This tasty recipe combines shredded zucchini with garlic, Parmesan cheese, fresh herbs, and is served with a marinara dipping sauce for an Italian inspired twist.
Ah, zucchini…Its the crop that just keeps on giving throughout the growing season. This recipe is one more way to transform it into a scrumptious bite that can be served as an appetizer, side dish, or even a kid’s meal.
This time of year has the kitchen busy with preserving the harvest. Right now, the counters are filled with tomatoes and zucchini harvested from the garden. Both are in heavy rotation as I turn the ripe tomatoes into sauce or salsa, and the zucchini into zucchini lasagna, zucchini bread, or preserve for later. Once the counter is cleared, I have only a short moment of satisfaction before it begins filling up once again with newly picked fruit.
With football season approaching, I wanted to add something different to our weekly finger food spread. Since weekends spent preserving the harvest usually stretches well into fall, it had to be something tasty but easy to throw together.
Faced with a counter full of newly harvested zucchini, and the aroma of tomato sauce filling the kitchen as it simmered on the stove, it was then that I remembered one of those cooking videos on Facebook. It was some sort of shredded zucchini combination to resemble tater tots. I wanted to try something similar but with an Italian inspired twist.
I began chopping up some fresh parsley, oregano, and basil. I thought about adding minced onion and garlic, but worried about the texture since they wouldn’t have time to soften. Instead, I added chopped chives for a mild onion flavor and grated the garlic that infused into the mixture. A little Parmesan cheese added a slight nutty flavor.
Baked Zucchini Garlic Bites Recipe
Key to the success of this recipe is to squeeze out as much moisture as you can from the shredded zucchini. This will result in a bite that is crispy on the outside and tender on the inside.
Ingredients:
1 cup zucchini, grated and drained well
1 egg
1/3 cup breadcrumbs
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated fine
1 clove garlic, grated fine
2 Tablespoons fresh chives, chopped
1 Tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped
1 teaspoon fresh basil, chopped
1 teaspoon fresh oregano, chopped
pinch of salt and pepper
Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 400˚F. Lightly coat a baking sheet with olive oil or non-stick spray. Set aside.
2. Use a box grater to grate the zucchini into a clean towel. Roll up the towel and twist to wring out the moisture. Grate the garlic using the small holes on the box grater.
3. In a medium bowl, combine all of the ingredients and mix well.
4. Shape a tablespoon of the mixture into your hands, pat into small balls, and place on the baking sheet.
5. Bake for 15-18 minutes in the preheated oven until golden. Serve warm with marinara sauce. Recipe makes about 16 bites.
Scroll down for a printable recipe.
- 1 cup zucchini grated and drained well
- 1 egg
- 1/3 cup breadcrumbs
- 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese grated fine
- 1 clove garlic grated fine
- 2 Tablespoons fresh chives chopped
- 1 Tablespoon fresh parsley chopped
- 1 teaspoon fresh basil chopped
- 1 teaspoon fresh oregano chopped
- pinch of salt and pepper
-
Preheat oven to 400˚F. Lightly coat a baking sheet with olive oil or non-stick spray. Set aside.
-
Use a box grater to grate the zucchini into a clean towel. Roll up the towel and twist to wring out the moisture. Grate the garlic using the small holes on the box grater.
-
In a medium bowl, combine all of the ingredients and mix well.
-
Shape a tablespoon of the mixture into your hands, pat into small balls, and place on the baking sheet.
-
Bake for 15-18 minutes in the preheated oven until golden. Serve warm with marinara sauce. Recipe makes about 16 bites.
Serve with warm marinara sauce:
Crockpot Tomato Sauce with Fresh Tomatoes
Seasoned Tomato Sauce for Home Canning
You May Also Like:
- Crockpot Tomato Sauce Recipe
- Seasoned Tomato Sauce for Home Canning
- Grilled Tomato Salsa Recipe
- Garden Fresh Zucchini Lasagna Recipe
- 3 Easy Ways to Preserve Zucchini
- How to Grow Zucchini and Summer Squash Vertically
Never miss a post. Sign up for the free Grow a Good Life Newsletter and we'll send you an email with all the new articles posted on the website:
Those look so good.
These look delicious but I was wondering if they would work if I eliminated the bread crumbs for a low carb option?
I have no idea. Let me know if you try it.
Anne, The bread crumbs are what helps the zucchini garlic bite hold together in a ball.
Hi, just ran across this. I used crushed pork rinds to make it keto friendly and added bacon. So yummy!
Could you freeze these before baking?
Lois, I would not freeze these before baking because the zucchini will break down and be too watery, but you could try baking it first, than freezing it. I have not tried this, so please let me know how you make out if you do try it.
Lois did you try freezing? Did it work? I was thinking of making them for a dinner exchange.
I made a double batch of these yesterday. They were a HUGE hit.. I turned them over 1/2 way through baking to accomplish a more even browning..
I used plain Panko bread crumbs. Someone asked about preparing them without the bread crumbs.
I don’t think they would work very well without something to bind them.
Debbie, Thank you for letting me know that the Zucchini Garlic Bites were a hit! Yes, the bread crumbs are necessary to hold the bites together.
Can you bake these before hand for a large crowd and then reheat them before serving?
Quincy, Yes, you can. 🙂
Rachel, thank you for this recipe! how would I reheat them?
I would try in a 400˚F oven for 5-10 minutes until warm.
I was just wondering how well these would go with spaghetti instead of meatballs, maybe subs too.
Pamela, These are delicious as spaghetti and meatballs! They don’t hold up to simmering in the sauce, but we add them to the top of the pasta and pour on the sauce at meal time.
vegetarian speghetti meatballs yum yum,all lovely
These look delicious. How many servings does this recipe make?
Karen, The recipe makes about 16 bites.
How would these go with almond meal instead of breadcrumbs?
I don’t know. Please let me know if you try it.