Description
A fun recipe for turning simple zucchini into a cheesy, exciting vegetarian party bite or dinner side dish.
Ingredients
Scale
- 3 cups grated zucchini, about 1 pound
- 1 egg
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella
- 2 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 2/3 cups panko breadcrumbs
OPTIONAL – Sun-Dried Tomato Dipping Sauce:
- 1/3 cup milk
- 1 garlic clove, peeled
- 1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes
- 1/8 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon celery salt
- 1 pinch cayenne pepper
- 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/3 cup Mayonnaise
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a sheet tray with parchment paper.
- Grate the zucchini, arrange in a thin layer on a plate lined with paper towels. Layer paper towels on top, then set something heavy on top, like a cast iron skillet. Let it rest for 10 minutes to draw out excess moisture.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the egg, mozzarella, cream cheese, garlic powder, onion powder, kosher salt and black pepper.
- After about 10 minutes, check the zucchini. If it still seems damp, change out the paper towels and let rest another 5 minutes. Once zucchini seems fairly dry, fold it into the egg mixture along with the panko breadcrumbs. Mix well.
- Use a small ice cream scoop or heaping tablespoon to portion the mixture into balls. Set on the prepared sheet tray. Should make about 16 balls.
- Bake zucchini balls until cooked through and golden brown and crisp on the outside, about 25-30 minutes.
- In the meantime, blend the sauce ingredients together in a food processor. Start with the milk, garlic clove and sun-dried tomatoes. Process together until finely chopped. Add spices and mayonnaise then blend again until sauce is fairly smooth. For a thinner sauce, add a little more milk. Transfer to a small serving dish.
- Transfer baked zucchini balls to a serving dish and serve with sun-dried tomato sauce on the side.
Notes
* Nutritional data does not include the sun-dried tomato dipping sauce.