This year my mom and I planted three crookneck squash plants and a zucchini plant along with some tomato, green bean, and bell pepper plants. The squash are starting to produce more than we can eat! I harvest between 3 to 8 every evening and we're not quite eating that much!
I was wondering what everyone's favorite squash recipes are so that we can maybe incorporate the squash into other dishes than just steaming them.
Also, on Recipes.com most of the things I've found are fried and I try to steer clear of that!
Has anyone tried squash bread before?
(P.S. I know there is a recipes category but it seems to be pretty non active, here looked more active, thanks!)
I always dreamed to have my own garden, eat my own vegies!! Envy you;-) I love Spaghetti Squash, also find some soup recipes - very tasty!, and i make salads with squash and different veggies! Probably the other recipes i know are also with fried squash((
tommy: I agree with picking them small! When they get larger I find that they can get bitter and too seedy. I have never heard of zucchini noodles, but after a quick search they are definitely on my to do list, they look fantastic.
I love grilled asparagus, why didn't I think of grilled squash? Thanks!
Gingerjv: Gardening is so fun, I highly recommend it! Even if you don't have much space a nice tomato plant can be grown in a pot. Do you cook the squash for salads? Can it even be eaten raw? Thanks!
Oh man, what I wouldn't do for a zucchini surplus in my life.
Chop some up and throw it in almost anything - tommy had great suggestions. Grilled zucchini is amazing, as is roasted. I just put leftover grilled zucchini and bell peppers into scrambled eggs this morning. Yum. You could add chopped up grilled veggies to cooked quinoa for a really nice side dish. I also like zucchini lasagna (slice into thin rectangles or rounds and make lasagna like normal, using the zucchini in place of the pasta). I enjoyed some zucchini noodle dishes with ground turkey and bell peppers and tossed with a nutty Asian sauce (PB or almond butter as a base) - here's one recipe, it was really good: http://paleomg.com/asian-peanut-sauce-noodle-bowl/
Last edited by Desiderata; 06-22-2014 at 05:20 PM.
Of course zucchini noodles with any kind of sauce (marinara, creamy sauce, lemony sauce) and my nuggets and meatballs that we keep frozen at all times:
Chicken/yellow squash nuggets:
Shred 1-2 squash and squeeze out as much liquid as possible. Mix with 1lb ground chicken, 1 egg, seasoning, form into “nuggets” and bread with your choice of bread crumb. Bake at 425 for 15 minutes on a lightly greased cookie sheet. Cool and freeze on a cookie sheet. Once frozen, transfer to a labeled freezer bag. To serve, microwave until thawed or bake for a crisp exterior.
Turkey/zucchini meatballs:
Shred 1-2 zucchini and squeeze most of the liquid out. Mix with 1lb ground turkey, 1 egg, seasoning, parmesan cheese, and choice of bread crumb. Bake at 425 for 15 minutes. Cool and freeze on a cookie sheet. Once frozen, transfer to a labeled freezer bag. To serve, microwave until thawed or simmer in sauce.
tommy: I agree with picking them small! When they get larger I find that they can get bitter and too seedy. I have never heard of zucchini noodles, but after a quick search they are definitely on my to do list, they look fantastic.
I love grilled asparagus, why didn't I think of grilled squash? Thanks!
Gingerjv: Gardening is so fun, I highly recommend it! Even if you don't have much space a nice tomato plant can be grown in a pot. Do you cook the squash for salads? Can it even be eaten raw? Thanks!
Yes i do use it raw for the salad!!;-)) Cut it in very thin slices! you will be surprised) It's taste similar to the cucumbers (almost no taste;-). So i just put lots of spices and herbs, green onion, soy sauce, garlic etc.
One of my favorite ways to use zucchini is this:
Zucchini lasagna with quinoa (complete with possibly the worst food photography ever). The quinoa cooked in tomato sauce is sooooo good.
If they get pretty big, you can make zucchini mini-pizzas - just pizza toppings broiled on top of thick zucchini rounds.
Wow! So many great recipes from everyone, thank you so much!
Desiderata: I'm still on the fence about quinoa, something about the texture weirds me out lol, but the lasagna is a wonderful idea! I don't eat much pasta so this is the perfect substitution!
Munchy: The zucchini tots and enchiladas are now on my 'to cook list' and your nuggets/meatballs sound like a perfect easy lunch for me, I love how you can freeze them easily!
EmmaD: Thanks for the links, those will help out a lot! And the mini-pizzas are a brilliant idea!
Yes i do use it raw for the salad!!;-)) Cut it in very thin slices! you will be surprised) It's taste similar to the cucumbers (almost no taste;-). So i just put lots of spices and herbs, green onion, soy sauce, garlic etc.
I just sliced up a squash to see how it tasted, and wow! I'm a little embarrassed that I didn't even know you could eat them raw and it's so good! Very light and summery! Thanks!
Munchy: The zucchini tots and enchiladas are now on my 'to cook list' and your nuggets/meatballs sound like a perfect easy lunch for me, I love how you can freeze them easily!
You can actually freeze the tots the same way as the meatballs and nuggets, and that basis for shredded zucchini, garlic, and cheese makes the creamiest most amazing filling for enchiladas. What I usually do is saute more veggies, add chopped cooked chicken, roll up burritos and I flash freeze them (on a cookie sheet) seam side down.
Once they're frozen, you can transfer them to a freezer bag and they're super easy dinners or lunches for the family. Just warm up in the microwave for about 3-4 minutes wrapped in a paper towel. I usually like to thaw it at 50% power for about 6 minutes, then crisp it in a pan or under the broiler. At that point you can top with salsa, sour cream, guac, jalapenos, cilantro, etc.
Oh my gosh, I am so jealous of your squash surplus!
My favorite which I discovered last year: Roasted zucchini and garlic soup. It's simply to die for. The small amount of Boursin cheese adds an amazing creaminess to the roasted flavors. Oh man, I wish I had some fresh zucchini right now!
I also love zucchini bread. Can't find mom's recipe right now, but there's plenty out there.
I've never tried these, but might be a good treat (or something nice to make if you know anyone who is GF): Zucchini brownies
Munchy's turkey meatballs are a great idea and they freeze really well! I loved them with BBQ sauce, and of course homemade marinara.
For yellow squash, I like to slice it and then saute with hot peppers and squirt some lime juice on it. Also good raw in salad. Or roasted.
So much summer squash!
