Is zucchini the only thing that you can successfully grow in your garden this year? You’re not alone. Personally, we don’t have a garden (YET!), but my friends and family have graciously shared their abundance of this versatile green squash with us as they have been swimming in it all season. {Side note: swimming in a pool of shredded zucchini could be amazing. New Olympic sport maybe? Table tennis is on there, so I don’t see why this event wouldn’t make it. Or maybe the shredding of the zucchini is the event. How fast can you zoodle? If there were a food olympics maybe…now THAT’S an idea! Food Olympics! Okay this side note is getting out of hand.} My mom has put zucchini in every kind of meal you can think of. Lunch, dinner, snacks, dessert, brunch, linner, late night fridge raid, appetizer, soup, salad…and surprisingly they were all amazing. Heck, even Tomato Boots has done a few zucchini sneaks over the years (Chocolate Zucchini Scones, Zucchini Pumpkin Bread). But getting your veggies in for breakfast…and enjoying them…has always been a challenge for me. Thankfully this delicious squash does something amazing in nearly every recipe it’s a part of. It disappears. It’s like the tofu of vegetables; it takes on the flavor of whatever you add to it while providing you with a nice load of healthy nutrients. *throws hands in the air*
I’m a big Olympics fan. Being a stay-at-home mom means I am one of those lucky people who gets to watch every ridiculous Olympic event that happens throughout the day that doesn’t make it on primetime. And by lucky I mean “lucky”. During one of my daughters daytime naps I whipped up this recipe and sat promptly in front of the tv, told my remote I wanted to watch Olympics and up popped some event that looked like a cross between paddleboarding and surfing. Picture a Captain Morgan stance on a paddleboard with an oar (but no alcohol). It was weird, but like all other Olympic events, made me admire people who commit their lives so intently to one skill until they’ve mastered it and can then go compete against the other elites around the world. I can’t imagine being that good at one thing, which is why I always hated talent shows in elementary school. My talent was always how fast I could pull a made up talent out of my ass. Ummm, I can do a somersault?
I’m thankful for recipes like these because they’re quick to make and they provide a few days worth of quick, healthy meals throughout the week. When we don’t have much time it’s easy to grab something unhealthy because it’s fast. Donuts, bagels, drive thru breakfast sandwiches, etc. Quick and healthy don’t always go together. However, in less than 15 minutes of prep work you can provide for you and your family a quick AND healthy on-the-go meal with these breakfast muffins. They reheat well so if you have 30 seconds in the morning, then you’ll have a breakfast that’s finger food friendly, satisfying and good for your body. These muffins pulled me through a few days worth of 5:30AM wake-up calls by my one year old daughter…oh and lots of coffee.
I should mention that these aren’t sweet muffins, they’re savory. With a quick pan fry of shallots and garlic mixed with zucchini, cheese, eggs, spices and topped with breadcrumbs…yeah there’s a lot to love here. I’m a big texture person and I have a bad habit of eating the tops off of muffins and leaving the rest. Why? you (and my husband) might ask…because of the crunch! Thanks to golden baked cheddar cheese and a sprinkling of toasty breadcrumbs, these muffins for sure have the crunch-factor. All you other texture loving freaks won’t be disappointed.
A lot of the ingredients in this recipe are your basic baking staples: flour, baking powder, salt, eggs, milk. So if you’re a regular baker, you probably already have a lot of this on hand. The remaining ingredients you’ll need to shop wisely for and remember to bring your reusable produce bags. If you aren’t lucky enough to have family and friends (or your own) garden overflowing with fresh zucchini, check out your local farmer’s market. Do your best to reduce waste where you can by shopping local, buying in bulk and using your reusable bags!
Zucchini Breakfast Muffins
Yields 9
Savory zucchini and egg muffins are the perfect go-to quick and healthy breakfast bite!
Prep Time
15 min
Ingredients
- 1 medium zucchini, shredded, all liquid squeezed out (about 1 1/2 cups)
- 1 shallot, diced
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 2/3 cup milk (I used plain almond milk, but any unsweetened kind will do)
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1/4 tsp paprika
- 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 1 tbsp breadcrumbs
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Prepare a 9-cup muffin tin with cooking spray or butter (you can use a 12-cup muffin tin as well, but you’ll only fill 9 cups).
- In a small frying pan on medium heat, add the 1 tsp of olive oil. Once warmed, add the shallots and garlic. Cook, stirring occasionally for 1-1 1/2 minutes or until aromatic and the shallots are translucent.
- In a medium bowl, add the shredded zucchini (ensure all liquid has been squeezed out), shallots, garlic and mozzarella cheese.
- In a separate bowl, mix together the flour and baking soda. Add the milk, other tsp of olive oil, eggs, salt, black pepper and paprika. Mix well.
- Add the flour mixture to the zucchini mixture and stir until combined.
- Divide the mixture among 9 cups in the muffin tin. Sprinkle each muffin with cheddar cheese and breadcrumbs.
- Bake for 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean and the tops are browned. Let stand for 5-10 minutes before serving.
- Serve with sour cream and salsa, or eat them as is!
