35 Delicious Ways To Use Zucchini

It's just about getting to be the season of SQUASHENANGST, when huge sacks of unwanted baseball bat-size zucchinis start showing up on doorsteps in the dead of night. But you — yes, you! — have the power to conquer this vegetal scourge, and feed yourself very well in the process. Here's how...

Recipe here.

Jalapeño, red onion and corn give this some Southwestern flair. Good centerpiece for big brunch. Recipe here.

Zucchini is very good at being sneaky and doesn't interfere with the waffleness here at all; just adds a little extra moisture and texture. You could easily mix shredded zucchini into your favorite pancake batter, too. Recipe here.

Recipe here.

A strong vote for zucchini as the bacon of the vegetable world. Recipe here.

Using canned chickpeas makes this recipe much faster, but feel free to cook your own if you've got the time.

No, they're not Actual French Fries Made Out Of Potatoes. But who said they were trying to be? Recipe here.

If you've never had it, you should know: Raw zucchini is delicious. You just need to slice it very thinly (a mandoline is handy, but a knife works too) and toss it with lemon juice, olive oil, salt pepper. Recipe here.

Adding sour cream makes a nice soft pastry crust that folds over to keep everything cozy. Recipe here.

Recipe here.

A very elegant option for those who don't love the idea of meticulously slicing up an uncooked fish. Recipe here.

Recipe here.

A little bit sweet, a little bit crunchy, a little bit addictive. Recipe here.

Cooking finely grated zucchini with olive oil or butter and garlic turns it into a soft, melty, yummy mess that you can spread on pretty much whatever. Recipe here.

Awww, it's like they want to be real pizzas when they grow up! Recipe here.

Think of them as summer latkes. Recipe here.

Sometimes you want the moisture zucchini gives off (that's why it makes such nice cakes) but in fritters or other fried situations, all that oozy squash-water is a big, soggy problem. The solution? SALT.

After you shred/grate/slice your zucchini, toss it with a generous amount of salt (this will draw out the water in the squash) and let it sit in a colander to drain for about 30 minutes. After that you can rinse it to get the extra salt off and then squeeze it with your hands or twisted up in clean dishtowel to wring out as much water as you can. Now proceed!

This trick works with other recipes too; raw zucchini salads will be less leaky (and thus keep better) if you salt, drain, rinse, and pat-dry the sliced squash before dressing it.

This recipe has you sauté the zucchini slices, but you could also use (dressed) raw squash or slice up a grilled squash.

Swap in a squash for eggplant to make "mama ghannouj." Recipe here.

Zucchini, like everything else on earth, tastes pretty great if you cover it in melty cheese. Recipe here.

An easy one-skillet weeknight dinner. Recipe here.

Recipe here.

Get yourself a julienne peeler to turn zucchini into cute little strips. Recipe here.

You could also shape the meatball mixture into burger patties. Recipe here.

Garlic, rosemary, oregano, and red pepper make a great marinade. Recipe here.

Truly brilliant: The squeezed-out zucchini liquid from salting the zucchini gets used to make a creamy bechamel sauce. Healthy AND thrifty! Recipe here.

Boneless chicken thighs, breasts, or ground chicken would all work in this. Recipe here.

Smitten Kitchen's version of the starring dish in that movie with the talking rat is pretty and delicious, but you'll definitely need a mandoline or an excellent knife if you want to make it without going crazy.

Great for the gluten-averse. Recipe here.

AKA pesto with a French accent. Recipe here.

Essentially just a carrot cake that's changed its colors. Recipe here.

Zucchini bread is the classic zuke-dump technique for a reason: It's always good. You can skip the chocolate (and maybe add some nice walnuts instead?) if you're weird like me. Recipe here.

Recipe here.

WHO SAYS you can only cobble fruit? Recipe here.

Don't panic, it still tastes 100% like real chocolate cake—just lovely and moist thanks to the shredded green stuff. Recipe here.

If you're feeling bold (or hot), you could use the cookies to make ice cream sandwiches (!) Recipe here.