For any gardener who has grown zucchini, you know that this is the point in the summer when you have WAY MORE zucchini than you know what to do with! It all seems to pop up at once over the course of a few weeks, and then it’s gone. So how can you make sure none of that delicious home-grown zucchini goes to waste?
The answer is that you can shred up and freeze your extra! We use our frozen zucchini shreds to make zucchini bread throughout the year, and also to make these delicious crispy fried zucchini cakes!
A few tips for freezing your zucchini… First, cut them in half and scoop out all of the seeds before shredding. Next, use either a box grater or a food processor with a shredding tool like this one (the one I own) to shred your zucchini. Then measure it out before bagging it up to freeze in Ziploc freezer bags.
I measure 2 cups into each quart-size bag because the recipes that I use call for 2 cup increments. Lastly, I lay the bags flat in the freezer until solid. Then you can stand them up and organize them into bins, as pictured below.
When using frozen zucchini for this recipe, you will want to thaw it and drain out the excess water. You can either thaw it in the fridge for a day or two, or you can do a quick thaw by letting the bag soak in hot water for about 10 minutes or so. (Not boiling water!!! Just hot water from the tap!)
You could also make this with fresh shredded zucchini as well. Just squeeze out or drain the extra water before mixing the other ingredients in.
To make this recipe, combine 4 cups of shredded and drained zucchini in a large bowl with 2 eggs and about 1- 1 & 1/2 cups of pre-seasoned Italian breadcrumbs. To be honest, I never measure my breadcrumbs when making this. Just use enough so that your patties are moist, but hold together well.
That’s really all there is to it! Just cover the bottom of a skillet with oil (I use olive oil) and place your patties in to cook over medium heat. Once the bottoms are crispy, flip them over and crisp up the second side. Note: If the skillet dries out, be sure to add more oil!
I like to keep a lid on my skillet to cut down on splatter, but that’s up to you. If you are making multiple batches, you will probably want to reduce the heat a little at some point to prevent the olive oil from burning.
It’s pretty hard to get my family to eat anything green, but even my super picky kids love these! They are also really easy to make. I hope you and your family enjoy these crispy and satisfying delights!
Take care, and as always, please feel free to email me at anne@blessingsinsurprise.com with any comments or questions that you may have.
- 4 cups shredded zucchini (drain excess moisture)
- 2 eggs
- 1- 1 & 1/2 cups Italian seasoned breadcrumbs (use just enough to get a good texture to form patties)
- olive oil (enough to cover the bottom of your pan)
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Combine your shredded and drained zucchini in a bowl with the eggs and breadcrumbs. (I use Italian seasoned breadcrumbs that already contain salt, herbs, seasonings and cheese.)
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Stir until well combined.
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Form the mixture into patties and place in a large skillet over medium heat. (Be sure to cover the bottom of the skillet with oil before placing zucchini in it. I use olive oil, but you can use whatever oil you want.)
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Cook until crispy on the bottom. Then flip over and cook the other side.
*Note: If starting with frozen zucchini, thaw first either overnight in the fridge or by soaking in warm or hot tap water.