It’s that time of year again: the part of the summer where zucchini is plentiful, and probably will be for the foreseeable future. Zucchini is one that that never seems to be lacking at our CSA or the farmer’s market. Which, for the most part, is fine with me. I’m definitely a fan of zucchini and I appreciate that it’s a very versatile vegetable. Still, it’s easy to fall into the habit of simply roasting them in the oven and not trying very hard. This week, I put our share of zucchini from the farm to work in a slightly different and very delicious manner.
These zucchini pancakes started with the standard vegetable pancake recipe in Mark Bittman’s How to Cook Everything Vegetarian. In an effort to do something different – and make use of some of the ingredients I had on hand – I added cheese, Italian seasoning and tomato sauce to make the pancakes more flavorful and substantial. They were delicious and I’ll definitely be making them again this summer as part of using up the zucchini bounty.
Italian Zucchini Pancakes
Ingredients
- 1 lb zucchini grated (I used my food processor)
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1 egg lightly beaten
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
- salt to taste
- 1 and ½ cup white or white whole wheat flour
- ¼ - ½ cup milk
- Olive oil
- 1 cup tomato sauce of your choosing
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combined the grated zucchini, shredded mozzarella, egg, Italian seasoning, salt and flour. Stir to combine evenly. Add the milk, starting with 1/4 cup and adding more as necessary, stirring until a batter that holds together is formed.
- In a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil until shimmering and hot.
- Drop large spoonfuls of the mixture into the hot oil. Use the spoon to gently spread out and flatten the pancake.
- Cook for 3 - 5 minutes per side, or until both sides are browned and the pancake is cooked through.
- Meanwhile, heat the tomato sauce in a small saucepan until heated through.
- Serve immediately or keep warm in a 275 degree oven until all the pancakes are done. Serve the warm tomato sauce alongside or on top of the pancakes.
Yum yum yum! I used to make zucchini pancakes all the time when I had a CSA share. I may have to make another batch this weekend with your additions.