zucchini is popular green vegetable which everyone likes to eat. so times you have more than required because you got at a clearance sale in supermarket or your garden gave more zucchini this season than you can freeze the zucchini to use it later.
zucchini is mostly used in cooking of different dishes so you wont have to worry about texture changes after freezing and thawing as you can easily use it in soups, and other recipes like zucchini yogurt salad. here i will share some simple ways to freeze and preserve the zucchini
How to Freeze Blanched Zucchini Slices
blanching is popular method to store all kinds of vegetables like banana peppers, spinach, bok choy etc. in freezer including zucchini but not everyone likes it because it involves some effort
For blanching the zucchini wash it and cut in slices after peeling it off if you like. then add some water to pan and let it boil, add zucchini slices into it for 2-3 minutes after which close the stove and take out the zucchini and place them into bowl of ice cold water to stop the cooking process for couple of minutes.
after that take them out and remove the excess water from the surface of zucchini slices with the help of paper towel, once dry you can place the slices in freezer bag and in full quantity or in portion sizes for various dishes and then place the bag in freezer for later use.
if you like flash freezing the veggies then you can also place the blanched and dried zucchini slices on cookie sheet or tray and flash freeze them in freezer for 40-60 minutes, then take out and place in freezer bags, doing this will ensure that your veggies don’t get mushy and clamp to each other while being stored in freezer bag.
How to freeze zucchini without blanching
now we will discuss how to freeze shredded zucchini which do not require any blanching of vegetable right below. this is the way to go with zucchini freezing if you want the method to be simple and fast. although the time required by this method is lowest but it is only suitable if you require shredded zucchini like in making zucchini salad with spaghetti squash which also seems similar to zucchini after peeling and shredding along with tomatoes, baby corn, onions, ricotta cheese and spices, zucchini bread recipe, zucchini cakes etc.
wash the zucchini and cut both the ends and peel it off if required then with the help of hand grater or food processor shred the zucchini. if you have lot of them i would recommend using a food processor tot get work done faster.
now portion the zucchini and make them 1 bowl portion each as it would be enough for 1 time meal or 1 dish small dish requirement and place them in freezer bags with date and recipe label that might want to use it in. then place the zucchini bags in freezer for later use.
How to Freeze Roasted Zucchini
Here we will discuss how you can store zucchini in freezer after freezing it.
Freezing roasted zucchini for using in various recipes later is preferred by many people and chefs across the world as the after results of dish prepared with it are great but it takes little time, so if you are not short on time then you can try using this method to freeze the zucchini else i have already shared faster methods for zucchini storage above.
- first you need to rinse of the zucchini and cut the ends and peel off if required then cut it into small slices as per your requirement.
- thereafter place the zucchini slices in a bowl and drizzle some oil into it along with salt, pepper and some herbs as per your taste preference and mix them till all the slices are coated with oil and spices.
- once done place them on a cookie sheet or baking tray and place the tray in oven at 350 degree F for 30 minutes till the zucchini get baked and roasted.
- once done let them cool down at room temperature for 10-20 minutes after that in size of small portions place them in freezer bags as smaller portions are easier to defrost and use at one time. place the date label on the bags if required. then place in the freezer.
- using this method is time consuming in start but after thawing you are required to only warm up the ready to eat zucchini which is done in couple of minutes before you can enjoy zucchini in salad with sauerkraut as the combination goes well or add to your favorite zucchini recipes.
Tip :Not to forget that if you don’t have oven then roasting of zucchini can also be done on the stove in a normal pan.
How to defrost zucchini
- you can put the zucchini in fridge for few hours before cooking to get it defrosted and ready for consumption.
- you can defrost it on stove top in a pan by heating for few minutes until its ready to it.
- you can defrost the zucchini by placing it on kitchen counter top for couple of hours at room temperature and it would be ready for further cooking and consumption
- you can also place the frozen zucchini directly in to the cooking pan in dishes likes soups, curries, etc. and it will get cooked with the recipe itself without any issues.
Zucchini benefits
- zucchini has high antioxidant content in it which helps to boast our body immune system and slow down the ageing by making the body metabolism stronger.
- It helps in improving eye vision due to the presence of lutein in it which protects eye cells by filtering processing blue wave length in the eye. it also helps to prevent the development of cataract and other eye issues in later stages of your life. zucchini help improve overall eye health by fighting and reducing free radicals which can be harmful for eyes and body.
- It also helps to improve the digestive system of the body due to the presence of fiber content in it along with water presence. The fiber intake will help you reduce carbohydrates intake in the body which will reduce blood sugar levels in body and it has been found out that consuming about 30 grams of fiber daily will help significantly reduce the risk of developing diabetes.
- The presence of vitamin B6, vitamin B along with folate helps boast energy in body and reduce overall body fatigue and make brain active for working.
- the presence of fibers and water in zucchini makes your stomach full when you eat it hence you feel less hungry more often which will reduce your diet and food intake thus making you lose weight if that’s your aim.
Zucchini nutrition information and calories in zucchini details
If you are wondering how much calories zucchini contains and how much other nutrients does it have then take a look at basic nutrients chart of zucchini shared below.
Conclusion
now that you know how to freeze and thaw the zucchini you can make the best use of zucchini whenever you want if you have frozen zucchini stock with you.
let us know what all recipes you like to prepare with tasty frozen zucchini in comments below. share this post with all your zucchini lover friends as it would help them store the zucchini when its available in cheap and make zucchini recipes all year round even when its not in market.
if you want to learn about freezing swiss chard for using it with zucchini in different recipes then we have post on that too which you can refer.
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