Every summer, it seems like home gardens start producing
ripe zucchini in bulk. We’re always looking for a new way to use up zucchini
because it’s a fairly mild vegetable, it's inexpensive (if not free from a
neighbor) and it has vitamins with tons of dietary fiber. When all the old
standbys are exhausted, we’re looking for new ways to make that zucchini
disappear.
Zucchini butter is one such answer. It’s been around for a
few years, but started going viral this year, thanks to TikTok. It’s so easy to
make that it just might become a new summer staple.
The basics of zucchini butter are simple. Start by grating a
large zucchini. Sprinkle with kosher salt to remove the excess moisture and let
sit. Then squeeze it dry in a towel and add to a pan with chopped shallots or
garlic and olive oil or butter. Cook until zucchini is soft and spreadable. No
need to measure, and feel free to dress it up to your heart’s desire with a
squeeze of lemon, some garlic confit or a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese. You can
season however you like and store it in the fridge for about a week. It’s
smooth like butter and as versatile as pesto.
You can eat the zucchini butter by the spoonful or use it in a recipe
like these ideas:
Toast
The easiest way to enjoy zucchini butter is on a piece of
toast. Level one is to spread the zucchini on bread and start chomping. Level two
is to add a poached egg, ricotta cheese or some mint and chopped hazelnuts.
This is your canvas for so much possibility.
Pasta
Pasta is already a great way to eat zucchini, but zucchini
butter is a short cut to a fast main meal. Simply toss the zucchini butter with
hot, cooked pasta and a splash of pasta water. Squeeze on some lemon, basil and parmesan cheese. Dinner is ready!
Rice
Just like the pasta recipe, once your zucchini butter is
ready, you can start creating meals. In this recipe, the cook uses a few more
spices but the same basic cooking method. Cooked rice becomes a veggie packed
side dish or meatless main meal.
Everything Else
How many uses can you think up for zucchini butter? We’ve
seen it as a sandwich spread, a veggie dip when mixed with yogurt, a baked
potato filling and a fish topper. Chicken and steak would probably be great
with a big dollop of zucchini butter as well.