this. Line a baking sheet thick with paper towels or, even better, a clean dish towel.

3. When the water boils, add the zucchini and cook for just a minute or so. The hold bright up but remain firm. Definitely avoid over-cooking.

4. Use a strainer or slotted spoon to quickly transfer to the ice bath. Cool well, drain well, and then Arrange the zucchini in on the towel. Blot the tops to remove any residual water.

5. Freeze until solid in a single layer on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Transfer to freezer bags and keep for up to a few months.

6. When you’re ready to use it, thaw your zucchini and proceed with your favorite recipe.

NOTES

Makes 2 pounds.

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Vegetarian Recipes

Cherry Blondies

Whenever I’m craving something sweet, but I’m sick of the same old same old, I whip up a batch of these fudgy, chewy, fragrant Cherry Blondies! The creamy white chocolate, tart cherries, and crunchy almonds make this recipe stand out. This is not your typical blondie! I don’t use almond extract too often, but pairing its flavor with cherries and white chocolate is just a no-brainer to me. (But a little goes a long way, so use it sparingly!)

Easy Recipe for Cherry Blondies

Blondies are like brownies, just without the cocoa. Instead, they’re made with brown sugar and vanilla, and have the BEST buttery flavor and chewy texture.

For these cherry blondies, I mix in canned cherry pie filling (it adds a sweet-tart cherry flavor without a lot of fuss or cost), slivered almonds, and white chocolate chips. I also brown the butter first to bring out a nutty, almost toffee-like richness that’s totally worth the extra few minutes. A mix of brown and white sugar strikes the perfect balance of moisture and structure, while a splash of almond extract adds a frangipane-style flavor. Bake them once, and you’ll see why I keep coming back to this combo. 😋

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Cherry Blondies

These easy Cherry Blondies are loaded with white chocolate, almonds, and cherry pie filling for a sweet treat that’s simple to make and hard to resist.

Step-by-step photos can be seen below the recipe card.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Total Cost $5.82 recipe / $0.64 serving

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 1

Chill Time 20

Total Time 1 30

Servings slices

Calories 429kcal

Author Jess Rice

Equipment

8×8” Baking Dish
Parchment Paper
3 Mixing Bowls
Sauce Pan
Hand Mixer

Ingredients

1¾ cups all-purpose flour $0.28
½ tsp baking powder $0.02
¼ tsp salt $0.01
1 large egg $0.29
1 tsp vanilla extract $0.47
½ tsp almond extract $0.15
½ cup cherry pie filling $0.73*
1½ sticks salted butter cut into cubes, $1.48
½ cup granulated sugar $0.19
1 cup brown sugar $0.91
¼ cup white chocolate chips $0.42
¼ cup slivered almonds $0.87

Instructions

Grease and line an 8×8” baking dish with parchment paper and preheat oven to 350℉.
Mix together the flour, baking powder, and salt in a mixing bowl. Set aside.
In a separate mixing bowl, combine the egg, vanilla, almond extract, and cherry pie filling. Mix together and set aside.
Cube the butter and melt over medium heat until frothy, whisking once in a while to make sure the milk solids don’t stick to the bottom of the pan and burn.
Once butter is browned, it will have a nutty aroma and darken in color. (Babysit it! Don’t let it burn!) Remove from heat.
Combine browned butter with granulated and brown sugar.
Mix with a hand mixer on low until combined. Then, add the wet cherry mixture and continue to mix until combined.
Finally, gently mix in the dry flour mixture little by little until a batter forms.
Fold in white chocolate and almond slivers.
Transfer batter to greased and line baking dish and add some extra white chocolate and almonds on top, if you have them.
Bake for 50-55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Let cool for 20 minutes before cutting. The interior may still be a little gooey. These are chewier than your typical brownie! Enjoy.

See how we calculate recipe costs here.

Notes

*The ingredients in a can of cherry pie filling are pretty simple, but I have found the Duncan Hines Comstock brand “Simply Cherry” in a can to have fewer ingredients and no added coloring, so if you see it next to the regular cherry pie filling, you may want to spring for that can instead. You could try making these with fresh cherries, which I skipped because I couldn’t find any at my local grocery store, just make sure you pit them first!

Nutrition

how to make Cherry Blondies step-by-step photos

The ingredients to make cherry blondies.

Gather all of your ingredients and preheat your oven to 350℉. Grease and line an 8×8” baking dish with parchment paper. Set this aside for now.

Flour, baking powder, and salt in a mixing bowl.

Mix the dry ingredients: Add 1¾ cups flour, ½ tsp baking powder, and ¼ tsp salt to a mixing bowl and combine. Set this aside.

Cherry pie filling, egg, and vanilla extract in a bowl.

Mix the wet ingredients: In a different mixing bowl, combine 1 large egg, 1 tsp vanilla, ½ tsp almond extract, and ½ cup of cherry pie filling. Set this aside for now as well.

Brown the butter: Add 1½ sticks of cubed salted butter to a saucepan or skillet over medium heat. Melt the butter until frothy, being sure to whisk it once in a while to avoid the milk solids from burning and sticking to the bottom of the pan. Babysit it, and don’t let it burn! It typically takes about 5-8 minutes for butter to brown.

When the butter is browned, it’ll smell nutty and be darker in color. There will also be flecks of brown throughout (those are toasted milk solids, and they’re full of flavor). Remove it from the heat once done.

Brown and white sugar added to a bowl of browned butter.

Make the batter: Pour the browned butter into a mixing bowl and add ½ cup granulated sugar and 1 cup brown sugar.

The wet ingredients for cherry blondies added to the creamed butter and sugar.

Use a hand mixer on low to combine the browned butter and sugars. Once mixed, add the wet cherry pie filling mixture and keep mixing until thoroughly combined.

Dry ingredients added to the wet ingredients to make cherry blondies.

Now, gently fold in the dry flour mixture a little at a time until a thick batter forms.

Slivered almonds added to the batter for cherry blondies.

Finally, fold in ¼ cup white chocolate chips and ¼ cup slivered almonds.

The batter for cherry blondies in a lined baking dish.

Pour the batter into the prepared baking dish. If you have any extra, top the batter with a few white chocolate chips and slivered almonds to make it look extra pretty.

Finished homemade cherry blondies in a baking dish.

Bake: Place the baking dish into the preheated oven and bake for 50-55 minutes. They’re done once a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Let your homemade cherry blondies cool for 20 minutes before cutting for the best results. They may still be a little gooey! They’re definitely chewier than your average brownie but just as delicious. Enjoy!

Overhead view of a baking dish of cherry blondies with one missing.

Tips for Browning Butter

I brown the butter in this cherry dessert recipe because it gives the blondies the most amazing, deep, nutty flavor that plain melted butter can’t match. You could skip this step and just melt it, but it definitely wouldn’t taste the same.

It’s honestly so easy to brown butter, and only takes about 5-8 minutes from start to finish! Here’s how to do it right (we also have a step-by-step breakdown with photos on how to brown butter you can check out, too!):

Use a light-colored pan if you have one. It makes it easier to see the color change.
Watch it closely. Browning happens fast, and it can burn before you know it. Stay nearby and use medium heat.
It’ll start to froth. That’s normal. Just keep gently stirring so nothing sticks to the bottom.
Look for brown flecks. Those are the milk solids toasting, which is exactly what you want.
Pull it off the heat right away. As soon as it smells nutty and the color deepens, about 5 minutes, take it off the heat! It’s ready to use.

You can even make a big batch of browned butter and keep it in the fridge for 1-2 weeks and use it in future recipes. It’s obviously delicious in my cherry blondies recipe, but it’s also amazing tossed with plain pasta, drizzled over roasted veggies, or mixed into oatmeal.

Line your pan with parchment paper. It makes it way easier to lift the blondies out and slice them cleanly once they’ve cooled.
Let them cool in the pan. As good as they smell fresh out of the oven, I let my blondies cool for at least 20 minutes to help them set up properly. They’ll slice neater, and the texture will be just right.
Check for doneness with a toothpick. You’re looking for a mostly clean toothpick when inserted into your white chocolate cherry blondies. If you hit a cherry or a melty white chocolate chip, it might smear a bit, so try a second spot! Don’t forget, they may still be a little gooey on the inside rather than cakey.

Storage Instructions

Personally, I enjoy these cherry pie blondies cold! I like to keep them in an airtight container in the refrigerator and grab one whenever I need a sweet pick-me-up. They’ll be good for up to 3-4 days when stored this way. You can also freeze them for up to 3 months in a freezer-safe container.