Super Easy Meals Thread

flummadiddle85

theultimatesak said:

So since this is already a food thread I'll just add my question here What sides can I make with zucchini and squash? We have a ton from gardens but I never know what to do with it. I make the same 3 things and one of them is a dessert. Bonus points if it's something I can make wo adding cheese since that's what 90% of the slightly enticing recipes call for but we can't eat around here. Also, @stringy813‌ you're about to have a pm

A zucchini dessert?

stoneycakes

Oh, my mom used to put big chunks of zucchini into spaghetti sauce when I was growing up.  I loved it! Actually I want some now and I haven't had it in years.  Zucchini is also awesome when you prepare it eggplant parm style.

ETA: You don't need the cheese for eggplant parm.  Just fry up the eggplant or zucchini and top with sauce and fresh basil and parsley.  So good. I found using fresh herbs to garnish recipes added a great flavor that made me miss cheese much less.  It would probably be really good with pesto sauce, too.

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stoneycakes

theultimatesak said:

zucchini brownies, yo.  they're the best.

and thanks for all of the suggestions.  i'll start working my way through some of them starting with dinner tonight. I thought about chopping some up kinda small and throwing it in the sloppy joes for tonight as well.  would that be gross?

I would do it.  And here's one more recipe that's great and the zucchini is hidden: 

https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ellie-krieger/greek-style-stuffed-peppers-recipe.html

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stoneycakes

theultimatesak said:

oh yeah!  i forgot about stuffed peppers.  we have a bunch of those coming out of the garden soon too! 

That recipe is seriously delicious and it's filled with veggies.  I usually skip the feta because it doesn't need it.

sarenu1

I'm pretty boring, but I'd saute it with onion, pepper, mushrooms, and garlic.  Add in some tomato or pasta sauce at the end.  

Top with cooked chicken or sausage of your choice.

Then I usually serve it on a bed of noodles or toss in some gnocchi.

kmc84

Zucchini boats! You could do what ever you like but this is what I do:

Halve zucchini
Scoop out seeds and middle to make your boat
Filling: browned ground beef mixed with brown rice and favorite tomato sauce (in a pinch I used a can of cream of mushroom soup and it was delish!)
Fill boats with mixed filling, top with mozzarella
Bake about 25-30 minutes until zucchini is tender

flummadiddle85

I want to hear more about the zucchini brownies. Or I could just go to Google too...

KLXVI

@flummadiddle85‌, I just made these zucchini brownies this weekend. L could even eat the batter since there were no eggs.
https://m.allrecipes.com/recipe/25112/zucchini-brownies

ElleBeeDub

If you have a spiral slicer, you could make zucchini noodles like the ones in this recipe: https://slimpalate.com/vietnamese-stir-fry-paleo-grain-free-gluten-free/ 

stoneycakes

Zucchini is also good raw, guys.  I've had it sliced into sticks and served with dip and I've also sliced it very thinly with my food processor and made salad with it.  

stoneycakes

charmingthemoon said:

raw zucchini? wow! how did I not know you could eat it raw?

I know right?  And I've heard cucumbers are supposed to be good cooked.  We've all been doing it wrong

freezorburn

Also, if you have a zucchini plant and want to avoid being overwhelmed with zucchini, you can eat the flowers (stuffed with goat cheese, battered and fried, for example) and they're also delicious when they are only finger-sized.

Rrrrrachel

Zucchini fritters! Or yeah spiralize and make noodles. It also makes great chips in the dehydrator.

rlb284

When i start to get stocked up on garden veggies i make a casserole.

Layer large chunks of potatoes, zucchini, squash, onions, mushrooms, peppers, add a little butter, season salt, pepper, garlic, and sauteed sausage or ground beef.  Cover and cook at 350 until soft.  It gets pretty juicy so we normally put it over rice or eat with hearty bread.