5 Delicious Ways to Use a Huge Zucchini

By
Heather Arndt Anderson
Heather Arndt Anderson portrait
Heather Arndt Anderson
Heather Arndt Anderson is a Portland, Oregon-based food writer, recipe developer, and botanist. She writes about the history, ecology, and cultural significance of ingredients.
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Updated on 07/31/23
Two plates of caramelized zucchini pasta, topped with breadcrumbs and whole basil leaves

The Spruce Eats / Julia Hartbeck

It happens to the best of us: you turn your back on your zucchini plant, and seemingly overnight a formidable cudgel appears under the leaves. Or maybe you come home to see that the Zucchini Fairy left some honkin’ huge squash on your doorstep. Put away the Spiralizer, there’s more than zoodles in your future! Here are some of our favorite ways to disappear all that zucchini.

  • 01 of 05

    Caramelized Zucchini Pasta

    Two plates of caramelized zucchini pasta, topped with breadcrumbs and whole basil leaves

    The Spruce Eats / Julia Hartbeck

    Not only does this pasta dish make zucchini the star, but it also uses up two whole pounds of the stuff, cooking it down into a sticky, savory sauce. With fresh basil and crunchy Caesar crouton crumbs on top, you’d never know that the whole point is to make the most of a squash surplus.

  • 02 of 05

    Baked Stuffed Zucchini

    platter with tomato, cheese, and sausage stuffed zucchini
    The Spruce / Diana Rattray

    When it comes to large vegetables, sometimes the best approach is to turn that lumbering log into a delicious boat. Stuffed with sausage and sweet tomatoes and peppers, this satisfying recipe tastes like summer, and uses up four zukes to boot (to boat?).

  • 03 of 05

    Korean Fried Zucchini

    Korean Fried Zucchini (Hobak Jun)

    The Spruce / Kristina Vanni

    Also known as hobak jeon, this Korean side dish makes a perfect banchan to accompany a larger meal with Korean barbecue or stew. We love its versatility; sure, you can dip it in your favorite dumpling sauce, or you can serve it with Southern dishes like corn pudding and tomato sandwiches. And unlike many Korean dishes, it’s not spicy. Best of all, you can make a ton and freeze them for later.

  • 04 of 05

    Chocolate Zucchini Cake

    Chocolate Zucchini Cake slices on plates

    The Spruce Eats / Diana Chistruga

    And with that, chocolate cake just became our new favorite way to sneak extra vegetables into our diet. Adding zucchini to cake isn’t that weird — face it, zucchini bread is pretty much cake anyway, so it may as well be honest. Here, the zucchini brings a lovely moistness to this decadent cake recipe without being noticeable — the squash’s flavor is so neutral that the chocolate keeps the spotlight.

    Continue to 5 of 5 below.
  • 05 of 05

    Crispy Zucchini Fritters

    Brown and crispy zucchini fritters on a paper towel
    Zucchini Fritters.

    Molly Watson

    Shredding the zucchini first gives these fritters a lovely lacy edge that loves being fried, similar to pakora or kakiage tempura. You can eat these fritters on a sandwich with tomato and mayonnaise or with marinara and mozz as an alternative to eggplant parm. In fact, that’s what we love so much about this recipe — you can spice it any way you like to make completely different meals.

Other Ways to Make Zucchini Delicious

With so many excellent options for enjoying summer’s most enthusiastic garden vegetable, you might just find yourself letting that zucchini go gonzo on purpose. You’ll never look at a surfeit of summer squash the same way again.