Easy Zucchini Recipes for Summer

If you’re wondering what to make with zucchini, this collection offers easy zucchini recipes for breakfast, side dishes, dinner, and dessert, plus simple directions for freezing the extra. These recipes using zucchini include quick breads, muffins, casseroles, lasagna, and chocolate cake. Cooking and baking with fresh zucchini has always felt like a Midwestern summer tradition, and each idea is a practical way to make the most of the season.

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Zucchini Bread, Muffins, and Dessert Recipes

Fresh zucchini adds moisture to quick breads, muffins, and cakes without giving them a strong vegetable flavor. These recipes using zucchini are simple ways to turn a summer harvest into something special for breakfast, a snack, or dessert.

Classic Zucchini Bread

My moist zucchini bread is made with simple pantry ingredients and either fresh or frozen shredded zucchini. Lightly spiced with cinnamon, it can be baked as large, small, or mini loaves for serving, freezing, or sharing.

Easy Zucchini Muffins

These easy zucchini muffins begin with banana muffin mix, which keeps the ingredient list short and gives the muffins plenty of flavor. Brown sugar, cinnamon, vanilla, and shredded zucchini make them moist and perfect for breakfast or an afternoon snack.

Chocolate Zucchini Cake

This easy chocolate zucchini cake has rich chocolate flavor and a light, moist texture, and no one will ever guess there is zucchini in the batter. Chocolate chips scattered over the top provide a simple finish, so frosting is optional.

Zucchini Side Dishes & Dinner Recipes

From simple vegetable sides to satisfying family meals, zucchini can be prepared in many useful ways. These baked zucchini recipes use familiar ingredients and include easy options for weeknight dinners and seasonal side dishes.

Classic Zucchini Casserole

This classic zucchini casserole combines tender zucchini, carrots, and onion with a creamy sauce and buttery stuffing topping. It is an old-fashioned side dish made with familiar ingredients and works well for family dinners, potlucks, and holiday meals.

Zucchini Lasagna

In this skillet zucchini lasagna, long zucchini slices replace the pasta and are layered with tomato sauce, ricotta, mozzarella, parmesan, and fresh basil. Everything bakes in one skillet, and the dish can be made with ground meat or left meatless.

Baked Zucchini Gratin

Layers of tender zucchini, leeks, and parmesan give this baked zucchini gratin plenty of savory flavor. Crisp breadcrumbs on top make it an easy side dish for grilled chicken, baked fish, or Sunday dinner.

Roasted Zucchini

This oven roasted zucchini recipe is topped with panko bread crumbs mixed with parmesan and garlic powder. The slices are tender with lightly crisp tops, making this an easy zucchini side dish for almost any meal.

How to Freeze Zucchini

If you have more zucchini than you can use, freezing it is an easy way to save it for later. Follow these simple directions for how to freeze zucchini without blanching, then use it in favorite bread, muffin, and cake recipes.