Zucchini is in full swing this time of year here in the Pacific Northwest, and it’s easy to get overwhelmed by this summer squash! One second it’s small and you’re like, oh I’ll pick it in a day or two, and the next second you’re like Whoa!!! It’s as big as a house! What am I going to do with this huge zucchini!
There are so many things you can do with zucchini.
- Zucchini bread, a favorite and go-to for many!
- Zucchini lasagna
- Zucchini casserole
- Baked zucchini (what I’ll show you today!)
- BBQ zucchini
- Zucchini spaghetti
- Cheesy zucchini tots
- Zucchini Quiche
- Cheesy zucchini rice
- Zucchini brownies
- Zucchini boats
- Zucchini pancakes
- Zucchini on homemade pizza
And so much more! I’ll be posting more zucchini recipes soon, so be prepared to be inundated over the next month. I’ve frozen much of the zucchini we’ve picked so far, so I have plenty to try out new recipes.
I am going to kick off the zucchini season with a very simple baked zucchini recipe. This is so easy! Even though grating zucchini for zucchini bread is pretty easy, it still gets a bit messy, so some days you just don’t really want to deal with it! Well, if you really need to use some of your zucchini and you’re not sure exactly what to do that’s super easy, just SLICE it! Especially if it’s one that you picked after it suddenly grew to the size of a house! lol
Just slice that baby up into half inch rounds. Easy peasy!
Then put the zucchini slices into a bowl with about 1/4 cup of oil of your choice or butter. Some ideas are: Olive oil (may not want to use extra virgin if you don’t like that strong flavor), Canola or vegetable oil, Avocado oil (This would taste amazing!), coconut oil(haven’t tried that yet, but it might give it an interesting twist), butter (a definite win!)
Sprinkle with salt, garlic powder and a little pepper if you like. You can use any seasonings you want of course. Parmesan cheese, onion powder, maybe some minced fresh garlic cloves, basil, oregano, sliced onions, the sky is the limit!
Now, mix it all up and you can either put the slices on the baking sheet right away if you don’t have much time, or you can let them sit and marinate for a bit. I’d say 10-30min. The longer you let them soak, the stronger the flavor will be.
Once you have the zucchini slices on the baking sheet, slide them into a 350F degree oven and bake for about 15min.
Another great way to cook your zucchini slices is to put them on the barbecue. BBQ your zucchini for an even richer flavor! Just leave the zucchini slices on for 4-5min. and then flip them. BBQ 3-4 min. on that side and your done!
And there you have it! Very yummy, very easy, baked or bbq zucchini!
Below is a super convenient printable recipe card….
- 1 Zucchini Medium or large
- 1/2 tsp Salt To taste
- 1/2 tsp Garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp Ground Pepper To taste
- 1/4 cup Vegetable Oil Olive oil, butter, coconut oil etc.. are some examples
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Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
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Slice zucchini into approx. 1/2 inch slices, cutting off and discarding about 1/2 inch of each end.
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Place zucchini slices in a large bowl with the oil
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Add salt, garlic powder and ground pepper and mix well so the zucchini slices are evenly covered.
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Place zucchini slices onto a baking sheet and bake for approximately 15min. or until zucchini slices are tender.
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Let cool 5 min. before eating because they will be very hot!
Enjoy!!
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