So much seasonal produce, so little time. But I am bound to use as much of the beautiful zucchini as quickly as I can snag it from my local farmers’ markets! When looking for a healthy and fresh side dish, I make a quick batch of Summer Bounty Zucchini Cakes and complete my summer meals with these green goodies!
Beware! It’s the attack of the killer zucchini! These monster zucchini arrive in the streets of our towns in bushels, barrels, boxes, and baskets. They take over our yards, our farmer’s markets, our vegetable bowls. They are relentless in their pursuit to become the main attraction on our plates for every single meal.
I’m afraid. Someone hold me.
No! It’s time someone showed those zucchini who’s boss. Someone to stop their rampage and put their tasty nature to good use. And I, I am that person. I give you today a way to shred their aggressive and fertile harvest; a way to take out your frustrations on these prolific veggies. Shred them, fry them, and eat them! Ha!
Now I know that there are about a zillion ways to use zucchini, and I’ve done most of them. In particular, I’ve enjoyed baking them into breads and muffins, as well as gutting them and stuffing them (think I have some latent aggression to deal with? Hmmm…). But I have to admit that the act of shredding these little suckers and cooking them up as a healthy side dish for a beautiful piece of steak and some summer greens is my favorite thus far.
Take that, monster zucchini! Summer Bounty Zucchini Cakes to the rescue!
| Servings | Prep Time |
| 2 people | 10 minutes |
| Cook Time |
| 20 minutes |
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I was inspired by a recent magazine article showing yellow squash cakes. I had zucchini, and decided to make up my own version to use the never-ending bounty of zucchini all around me. So darned simple, and I love that you can also make extra to freeze and use later. Healthy, easy, and a perfect side dish--these zucchini cakes will become a favorite on your summer table, too!
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- 1 large zucchini, shredded and drained (about 1 cup)
- 1 large egg, lightly beaten
- 1 large scallion, finely chopped
- 1/4 tsp. kosher salt
- 1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 cup fine bread crumbs
- 1 tbsp. olive oil
- Clean the zucchini by rinsing in cool water and drying the skins well.
- Shred the zucchini on a box grater. Using your hands, squeeze out as much excess water as possible from the zucchini. There's a lot of water in those things!
- Add the beaten egg, scallions, salt & pepper. Mix until all of the ingredients are incorporated.
- Add the breadcrumbs and mix thoroughly. If the mixture is still too wet, slowly add more breadcrumbs until the zucchini batter is stiff and able to be scooped without dripping.
- Preheat a skillet over medium high heat. Add olive oil and heat until the oil shimmers. Using a 1/4 cup scoop, add zucchini batter to the skillet. Cook on first side approximately 7 minutes, or until browned and firmed up enough to flip.
- Cook on second side about 7-10 minutes, pressing down periodically on each zucchini cake to allow it to release excess moisture and crisp up on the second side as well.
- Remove zucchini cakes from skillet and allow them to rest on paper towels to absorb any leftover moisture or oil.
- Serve with a dollop of sour cream or creme fraiche for a super summer side dish!
Ah, the variations you could add to this simple and flavorful recipe are the things that dreams are made of. No, really. My husband even suggested adding shredded crab to them after my recent Crab Cake Benedict recipe. You could add mushrooms, carrots, or potatoes. Garlic, jalapeno peppers, or chives. Bell peppers, parsnips, or even celery. Whatever additional veggie harvest you have handy could easily be worked into these little beauties.
How else would YOU get creative with the never-ending summer zucchini harvest?
I always steal the zucchini out of my mother in law’s garden when we go over there. I could eat it all day long and now that I am paleo I am using them all for zoodles. Thanks for giving me another way to use them:)
What a great way to use up zucchini, I know my family would love these!
I too have an abundance of zucchini, these look a great way to use them up.
I have a kitchen and garden FULL of zucchini right now so I’ve been making zucchini cakes like CRAZY. These look wonderful!
Haha, I once had an abundance of zucchini in my garden and I could not pick it fast enough so they literally turned into monsters with their size!! I love these cakes! Great way to tackle all the zucchini.
Then you know all about slaying monster vegetables! LOL Another super hero to help me with this plight! Ha!