I’ve spent the last 8 years or so coming up with unique ways to freeze zucchini in recipes that taste good and that you actually want to eat, and I’m going to show you my favorites! Most of these recipes come from my books, Freeze Fresh and Freeze Fresh Meal Prep, but I’m giving them to you for free here.
I am a zucchini-lover. We eat it fresh all summer long when it’s abundant, but I also love to freeze zucchini in different ways. Zucchini freezes wonderfully when you treat it right! Personally, I don’t like to freeze zucchini raw shredded or in plain slices or cubes. There’s nothing wrong with those ways, but I’ve found I just don’t use those things and they sit in my freezer forever. I have found that I love freezing zucchini in unique ways like in soup starters, as pasta sauces, stewed with garlic and butter, and as zucchini bread though!
FULL VIDEO TUTORIAL HERE!
LINKS TO PRODUCTS MENTIONED IN THE VIDEO
Freeze Fresh Book
The original freezing book! Capturing the peak flavor of freshly harvested produce and preserving it for year-round eating is easier than ever, with this ultimate guide to freezing fruits and vegetables. Freeze Fresh takes you through freezing over 55 common fruits and vegetables, and then teaches you how to use use that frozen produce.
Freeze Fresh Meal Prep Book
Freeze your fresh ingredients as mealtime essentials with Freeze Fresh Meal Prep. Turn fresh fruits and veggies in prepared or partially-prepared dishes for the freezer that help you get a fresh, healthy meal on the table faster and easier.
Fresh Pressed Olive Oil Club
My favorite olive oil that I’ve been using exclusively for 5 years! Sourced from award-winning producers across the world and always harvested fresh and shipped to you right away, which makes all the difference in the world.
FREE BOTTLE! Get a full size bottle of fresh-pressed extra-virgin olive oil for just $1 when you use my affiliate link above and sign up for the next club shipment! The club is 3 bottles of olive oil every 4 months, always freshly pressed. No commitment and you can easily cancel or pause anytime. There’s no club membership fee or anything, just the price of the oils. When you join you choose if you want large or smaller size bottles. This is also the size of the free bottle you’ll get. They’ll send you the $1 bottle immediately. The 3-bottle shipment *usually* ships a couple weeks after that depending on where they are in the harvest. Their website has a scammy feel… I promise it’s not though! It’s a small business and they are actually really cool people working to bring truly amazing olive oils to us here in the US. Let me know if you have any questions!
Souper Cubes 1/2-Cup Molds
The best molds for freezing food. Extremely well-made (much better than the generic versions) and easy to clean. (I said 1-cup in the video, but I meant 1/2-cup… I mean, I use 1-cup as well, but in this video I was showing the 1/2-cup.)
Best Loaf Pans
These 1-pound loaf pans from Chicago Metallic are the absolute best. I own 4 of them and have been using them for years from everything from sourdough bread, to zucchini bread, to meatloaf. They are extremely sturdy and well-made.
RECIPES
STEWED GARLIC BUTTER ZUCCHINI
This right here is a workhorse recipe. If you’ve got a lot of zucchini to put up, and you want to apply minimal effort, this is hands down the way to do it. Don’t let the old-fashioned sounding name and questionable appearance throw you off– it’s absolutely delicious! Think of this as the mashed potatoes of zucchini… it eats very much like mashed potatoes. Recipe from Freeze Fresh.
MINESTRONE SOUP STARTER
This is not predominantly a zucchini recipe, it’s a recipe that happens to have zucchini in it, but I am including it in today’s zucchini line-up because it’s fantastic. It’s loaded with veggies and tastes so good in the wintertime! We will freeze the veggie portion of the soup now, and then when we want to make the soup later, just thaw this starter and add pantry staples like broth, beans, and noodles. Recipe from Freeze Fresh Meal Prep.
ZUCCHINI PASTA SAUCE
This is one of my favorte “meal starter.” It’s shredded zucchini cooked down with garlic and basil, and then frozen. When you want to make the dish, thaw this starter and combine in with pasta, parmesan cheese, and butter. Inspired by a dish that Julia Child made, this recipe is a total winner (and a great way to freeze zucchini!). Recipe from Freeze Fresh Meal Prep.
FRESH ZUCCHINI & TOMATO PASTA SAUCE
This is a completed sauce that is ready to go straight from the freezer. It’s a simple sauce of sautéed zucchini with fresh, lightly cooked tomatoes and herbs. I like to freeze this is individual servings to have with meatballs in the winter, but you can also freeze in a family size portion. This recipe isn’t from my books, here’s roughly what I use:
Fresh Zucchini & Tomato Pasta Sauce
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
5 cups thinly sliced roughly chopped zucchini
½ teaspoon sea salt
8 cups diced paste tomatoes or meaty heirlooms
2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced and roughly chopped
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh basil
1. Heat the oil in a large skillet, and add in the zucchini and salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the zucchini is turning golden brown in places and is just starting to become tender, about 5 minutes.
2. Add in the tomatoes and garlic, and simmer until the tomatoes start to release their juices and look saucy, about 10-14 minutes.
3. Turn off the heat and stir in the basil.
ZUCCHINI BREAD with chocolate chips
And we must end with a little sweet treat! You can’t beat a classic zucchini bread. My recipe is LOADED with zucchini! Of course you can eat this loaf fresh and it’s moist and delicious, but it was also developed to hold up in the freezer really well. I like to bake a loaf and eat half now and freeze half for later. Recipe from Freeze Fresh Meal Prep.
