5 meals that feature the summer bounty of zucchini

A few months ago, I decided to join our Cool Mom Picks WeTime project and plant my own vegetable garden. My rookie mistake was planting 6 mounds of zucchini seeds. I truly do not understand the remarkable ability of this little plant to pump out so much fruit (yes, zucchini is technically a fruit).

We are growing tired of zucchini bread and zoodles around here, so it’s time to get a bit more creative.

For the week ahead, I am planning out five meals for my family that all make creative use of the large amount of zucchini that I have grown. If you didn’t plant your own garden, you will be able to find an abundance of zucchini at local farmer’s markets, your grocery store, and you may even have neighbors who would be happy to give you some of their bounty.

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Everyone loves quesadillas, especially me because they are so easy to cook and clean up. I had never thought to use zucchini as a filling for quesadillas but these Zucchini Quesadillas from Smitten Kitchen are simply genius. I also happen to have an abundance of poblano peppers in my garden as well, so I roasted a few and then sliced them thinly and added to the adult quesadillas in place of aleppo. If your kids are spice averse, you can skip the pepper all together. Serve these with a little lime juice and sliced avocado, and maybe a crisp green salad.

Easy + One Skillet + Lasagna = the most practically perfect weeknight dinner. Not only is there zucchini in this Easy One-Skillet Zucchini Lasagna from RealFoodRDs, but loads of other nutritious vegetables that are chock full of good-for-you nutrients. This makes an even better lunch the next day after all of the flavors meld overnight. That is, if you have any leftovers.

Although it’s August, I have been craving a big bowl of comfort food. This recipe for Lemongrass Chicken with Rice and Zucchini from Pinch of Yum totally hits the comfort food spot without being to heavy and hot for this time of year. The lemongrass and lime are earthy and bright, the warm coconut rice is comforting and creamy, and the crisp pan fried zucchini is just the perfect little side veggie. It is just a bowl full of happy things. I’m not a huge fan of jalapeno, so I left those out and it was still divine.

Are you following Diane Morrisey on Instagram yet? As a mom of 6, it’s like she understands exactly what type of recipes my family is craving. She shared this Zucchini and Corn Tart earlier this summer and it instantly became a fan favorite around here. While making your own pie dough is relatively simple, I often find this is my road block, so I use store-bought pie crusts and that is one hundred percent okay. Serve this tart with some ice cold watermelon

Due to the abundance of fresh vegetables I am now growing, I had to upgrade my slicing utensil situation. I am really happy with this OXO Good Grips Spiralize Grate & Slice Set I grabbed after reading a ton of user reviews. It can slice, spiralize and grate everything from zucchini to hard cheese. I love that all of the blades store neatly in the container it tucks neatly in a drawer for storage (although it has basically been living on my counter since mid-June).

Pizza Stuffed Zucchini Boats from BellyFull are a fun twist on pizza night! You could even turn this into a DIY dinner by setting out a few other toppings (olives, bacon, mushrooms) and let your kids personalize their own boats before baking.

Follow our Weekly Meal Plan Ideas for Families board on Pinterest @CoolMomEats for even more ideas!

I put these weekly meals plans together based on recipes I am actually cooking for my family, and with you in mind. If you have suggestions, tips or recommendations for recipes or other food bloggers I should check out please comment here, or shoot me a message in our Recipe Rescue group on Facebook. – Lisa

Top Image: Photo by Igor Osinchuk on Unsplash