Nothing is as stressful and exciting as zucchini season!! If you’ve got zucchini coming out of your garden faster than you can say guitar-sized squash, here are some of my favorite ways to eat this wildly abundant summer vegetable without ever getting tired of it. From zucchini bread to zoodles to side dishes and everything in between, you are going to love these zucchini recipes!

collage of pictures of food using zucchini, like zucchini bread, zoodles, ratatouille, lasagna, etc.

I love that God gave us one garden freebie.

He’s like, here you go guys, one veggie even idiot gardeners can grow successfully. 🙋‍♀️

Every time Eric and I plant a garden, we end up spending $80 on new hose lines and fertilizer and everything else, and 2 months later are rewarded with 1 scrawny jalapeno that we could have bought for 15 cents.

But it’s true that whenever we plant zucchini, we end up with a decent crop. Here’s what I like to do with my zucchini bounty! Zucchini bread is first of course (I’m not a heathen) but keep scrolling, there are some good main dish and side dish ideas!

Incredibly Moist Zucchini Bread

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sliced zucchini bread with mini chocolate chips.

Everybody’s favorite way to eat zucchini! I love this recipe because it’s not gummy. You’ve had the gummy bread, right? Say no.

Randy, can I be your neighbor please??

Moist Zucchini Bread Recipe
4.80 from 114 votes
All the tips and tricks you need to make the BEST Zucchini Bread recipe of your life! It's so easy to make, with consistent results every time. The bread bakes up moist, tender, and super flavorful! Easily turn it into chocolate chip zucchini bread, or add nuts!
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Baked Parmesan Zucchini and Squash

sliced, roasted zucchini and yellow squash with parmesan cheese.

This isn’t one of those recipes that promises to help you use up your produce, then only uses a half cup. It’s alllll zucchini (and/or yellow squash depending on what you planted).

This recipe is from my cousin Lani, she threw it together one day while absent-mindedly making dinner while we chatted; she didn’t know I was taking meticulous notes. “And then WHAT with the parmesan, now??” Yes please, pile it on and crisssspp.

Parmesan Crusted Zucchini and Yellow Squash from The Food Charlatan
Parmesan Crusted Zucchini and Yellow Squash
4.72 from 7 votes
Do you have zucchini and yellow squash growing out your ears? This crispy parmesan crusted zucchini and yellow squash recipe is possibly the easiest summer side dish of all time, and a great way to use up garden veggies! I have a hard time not eating the entire batch single-handedly.
 
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Zucchini Lasagna

zucchini lasagna on a plate with fork, topped with basil.

Low carbin’ it? You can have your lasagna and eat it too. Just sub zucchini for the noodles and okay okay, increase the ricotta by way-more-than-normal, because hello you’re not even eating any carby noodles, you deserve some cheese.

zucchini noodle lasagna with basil
Zucchini Lasagna Recipe
4.75 from 8 votes
Throw out those noodles and make yourself some Zucchini Lasagna! This recipe is full of Italian sausage, ricotta, and mozzarella, but uses zucchini in place of lasagna noodles. It is low carb, keto-friendly, and seriously delicious!
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How to Make Zucchini Noodles Without a Spiralizer

zucchini noodles on a plate with cheese and a fork.

Don’t own a spiralizer (or got rid of yours in a wild Marie Kondo decluttering session)? It’s ok, I got you! I’ll show you how to make “zoodles” aka zucchini noodles without one, in multiple ways, AND I’ll show you how to make sure they don’t get limp, gross, and soggy.

how to cook zoodles
How to Cook Zoodles
5 from 3 votes
I will show you how to make zoodles without a spiralizer! It is so easy. You can use a mandoline, a cheap and small handheld spiralizer, a potato peeler, or even a box grater to get the job done. And then I will teach you how to cook zoodles so that they don’t turn into a soggy watery mess! You really can have perfectly al dente zoodles every time!
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Zucchini Pizza Bites

sliced zucchini roasted on a pan with pizza toppings.

I found this recipe buried in my grandma’s files and was intrigued, then quickly became obsessed. All the pizza, none of the bread? What??

Reader Bets commented, “I’ve been eating these Zucchini Pizza Bites for months now. Often I just slice the zucchini, drop some pizza sauce then some cheese – then bake in the Toaster Oven. Works great if you just want a snack – or a meal. I’ve put meat on before – but just prefer the sauce & cheese only. I’ve also started putting the zucchini in a corningware dish, putting more pizza sauce & cheese – then baking in the Toaster Oven.” So many ways to zucchini your pizza!

Zucchini Pizza Bites from The Food Charlatan
Zucchini Pizza Bites
5 from 4 votes
Healthy tiny pizza! And another way to use up the oceans of zucchini you are drowning in. A simple 15 minute recipe that can be a snack, appetizer, or hey, even dinner if you're like me. 
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Creamy Zucchini Soup with Popcorn Garnish

a bowl of zucchini soup with a swirl of cream, topped with plain popcorn.

Okay hear me out guys, have you ever garnished your soup with popcorn? Why is this not more of a thing? It’s just like crunchy croutons, but fun and unique! My sister lived in Ecuador for a while and said they serve pureed soup with popcorn all the time. I love it!

Creamy Zucchini Soup with Popcorn Garnish
5 from 3 votes
This soup is basically blended up zucchini. It has no cream in it (other than to garnish) yet it's so smooth and rich. Also, POPCORN!!
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10-Minute Sautéed Zucchini and Squash

sauteed zucchini and squash with a metal spoon.

Why make things complicated? This easy dish is the perfect veggie side dish and uses up lots of that zucchini sitting on the counter. Adding fresh thyme makes it special. Bumper crop beware, I’m serving you this way with every meal until you’re gone! Zucchini and squash recipes FTW!!

10 Minute Sautéed Zucchini and Squash Side Dish from The Food Charlatan
10 Minute Sautéed Zucchini and Squash Side Dish
4.80 from 5 votes
A quick and easy zucchini and squash sauté to use up all your garden veggies! No need to complicate life: a bit of olive oil and thyme is all you need. 
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Roasted Garlic Ratatouille

roasted garlic ratatouille in cast iron pan on distressed wooden table.

You’ve seen the movie, now make the meal! No rat under your chef’s hat required. If you happen to have bell peppers, onions, or eggplants in your garden, you can use those too!

No one can resist this dish, it’s just too pretty not to love.

Roasted Garlic Ratatouille from The Food Charlatan
Best Ratatouille Recipe
5 from 3 votes
A ratatouille with tons of flavor! Roasted garlic sauce is covered in paper-thin spiced vegetables. This would be perfect for an impressive summer dinner or appetizer!
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Cauliflower Rice Skillet with Zucchini and Kielbasa

cauliflower rice skillet with zucchini and kielbasa in a white bowl.

Another low-carb favorite of mine with so much flavor! I make this for my family all the time. It’s packed full of veggies and protein and it’s so easy to throw together.

Angela says “I made this tonight. My husband HATES cauliflower so I just called it vegetable rice. I fessed up when he was on his third plateful. Plus! This is a great make ahead, freeze, then heat in a skillet meal.” HA! I love you, Angela!!

Cauliflower Rice Skillet with Zucchini and Kielbasa from The Food Charlatan
Cauliflower Rice Skillet with Zucchini and Kielbasa
4.80 from 5 votes
This is the one-pot low-carb dinner you've been waiting for! It's an easy skillet-meal, perfect for a weeknight, but doesn't have loads of pasta or rice. Just cauliflower shredded to look like rice. Plus zucchini and kielbasa. What's not to love? 
 
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Greek Pasta with Chicken and Zoodles

chicken, feta, and veggies over zucchini noodles on a white plate.

I taught you to make zoodles without a spiralizer – now let’s Greek things up! If you have tomatoes and bell peppers from your garden too, this is going to be a real garden-buster. I love how easy it is to throw this meal together and be eating super healthy in no time. Of course you COULD make it with pasta, but why do that when you’ve got all that zucchini on hand?

chicken and zoodles
Greek Pasta with Chicken (and Zoodles)
5 from 2 votes
This Greek Pasta with Chicken can also be made with zoodles for a healthy twist! Chicken is seared and paired with a stovetop veggie saute: tomatoes, red bell peppers, artichokes and kalamata olives. It is super healthy and incredibly delicious! This weeknight dinner recipe is done in 30 minutes!
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Poblano, Corn, and Zucchini Lasagna

poblano, corn, and zucchini lasagna on a white plate.

This is my go-to recipe when I’m feeding someone vegetarian and I want to impress. The roasted poblanos, the corn sauce, the cheese! It’s so good! If you’ve grown fresh poblano peppers, this is a two-for-one garden delight. And if you’ve never tried cooking with poblanos, today is the first day of the rest of your life! I’m telling you, don’t skip this one.

Poblano, Corn, and Zucchini Lasagna from TheFoodCharlatan.com
Poblano, Corn, and Zucchini Lasagna
5 from 5 votes
This poblano, corn, and zucchini lasagna is a great twist on an old classic. You would think that the poblanos would make it super hot, but it's really not.
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Thai Pizza with Zucchini and Pickled Onions

a sliced pizza with carrots, zucchini, pickled red onions, cilantro, and cheese.

Here’s my recreation of the beloved pie served at California Pizza Kitchen. I love pizza with an unexpected twist, hello zucchini and pickled onions! Yum. It’s so colorful and fresh with all the veggies. I think I’m going to start adding thinly shredded carrots to every pizza I ever make. Do you think my kids will notice??

Thai Pizza with Zucchini and Pickled Onions from The Food Charlatan
Thai Pizza with Zucchini and Pickled Onions
5 from 3 votes
Summer zucchini, pickled onions, a smattering of carrots, and your choice of chicken or pork on one killer pizza. Sweet Chili Sauce brings it all together!
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Now go forth and zucchini! Good luck managing your crop and let me know which recipes you try!

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