50 Delicious Zucchini Recipes

August 21, 2018
Photo: Eva Kolenko; Styling: Karen Shinto
When zucchini season rolls around, you can easily find yourself with more than you know what to do with. The good news is, zucchini is one of the most versatile summer vegetables on the block. We're spiralizing it into zoodles, slicing it into zucchini chips, grating it into zucchini breads and cakes, and even layering it into quiche and lasagna. This infinitely adaptable veggie is the star of summer, so here are 50 of our best zucchini recipes to make the most of it. 
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Baked Rigatoni with Zucchini and Mozzarella

Photo: Linda Pugliese; Prop Styling: Claire Spollen; Food Styling: Torie Cox
Baked Rigatoni with Zucchini and Mozzarella Recipe

If you’re in the mood for a cheesy lasagna but want something a little less labor-intensive, try this Baked Rigatoni. Fresh mozzarella, which is sold in water, has a short shelf life and should be used within a few days of purchase for the best flavor. If you can’t find ciliegini, you can tear a standard-size ball of fresh mozzarella into small pieces. Give this baked pasta an impressive look by using a springform pan.

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Zucchini-Ricotta Pizza

Photo: Jennifer Causey Styling: Claire Spollen
Zucchini-Ricotta Pizza Recipe
Keep it easy: Roll the dough out on parchment paper, and place the paper right on the hot pizza stone.

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Tuscan Pignoli-Orange Zucchini Bread

Photo: Daniel Agee; Food Styling: Deb Wise; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis
Tuscan Pignoli-Orange Zucchini Bread Recipe
Got a boatload of zucchini? A loaf of so-simple quick bread is a delightful, kid-friendly way to put it to use. With bright citrusy notes, toasty pine nuts, and a delightful texture delivered by the blend of semolina and almond flours, this Italian-inspired uptake on your typical zucchini bread is sure to impress.
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Zucchini Lasagna

Photo: Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Tina Stamos
Zucchini Lasagna Recipe

Three cheeses and thin, woven strips of zucchini make this one-pan classic a crowd-pleaser, whether you’re cooking Sunday supper or planning for the family reunion. Use a mandoline slicer, not a vegetable peeler, to cut the thinnest zucchini strips. Once you’ve sliced the squash, the lasagna is a snap to put together—just layer the ingredients and bake.

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Zucchini Pickles

Time Inc. Video Stuio
Zucchini Pickles Recipe
Put your bounty of summer squash to good use with these perfectly tangy-sweet zucchini pickles. They’re an excellent addition to any summer cookout spread.

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Spicy Zucchini Salad

Caitlin Bensel
Spicy Zucchini Salad Recipe

Fiber- and protein-packed chickpeas bulk up this late-summer salad.

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Charred Zucchini Salad

Photo: Christopher Testani; Styling: Thom Driver
Charred Zucchini Salad Recipe
Erik Anderson uses lardo for part of the fat in the dressing. It's seasoned and cured pork fat somewhat similar to bacon. Find it at specialty markets or at almagourmet.com. Or substitute an equal amount of rendered bacon fat (16 ounces chopped bacon will yield the 3.5 ounces needed for this recipe). Anderson also uses sweet and sour teardrop chiles, which are a cross between a jalapeño and a cherry pepper. If you can't find them, substitute mild pickled peppadews. This salad is easily doubled. To do so, use 2 large skillets to simultaneously cook zucchini batches so the dish is done in the same amount of time.

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Grilled Hanger Steak with Zucchini Salsa

Caitlin Bensel
Grilled Hanger Steak with Zucchini Salsa Recipe

We love this low-cost cut for its big, beefy flavor, but feel free to substitute flank or skirt steak in a pinch. Slice medium-rare steak against the grain for melt-in-your-mouth bites. Tuck leftovers into a whole-wheat tortilla for a tasty lunch.

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Zucchini-Squash Pickle Relish

Photo: Kelsey Hansen; Food Styling: Margaret Dickey and Ivy Odom; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis
Zucchini-Squash Pickle Relish Recipe
Put all that zucchini to good use in this deliciously tangy-sweet pickled relish. It’s a delicious accouterment for any number of meat and veggie dishes, but we especially love it spooned right over a grilled hotdog.
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Carrot and Zucchini Spaghetti

Carrot and Zucchini Spaghetti Recipe
There's no need to cut out all pasta when dining on zoodles. This recipe combines spiralized zucchini and carrots with spaghetti for a perfect pasta dinner.

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Sesame-Cashew Zucchini Bread

Photo: Daniel Agee; Food Styling: Deb Wise; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis
Sesame-Cashew Zucchini Bread Recipe
A loaf of so-simple quick bread is a delightful, kid-friendly way to put it to use. Incredibly rich in toasty flavor, this nutty twist on classic zucchini bread was a fast favorite in the test kitchen. If you don’t have cashew butter on hand, feel free to use peanut butter or almond butter for the creamy glaze instead—either would be equally delicious.

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Chicken Parmesan over Zucchini Noodles

Photo: Jennifer Causey; Styling: Missie Neville Crawford
Chicken Parmesan over Zucchini Noodles Recipe
A julienne peeler creates lovely "zoodles," but may we suggest a spiralizer? It works like a pencil sharpener, turning veggies into noodles (look for them at kitchen stores and amazon.com).
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Zucchini Pie

Photography: Jennifer Causey; Food Styling: Chelsea Zimmer; Prop Styling: Mindi Shapiro Levine
Zucchini Pie Recipe
In this riff on spaghetti pie, zucchini "noodles" stand in for pasta.

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Stuffed Zucchini Boats with Tomato Salad

Photo: Hector Sanchez; Styling: Claire Spollen
Stuffed Zucchini Boats with Tomato Salad Recipe
The microwave quickly steams the zucchini so that you only need to run the stuffed boats under the broiler for a minute or two at the end.

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Squash and Green Chile Casserole

Photographer: Greg Dupree; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Torie Cox
Squash and Green Chile Casserole Recipe
Filled with fresh zucchini and squash, this casserole doesn't require the oven.
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Muffuletta Zucchini and Carrot Noodle Salad

Sara Tane
Muffuletta Zucchini and Carrot Noodle Salad Recipe
A veg-forward take on a muffuletta pasta salad, this ultra-flavorful side dish is just as refreshing as it is filling. Hearty cubes of meat and cheese against the brininess of olives create a balanced, sandwich-inspired satisfaction. It can be served immediately, or left in the fridge for a couple hours or up to a couple of days to let the flavors meld further.

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Herb-Grilled Summer Squash

Photo: Jen Causey; Food Styling: Margaret Dickey and Rishon Hanners; Prop Styling: Sarah Elizabeth Cleveland
Herb-Grilled Summer Squash Recipe
Grilled vegetables are as essential a part of the outdoor, open-flame cooking experience as any cut of meat. And few vegetables say summer quite like zucchini and yellow summer squash. Dressed in olive oil and an abundance of fresh herbs, this versatile grilled vegetable recipe is perfect for just about any occasion.

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Cornbread-Stuffed Zucchini

Photo: Greg DuPree; Prop Styling: Mindi Shapiro Levine; Food Styling: Torie Cox
Cornbread-Stuffed Zucchini Recipe
Choose squash that are uniform in shape so they will cook evenly. The best kind for this recipe are long, straight, and not too skinny.
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Zoodles with Shrimp and Green Goddess Dressing

Photo: Kelsey Hansen; Food Styling Karen Ranken; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis
Zoodles with Shrimp and Green Goddess Dressing Recipe
Using a blend of spiralized summer squash and zucchini “noodles,” this light and bright summer entree is as refreshing as they come. We absolutely love the fresh flavors this simple green goddess dressing packs into the dish; any leftover dressing would be great for dipping veggies into for an easy snack. Taking advantage of already steamed shrimp from the seafood counter of your favorite grocery store keeps this vibrant dish entirely no-cook and incredibly speedy. And to save a few extra minutes, you can grab containers of pre-spiralized vegetables from the produce section. In order to prevent sogginess, wait until it’s time to eat before assembling the components of your zoodle bowl.

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Creamy Sausage and Zoodle Bake  

Photo: Daniel Agee; Prop Styling Kashara Johnson; Food Styling: Mary Claire Britton
Creamy Sausage and Zoodle Bake   Recipe
It may be rich, it may be cheesy, but this vibrant twist on a traditional pasta casserole is also packed with veggies. Beyond swapping out pasta for zucchini noodles—which, no worries, do hold up well in this creamy bake—the casserole boasts roasted butternut squash, savory mushrooms, and caramelized onions. The veggie blend in this dish is a great balance to spicy Italian sausage and the luscious béchamel sauce, which we infuse with robust fall flavor by first steeping garlic and herbs in the milk later used for to make the sauce. Although this recipe isn’t an ideal choice for a last-minute throw-together meal, it is an excellent make-ahead option. Every component of the dish can be prepped ahead of time for a quick and easy assembly, making this veggie-centric casserole a delicious and impressive go-to for entertaining.

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Grilled Zucchini with Lemon-Garlic Breadcrumbs

Photo: Jennifer Causey; Styling: Mindi Shapiro Levine 
Grilled Zucchini with Lemon-Garlic Breadcrumbs Recipe
If you haven't made your own breadcrumbs yet, now is the time to give it a try. It's easy, makes use of any leftover bread, and tastes better than anything you can buy. Here, we have four different zucchini topping variations (from the top left, working clockwise): Grilled Zucchini with Lemon-Garlic Breadcrumbs, Grilled Zucchini with Herbed Butter, Grilled Zucchini with Chopped Tomato-Basil Salsa, and Sweet and Sour Zucchini.
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Carrot-Zucchini Cake with Coconut-Cream Cheese Frosting

Photo: Dylan + Jeni; Styling: Scott Horne
Carrot-Zucchini Cake with Coconut-Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe
Zucchini makes a brilliant addition to carrot cake, adding a verdant note to the sweet carrot.

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Summer Garden Chili Bowls

Photo: Daniel Agee; Food Styling: Karen Rankin; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis
Summer Garden Chili Bowls Recipe
While the summer heat often makes us go for lighter foods, that doesn’t mean we don’t still want chili—so we made a lighter, brighter version. Equally perfect for a casual summer supper at home as it is for fueling a cookout or tailgate, these chili bowls are loaded up with vibrant veggies. To keep this tasty entree quick and simple, we use canned chili as a base, then dress it up with grilled corn and zucchini, black beans, fresh avocado slices, cilantro, queso fresco, and a handful of corn chips for good measure. Serve with lime wedges and you have a summer hit on your hands. While this recipes is especially convenient for when you want a tasty bowl chili, but don’t necessarily want to eat off of a huge batch of it for days, the recipe is easily multiplied to accommodate larger crowds.

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Fried Mozzarella-Stuffed Zucchini

Time Inc. Video Studio
Fried Mozzarella-Stuffed Zucchini Recipe
This mozzarella stick-meets-zucchini fries hybrid is an awesome way to change up your appetizer game; not to mention, it’s a great recipe for getting picky eaters to munch on some vegetables. And if you’re finding yourself a little worn out on summer’s abundance of zucchini, stuffing the veggie with cheese and then deep-frying gives it an incredibly tasty transformation.
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Chicken Kofte with Zucchini

Photo: Jennifer Causey; Styling: Lindsey Lower
Chicken Kofte with Zucchini Recipe
A hit under the broiler leaves zucchini perfectly tender.

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Zucchini and Red Pepper Frittata

Photo: Stephen Devries; Styling: Lindsey Lower
Zucchini and Red Pepper Frittata Recipe
This recipe also uses another ingredient many gardeners have in abundance: zucchini.

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Zucchini Burgers

Photo: Eva Kolenko; Styling: Karen Shinto
Zucchini Burgers Recipe
We've given the veggie burger a serious upgrade, with browned mushrooms, nuts, and spices in the shredded zucchini patties, and raw zucchini ribbons on top for freshness.
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Zucchini Stuffed with Lady Peas

Photo: Alison Miksch; Styling: Caroline M. Cunningham
Zucchini Stuffed with Lady Peas Recipe
Stuff zucchini shells with Lady Peas, onion, mushrooms, and tomato and top with bread crumbs and cheese for a colorful appetizer.

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Zucchini Pesto with Crudites

Photo: Jennifer Causey Styling: Missie Neville Crawford
Zucchini Pesto with Crudites Recipe
The cooked zucchini is delicious on its own (try it as a spread) and even better blended with almonds, fresh herbs, and cheese. Garnish with a little extra cheese, if desired.

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Zucchini-Ribbon Pizza with Chicken

Photography: Jennifer Causey; Food Styling: Chelsea Zimmer; Prop Styling: Mindi Shapiro Levine
Zucchini-Ribbon Pizza with Chicken Recipe
If we could make a crisp, fresh salad a mandatory pizza topper, we would. Use a vegetable peeler to ribbon zucchini. Ground coriander adds lemony flavor.
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Tortellini Salad with Zucchini and Peas

Tortellini Salad with Zucchini and Peas Recipe
'Tis the season for zucchini. Make the most of it in this light and summery salad where it's just barely wilted.

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Zucchini and Spinach Chilaquiles

Photo: Alison Miksch; Food Styling: Catherine Crowell Steele; Prop Styling: Lindsey Lower
Zucchini and Spinach Chilaquiles Recipe
This verde version of a Mexican brunch classic is the perfect introduction to summer. If you have time, try switching out canned tomatillos for fresh: Remove the papery husks from 8 ounces fresh tomatillos, toss with 1 tablespoon oil on a baking sheet, and broil 6 minutes or until lightly charred. Cool before processing. Queso fresco has the texture of strained ricotta—it won’t quite melt under the broiler, but its mild flavor will be a welcome contrast to the heat in the tomatillo mixture. Add scrambled eggs to each serving for a little extra protein.

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Zucchini Rice Gratin

Linda Pugliese
Zucchini Rice Gratin Recipe
Inspired by Julia Child's classic recipe for Tian de Courgettes au Riz (zucchini gratin), my version is comforting yet fresh and clean--it's not overloaded with heavy cream or cheese.
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Zucchini Fried Rice

Photo: Aaron Kirk; Prop Styling: Sarah Elizabeth Cleveland; Food Styling: Adam Dolge
Zucchini Fried Rice Recipe
This single skillet dinner is a weeknight-friendly meal the whole family can get behind, not to mention—it’s a genius way to put a bulk of summer zucchini to good use. The grated zucchini helps to lighten and brighten this take-out favorite, and stealthily bulks up the nutritional value of pickier eaters’ plates. Plus, this budget-friendly dish is actually best made using day-old rice, so it’s a great meal to plan on for utilizing leftovers later in the week. You can definitely use whatever you have on hand, but smaller-sized zucchini tend to work best in this recipe, as you want to minimize the number of seeds. Feel free to eliminate the pork or replace it with tofu to make this meal vegetarian.

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Basil, Squash, and Tomato Pasta Toss

Photo: Jennifer Causey; Styling: Lindsey Lower
Basil, Squash, and Tomato Pasta Toss Recipe
Grated zucchini will cook as the pasta is tossed. If you don't have a grater, cut the zucchini like the yellow squash, and sauté both.

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Zucchini and Shrimp Cakes with Snap Pea Relish

Zucchini and Shrimp Cakes with Snap Pea Relish Recipe
Just a little shrimp goes a long way in these spring-inspired cakes. If using frozen shrimp, make sure to thaw completely before peeling and chopping; otherwise the shrimp will fall apart. You can use fresh basil instead of tarragon.
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