If you have an event or small get together coming up, nothing satisfies the crowd more than a zucchini slice.
This dish is so simple to create and yet tastes so damn good! You will even find that it is a very effective way to get your kids to eat their daily serving of vegetables as well.
Nothing is more frustrating than trying to cook several dishes for a party at once so we are here to help you out by sharing our super simple zucchini slice recipe.
Did you know?
The term zucchini comes from the Italian term zucchino which means small squash. The term squash comes from the Indian word, skutasquash which means green thing eaten green.
Important note
If you are after a real vegetable hit you can also add some additional carrot, beans and carrot into the dish.
For the vegetarians out there you can simply leave out the bacon to meet your dietary requirements.
Zucchini slice
Ingredients
- 2 psc zucchinis
- 1 psc large onion that has been finely chopped
- 3 psc bacon rasher finely chopped
- 1 cup of cheddar cheese
- 1 cup of self-raising flour (150g)
- 0.5 cup of olive oil
- 5 psc eggs
- 1 psc Salt and pepper for seasoning
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to approximately 170°C and grease a non-stick lamington or brownie tin.
- Grate your zucchinis and combine them with your onion, bacon, cheese and flour in a large mixing bowl.
- Lightly beat your eggs and then add them to your mixing bowl along with the olive oil.
- Season the mixture with salt and pepper and make sure all the ingredients have been mixed thoroughly.
- Pour the mixture into your brownie tin.
- Place your tin into the oven, baking the dish for 35 to 40 minutes.
- Let the dish cool for up to 10 minutes before you cut it into smaller pieces.
- You can serve the slice both hot and cold depending on your personal preference.
Video
Notes
History of zucchini slice
While the zucchini itself is now a common summer vegetable, many countries were confused or ignorant of what it actually was for many years. While technically the food is a fruit (since it has seeds in it!) it is treated as a vegetable in a culinary aspect to bring out its full flavour. They are technically squash but they are harvested early in the summer to a point where the rind of the fruit is still edible and tender. The resulting product lands you with the zucchini.
The vegetable originates from Central and South America where their ancestors had been snacking on it for thousands of years. However the vegetable that we know and love today is more of a variant that was developed in Italy. Originally it was common for the vegetable to be referred to as the green Italian Squash. The European settlers who went over to the American continents to colonise them brought them back to their homeland where they began the growing and cultivating of their own.
These crops love temperate climates which makes it very easy to cultivate in the Central American and European countries. They produce a very significant yield to the point where farmers can’t handle the overwhelming amount of them. From so it is common for farmers to control the production of the vegetables by picking the flowers and selling them for a high price as they are seen as a delicatessen. The crops are harder to manage though in the fact that they require more bees to pollinate.
Health benefits of zucchini slice
While the added yumminess of the bacon and cheese may not be the best thing for you, the zucchinis themselves are full of very beneficial vitamins that your body loves. Below we are going to list just some of the many health benefits that zucchinis have on your body.
Keeps your heart healthy
Like many fruits and vegetables, zucchinis are great at improving your heart and circulatory health. These vegetables are low in sodium and fat but also high in fibre and potassium which are great for your body. Potassium is very important for keeping your heart health in check while the fibre is a great way to have your digestive system doing its job while also lowering your cholesterol levels.
Slows the aging process
Unfortunately there comes a time where our body will show signs of aging. This process is the result from toxins, inflammation and free radicals in your body. If however you have a diet that is high in inflammatory foods you will find that you can slow down this process. Zucchinis are rich in anti-inflammatory phytonutrients and antioxidants which are great in getting rid of excess free radicals and inflammation in your body.