20+ Best Zucchini Recipes

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Your search for the best zucchini recipes stops here! Summer squash is incredibly versatile… you can bake it, grill it, spiralize it, and blend it! Hopefully these recipes spark a little inspiration for cooking zucchini in new and exciting ways.

Bowls of zucchini soup next to dill.

How to Prep, Store, and Use Zucchini

It’s no surprise that my love for zucchini runs deep. It can mimic the texture of pasta, be pureed into a silky soup, be grated into crispy fritters, and the list goes on (and on). So when you’re overflowing with zucchini in the summer, here are a few ways to prep and store it:

  • Spiralize into zucchini noodles: I love to use my spiralizer to make zucchini noodles for tons of gluten-free pasta-like dishes. And luckily, they’ll last for 3 to 4 days in the fridge! Just line a storage container with a paper towel, place the zoodles on top, and store them in the fridge.
  • Freeze zucchini sliced or diced: Frozen zucchini works great in recipes like soups, smoothies, or even casseroles. To properly freeze them, just blanch the pieces in boiling water, cool in an ice water bath, pat them dry, and freeze in a flat layer on a baking sheet for 1 to 2 hours.
  • Freeze zucchini grated: Grated zucchini is key for recipes like fritters or zucchini bread. So save some time by pre-grating and freezing! Just steam blanch the grated pieces, drain, and store in a freezer-safe bag or container.

Everyone’s Favorite Zucchini Recipes

Let’s start with my all-time favorite zucchini recipes! From crispy zucchini fritters to the best-ever zucchini lasagna, these are the essential zucchini recipes to have in steady rotation.

Zucchini lasagna in a white casserole dish.

Zucchini Lasagna: I’m not kidding when I say this is the best zucchini lasagna. It’s made with layers of meaty bolognese, melty cheese, and sheets of sneaky zucchini.

A stack of zucchini fritters on a plate.

Zucchini Fritters: These crisp, golden patties are to die for! They’re loaded with zucchini and herbs, plus a dip in the garlic chive yogurt sauce really takes it over the top.

Zucchini soup in two white bowls on a table next to spoons.

Zucchini Soup: Yes, you can enjoy soup in summer. Especially when it’s this refreshing, light, and creamy zucchini soup!

Sauteed zucchini in a pan.

Sauteed Zucchini: For a side dish that’s quick and easy, just give sliced zucchini a quick saute with parmesan and truffle oil. The results are mouthwatering.

A cast iron pan filled with green shakshuka.

Green Shakshuka: I love a classic shakshuka, but this green version ranks high on my list. It’s a delicious mix of shaved Brussels sprouts, spinach, zucchini and loads of fresh herbs.

Healthy Zucchini Noodle Recipes

The beauty of zucchini noodles is that they can easily replace pasta with a dose of extra veggies. So if you’re craving a classic shrimp scampi, but want a low-carb or gluten-free option zoodles will be your savior!

Zucchini noodle caprese salad recipe

Zucchini Noodle Caprese: Zucchini noodles tossed with fresh tomatoes, mozzarella, and basil pesto makes for the perfect summertime meal.

A plate of zucchini noodles topped with bolognese sauce, fresh parmesan and basil.

Zucchini Noodle Spaghetti Bolognese: A healthier spin on spaghetti, enjoy the rich, meaty flavors of a bolognese sauce with loads of veggies instead.

This zucchini pasta with lemon garlic shrimp is a delicious, gluten-free (and of course low-carb) version of shrimp scampi and linguini. Traditional pasta is replaced with zucchini noodles or zucchini pasta for a lighter, healthier meal.

Zucchini Pasta with Lemon Garlic Shrimp: Lemony, garlicky shrimp tossed with zoodles are what weeknight dinner dreams are made of.

Carrot and zucchini pasta is mixed with a creamy, avocado cucumber sauce for a simple and delicious zucchini noodle recipe that's gluten-free, vegan, paleo and whole30.

Carrot and Zucchini Pasta: Toss some spiralized carrots into the zucchini pasta mix with my homemade avocado dressing for a super fresh and tasty meal.

Zucchini noodles with chicken and pico de gallo on a white plate.

Mexican Chicken Zucchini Noodles: If you love a little spice kick, this zoodle recipe with chicken and pico de gallo has the ultimate Mexican flair.

Zucchini noodles with chicken on a plate with fork.

Zucchini Noodles with Chicken, Spinach, and Parmesan: This is my go-to for an easy, healthy, and family-friendly dinner.

The Best Zucchini Bread Recipes

When you’ve got an abundance of zucchini, you can’t not make zucchini bread. Believe me when I say, these recipes guarantee super moist and flavorful results!

This super moist paleo zucchini bread recipe is made with almond flour, tapioca flour and coconut flour. It's gluten-free, grain-free, dairy-free and extremely delicious. 

Paleo Zucchini Bread: Give your morning slice of bread a nutrient boost with this easy, gluten-free, and dairy-free recipe!

Chocolate zucchini bread in baking pan.

Paleo Chocolate Zucchini Bread: For a zucchini bread on the sweeter side, you’ll love the chocolate version. It’s rich, moist, and you won’t even taste the sneaky greens in there.

Zucchini muffins spread out on a table

Healthy Zucchini Muffins: This recipe turns my zucchini bread into grab n’ go muffins that are super fluffy, perfectly sweet, and gently spiced.

Easy Baked Zucchini Recipes

Let your oven work its magic with these fun and unique baked zucchini recipes! You can stuff zucchini for a hearty main, bake thinly sliced zucchini into chips, or add zucchini to breakfast egg muffins. The options here are endless.

A white bowl with zucchini chips and a few extra chips laying on the table.

Zucchini Chips: You can’t beat homemade veggie chips for a healthy snack. All you need to do is slice them up, drizzle some olive oil, sprinkle with salt, and bake away.

Pizza stuffed zucchini on a baking tray.

Pizza Stuffed Zucchini Boats: Enjoy classic pepperoni pizza flavors, but in stuffed zucchini form. The kiddos love this recipe too!

Plate of egg muffins with zucchini and prosciutto.

Zucchini and Prosciutto Egg Muffins: Egg muffins are the best for using up leftover veggies in your fridge. So if you’ve got zucchini that needs to be used up, slice or grate it into your next batch of breakfast muffins!

Zucchini fries on a platter.

Baked Zucchini Fries: There’s always room for fries right? Especially when they’re made of vegetables.

Taco stuffed zucchini boats on a sheet pan.

Taco Stuffed Zucchini Boats: Another way to stuff zucchini is with your favorite taco flavors! This recipe is easy, flavorful, and perfect for your next taco Tuesday.

If you make any of these zucchini recipes, let me know how they turned out! I’d love to hear what you think in the comments below.

Zucchini recipes including zucchini soup and stuffed zucchini boats

20+ Best Zucchini Recipes

5 from 2 votes
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 20 minutes
Total: 30 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
Author: Lisa Bryan

Description

Looking for fun and delicious zucchini recipes to whip up? Try these taco stuffed zucchini boats that are loaded with your favorite Mexican ingredients. They're secretly healthy!

Video

Ingredients 
 

  • 4 large zucchini
  • 1 pound ground beef

Taco Seasoning

Toppings

  • ½ cup sour cream
  • 2 roma tomatoes, diced
  • 3 green onions, thinly sliced
  • 1 avocado, thinly sliced
  • 1 bunch fresh cilantro
  • 1 lime, juiced

Instructions 

  • Preheat the oven to 375°F. Heat a large skillet on medium heat, add the ground beef, and use your spatula to break up the beef.
  • Add the spices, stir to combine, and cook for 7-10 minutes or until browned. 
  • While the ground beef is cooking, slice the zucchini in half lengthwise and use a spoon to scoop out the insides. 
  • Place the zucchini boats on a baking tray and fill them with the ground beef.
  • Bake for 15-20 minutes in the oven, or until the tops are browned. 
  • Remove from the oven and top with a drizzle of cashew sour cream, a sprinkle of green onions and tomatoes, a few slices of avocado and some fresh cilantro. Serve immediately. 

Nutrition

Calories: 416kcal | Carbohydrates: 21g | Protein: 29g | Fat: 26g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 12g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 89mg | Sodium: 456mg | Potassium: 1685mg | Fiber: 9g | Sugar: 11g | Vitamin A: 2117IU | Vitamin C: 75mg | Calcium: 137mg | Iron: 5mg
Course: Main Meal
Cuisine: Mexican
Keyword: Healthy Zucchini Recipes, Zucchini Recipes
Did you make this recipe?Mention @downshiftology or tag #downshiftology!

Roundup originally posted July 2021, but updated to include new recipes and information.

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4 Comments

  1. Thank you Lisa! I don’t know which recipe I prefer. All are easy to make and they all look suculent to me.
    I can’t wait for your cookbook. When is it to come out?

    Lilli5 stars

    1. It will be coming out late next year! Stay tuned on social where I’ll be posting updates here and there :)

  2. I really enjoyed your video and the 5 recipes you shared. I have some zucchini in the frig and was wondering what I would do with them. So now I have some wonderful options, thanks to you.
    P.S. I was going to give a thumbs up but couldn’t find it to click on??5 stars

    1. Wonderful, I’m so happy you enjoyed the video and zucchini recipes, Joan! The thumbs up is on the YouTube side, if you’re watching it in the app. But I appreciate the 5 stars here on the blog as well! :)