Guide: 3 ways to freeze zucchini
I often freeze zucchini here at home. It works really well, but it can be hard to know what to use it for at times. Here are my best tips.
Beautiful, newly harvested little zucchinis from my garden. The variety is called Costata Romanesco, it's my favorite!
I just love growing vegetables that produce a large harvest. It's even more fun if we manage to use it all of course! When it comes to zucchini, it's not always so easy though. We get so many of them! I only have two plants this year, but I still got more than enough to eat fresh and store for later.
Easy to freeze zucchini
I have three main methods of freezing zucchini, and I always prepare the vegetables like this before I start:
- Grate the squash and squeeze it to remove some of the water. Put the grated zucchini in little plastic bags or jars and freeze. You could also freeze it as a larger piece and then break off as much as you want later.
- Cut into pieces, large or small, and freeze in bags or little plastic containers.
- Every year, I make a zucchini puree that I freeze.
Frozen zucchini usually gets a little soggy after you thaw it. Not at all as nice and firm as it is fresh. It's almost hard to believe that it's the same vegetable. This is the main problem with frozen zucchini. It's not like you can make a nice stuffed zucchini with it, it's more like a runny mess.
Using frozen zucchini
From what I just wrote, you might think that you can't use the frozen zucchini for much. But you can! You just need to be a little creative. I usually put it in my dishes as a filler. I write more about this in the article 8 tips for eating more vegetables.
You can use the grated zucchini in vegetable patties and pancakes. Or in your meat sauce, soup, gratin or the stew of your choice.
More garden inspiration: A beautiful Swedish cottage garden
I often freeze zucchini in pieces though, it's very convenient to use at a later time. There's usually so much to do during summer, so I don't always have time to care of the harvest immediately. I mostly use the zucchini for different dips and sauces, together with tomatoes and bell peppers.
Read more: Delicious tomato salsa
The seemingly bland puree can be completely transformed with the help of some other vegetables and a bit of seasoning. So convenient!
So, don't give up on the excess zucchini! I promise that you can freeze zucchini for a long time if needed. It's the perfect simple ingredient in so many dishes. You could also use it to make homemade herbal salt. Delicious!
/Sara Bäckmo
