More Uses for Zucchini

Since our garden got a late start this year, we are still harvesting a ton of Zucchini.One of the many quests of my life is to find good uses for this mutant vegetable that proliferates like the bunny of the vegetable world. In the past we have posted articles on Zucchini Fritters, Microwaved Zucchini Bread, Zucchini Frittatas, and Zucchini Brownie's. 

This past weekend we found a really good  recipe on www.cooks.com. We tweaked it a little bit and my family really liked it. I don't like to be too surreptitious and sneak veggies into my kids food. I prefer to let them know that veggies help us feel good and live healthy. I find that if our children know the veggies are from our garden, they like to eat it. In this case however, our kids are burnt out on Zucchini so when Mason asked us what the green things were in the meatloaf, I said herbs. There are herbs in there so who am I to say whether he was referring to Zucchini or herbs. It was an honest mistake.

Here is the tweaked recipe taken from the original recipe here.

1 lb. ground beef

1 lb ground turkey

2 c. finely grated, unpeeled zucchini

1 c. whole wheat bread crumbs OR regular bread crumbs 

1 tsp. Italian seasoning
1/2 c. grated Parmesan cheese
1 small onion, finely chopped

2 cloves chopped garlic
2 tsp. instant beef bouillon
1/4 tsp. salt
1 c. milk
1 lg. egg, beaten

Combine all ingredients in large bowl; mix thoroughly. Pack into 9'x5"x3" loaf pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 1hour.

The meatloaf came out very moist and flavorful. My oldest said "I don't usually like meatloaf but this is really good." Hopefully this gives you all another use for the deluge of Zucchini that is overtaking your garden. If you don't have any Zucchini just ask your neighbor that has a garden for some. Chances are that they have extra.

~Michael~