Zucchini Fries | A Baked Version

Zucchini Fries | A Baked Version

These came from my section of The Family Plot. The one on the right is about the size you find in the supermarket on any given day. The one on the left? It dwarfs a butternut squash. At a whopping 5 pounds, 5 ounces it’s bigger than some newborns. And I’m not talking premies. Folklore says the cabbage patch is the source for babies, but this bambino came from a singe zucchini mound. My sister planted four. I fear for our sanity.

Just as I was figuring out what to do with the six pounds of bland squash, these arrived.

And the other day? My garden produced a rather impressive 3-pounder. Clearly, I should check the plant more often.

So what did I do? I made soup. A double batch. That took care of the big zucchini.

Then I made a big loaf of zucchini bread. That took care of half the little ones. And with the rest? I made fries. Oven-baked, but fries nonetheless.

So, what will I do with the 3 pounds still sitting on my counter? Oh, don’t you worry. I’ve got plans for that. Hot, spicy, finger-licking plans. In the meantime, here’s how to make zucchini fries. They’re crunchy and tasty. Even my zucchini-hating husband didn’t mind them. Let’s face it. The vegetable didn’t win him over. It was the crumbs and the dip. The zucchini was just an inoffensive delivery system. But when it comes to getting Andrew to eat zucchini, I take any victory I can get.

Got any recipe suggestions? Let me know. I’ll need all the help I can get!

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Zucchini Fries

These zucchini fries are actually baked, making them an easy and healthy way to use up the zucchini bounty.

  • Author: Charmian Christie
  • Prep Time: 10 mins
  • Cook Time: 30 mins
  • Total Time: 40 mins
  • Yield: 4 1x
  • Category: Side dish

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1pound zucchini, cut into lengths
  • 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 teaspoons water
  • 1 cup panko crumbs
  • 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
  • 1 tablespoon fresh dill, minced
  • Optional
  • tzatziki, for dipping

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment.
  2. Wash and cut zucchini into fingers about 3-inches long. If the zucchini is large, remove the seeds and core first.
  3. Mix the flour, salt, and black pepper together in a shallow dish. Beat the eggs with the water in a second shallow dish. Combine the panko, parmesan and dill a third shallow dish. Arrange the dishes in this order: flour / egg / panko.
  4. Toss the zucchini slices in the flour, dip each slice in the egg mixture and then roll it in the panko crumbs. Place the breaded zucchini wedges on the prepared baking sheet in a single layer. Bake 25 to 35 minutes or until the zucchini is tender and the crumbs are crispy. Timing depends on how thickly you sliced the zucchini.
  5. Go into the garden and inspect zucchini plants for more offerings. Pick plants before they are the size of the cat.

Notes

Panko crumbs are usually found in the Asian section of most supermarkets. If you can’t find panko crumbs, substitute crushed corn flakes, crushed melba toast or regular dried bread crumbs.

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8 Comments
  • Andrew
    Posted at 11:29h, 23 August

    I did warn you that a single zucchini plant will soon spawn enough bland offspring to bury a medium sized city. We may have to move.

  • Charmian Christie
    Posted at 11:34h, 23 August

    Only if you agree to do all the packing.

  • Tiffany Arp-Daleo
    Posted at 20:50h, 23 August

    Those zucchini fries look amazing….. but I also want your Zucchini soup recipe!

  • Charmian Christie
    Posted at 22:38h, 23 August

    Hope you like the fries. Here’s a link to the soup recipe. http://christiescorner.com/2009/08/11/summer-fest-week-3-zucchini-soup/

    Good luck with all your zucchini! I know I’ll need it.

  • Kathe Lieber
    Posted at 06:20h, 26 August

    I decided to stop getting my farmer’s boxes this summer because I just couldn’t keep up – and I have two excellent shops within a two-block radius that sell fine veggies, mostly organic. But I do have moments of missing the panic of August, as in “what on earth can I do with all these zucchini”? So I’ll send you virtual zucchini, Charmian, and ask you to send back zucchini fries, all right? Seems like a fair exchange to me!

  • Charmian Christie
    Posted at 09:32h, 26 August

    Sounds like a plan, Kathe. Stay tuned for a couple more zucchini recipes. I need to use up those virtual veggies!

  • Jill U Adams
    Posted at 11:32h, 27 August

    Hi Charmian!

    I tried these on Friday. I made a couple of substitutions, using what I had on hand. Instead of panko crumbs (which I admit I had to google) I used some coarsely ground corn meal I have. I also added a little cayenne pepper to my flour and we dipped in blue cheese dressing (hot zucchini wings?)

    Kids ate sparingly, husband loved them. I’d say they were good for variety’s sake.

    Usually we just grill zucchini alongside whatever we’re grilling. Cold, grilled slices make pretty good sandwich filling. I like it with a slab of fresh mozzarella and basil leaves.

    Thanks for the good idea!

    Jill

  • Charmian Christie
    Posted at 11:37h, 27 August

    Oh, the cayenne pepper would be nice. The recipe is very flexible, as your clever substitutions prove. I think “for variety’s sake” is a common approach to zucchini.

    Love your idea to use cold grilled zucchini in sandwiches! Thanks for passing along the tip.