What to do with zucchini

I am not a huge veggie person, so I love it when zucchini, one of those green things I actually like, is on sale. Unfortunately, zucchini does not freeze very well, and I personally don't think it's worth the effort for the gross soggy thawed mess you end up with. That begin said, what do you do when you buy lots of on sale zucchini?

Just plain zucchini

My husband loves zucchini oven-roasted or pan-sauteed. He likes to mix it in with ground beef and cheese for a (very) hearty meal. There are also recipes online for zucchini fries and zucchini chips.

Zucchini pizza bites

Zucchini pizza bites are surprisingly good and easy to make. There are lots of recipes online. This one looks delicious. Moment of honesty here from your favorite lazy cook? I'd totally omit the pre-cooking of the zucchini and pop those suckers straight in the oven. It has worked for me in the past, and I'm all about fewer pans to clean. You can also top your "pizzas" with whatever toppings you prefer. I usually stick to cheese, but ground beef or any other meat toppings would work if you don't want to waste your money on purchase those adorable mini pepperonis.

Zucchini noodles ("zoodles")

I just ordered myself a Veggetti Spiral Vegetable Slicer (affiliate link). Those things fascinate me, and I cannot wait to use it! Plus, it was on sale and I had a $5 giftcard that I earned from Swagbucks (referral link), so I only spent $3.19 on it. With how often we make veggie "pasta", I'm sure it'll get put to good use.

If it's not in your budget to buy a Veggetti, you can still eat vegetable pasta! It's my favorite way to use on-sale zucchini. All you need is your trusty peeler (I use the OXO Good Grips Swivel Peeler (affiliate link)), but I'm sure any peeler would work.

Toss the zoodles in some butter or olive oil on medium heat for 3-5 minutes. Serve with your favorite sauce. (They are delicious with an impromptu lemon cream sauce.)

Shredded zucchini in burgers

Call me crazy, but one of my favorite ways to use zucchini is to sneak it into burgers. Then I don't even know I'm eating those pesky vegetables! Seriously, though, adding in 1/4 or so of shredded zucchini into a pound of ground beef makes for some juicy burgers. I also like to mix shredded cheese into the burger patties (and jalapenos for my husband).

We cook our burgers in the oven  and they are delicious. We also eat them naked, but I'm sure they'd also be yummy inside a bun. This recipe calls for using an oven-safe cookie rack (affiliate link), which is how I cook mine.