Zucchini deserves respect: it’s one of summer’s most versatile ingredients. With cinnamon and cooking time, it tastes almost like an apple in cakes, sweet loafs, and alongside pork chops. It makes a great salad base when shaved long and served fresh. It’s also just as at home on the grill as burgers and chicken wings, and wears a sear beautifully. Whether you prefer zucchini sweet or savory, these are the recipes that Eater staffers will be making this summer.
Sasha Marx, Cook’s Illustrated
I’m a big fan of both wet- and dry-brining for meats, so I was intrigued by the idea of brining vegetables for additional flavor like they do in this Cook’s Illustrated recipe. And I’m always looking for new things to throw on the grill during the summer. I tried out this recipe for a poolside gathering, and the delicious zucchini managed to upstage the steak we were grilling. The brining technique really does add an additional dimension, making the seasoning pervade the zucchini better, and the salsa verde adds a bright kick to the equation. — Missy Frederick, cities director
Deb Perelman, Smitten Kitchen
I’ve loved Smitten Kitchen’s ultimate zucchini bread recipe since before I had kids, but it’s become even more of a go-to recently. With two toddlers, I’m in the sneak-veggies-into-everything phase of my life, and this is truly the ideal vehicle. Deb’s zucchini bread is as easy as it gets: It doesn’t require a mixer or any zucchini wringing, and comes together in essentially one bowl. It’s light and fluffy, and is definitely an appropriate breakfast food, even with its crispy sugar topping. Plus, it means I can offer my kids “cake” and know that they’re getting a little serving of greens along the way. — Stephanie Wu, editor-in-chief
Hetty McKinnon’s noodles come together lightning quick, with a simple sauce of sliced zucchini, za’atar, mint and cheese — or nutritional yeast if you want to make it vegan. It’s the perfect recipe for when you’re too hungry to start a big project and just want to make something boxed and instant, but realize you haven’t had a vegetable in three days and really need to remedy that. — Jaya Saxena, correspondent
Sarah Jampel, NYT Cooking
This salad has become a reliable way to clear out the almost-overripe zucchini in my crisper every summer and is a total crowd pleaser for dinner parties (while secretly being very easy to pull together). You can even cook and marinate your browned zucchini a few hours before serving, letting them soak up more flavor in the fridge. To liven up the salad, shave some beautiful, fresh pieces of zucchini and Parmesan cheese with a vegetable peeler and don’t limit yourself on the fresh herbs; almost everything will work here. To upgrade the salad further, roast your chickpeas with lots of herbes de Provence, paprika, and olive oil in an oven or air fryer for about 15 minutes to create crispy, flavorful chickpeas that add a layer of crunch that is reminiscent of croutons. — Emily Venezky, editorial associate
Dorothy Kern, Crazy for CrustAlthough some people prefer zucchini breads and cakes where you “can’t even taste the zucchini!,” I actually love the subtle, vegetal bite an entire large zucchini brings to this coffee cake. Other perks of this recipe: the inviting scent of cinnamon wafting through your kitchen as the cake bakes, the plush crumb, and the general ease of pulling this all together in less than an hour. My only note about this recipe is that the crumb on the cake is less of a crumb and more of a brown sugar and butter syrup that seeps into the cake and creates delightful brown sugar swirls throughout. If you want a more traditional crumb, you’ll definitely need to incorporate additional flour into the crumb mixture portion and use cold, rather than melted, butter. — Kat Thompson, associate editor, Eater at Home
