7 August, 2018
Goodness Gracious Great Balls Of Zucchini
Jerry Lee Lewis’ signature song of “Goodness Gracious Great Balls of Fire” was playing in the background. What a song to get you pumped up and motivated. Since I was going to be cooking zucchini AGAIN, I needed some motivation! I had 13 zucchini in the fridge, neighbors and friends were avoiding me when I showed up with zucchini in hand, so my only chance to salvage this abundant harvest was to slice, dice, and/or cook them. (Note to self: only plant 1-2 zucchini in the garden next year.)
Our house is backed up to a golf course and many times throughout the year we find golf balls in our yard. During the garden growing season, I cultivate many “balls” from the garden. At one point last summer my hubby walked outside and asked how the “ball” garden was doing. He, of course, adds these golf balls to his yearly count which averages about 300. Yes, I said we get MANY balls in the yard.
Well, the message this day from the universe was loud and clear, I needed to make zucchini balls. Not everybody links food to their daily activities, but I just can’t help it. That’s how I roll.
And, putting further thought to it, I could use these zucchini balls for appetizers, add into pasta sauce, plate them as a side dish smothered in mozzarella or served with spaghetti, or, or, or….
The zucchini is getting too big before I can get them harvested, so I needed a recipe that would use a lot. This one uses eight cups – sadly, that only used up one zucchini. 🙁
Zucchini diced and ready to be cooked.
Balls formed – not so easy because the ingredients are very soft.
And the frying begins!
- 8 cups zucchini, chopped
- 1/2 red onion, chopped
- 1/2 white onion, chopped
- 2-3 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 tablespoons parsley, chopped
- 1 tablespoon basil, chopped
- 1 cup mozzarella, shredded
- 1/2 cup pecorino cheese, shredded
- 3/4 to 1 cup breadcrumbs
- Few dashes of hot sauce (Optional)
- Few dashes of garlic herb blend
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Olive oil and canola oil
- Sauté onions and garlic in a small amount of olive oil for about 2 to 3 minutes and then add the zucchini.
- Cook together over a medium/high heat for about 5 minutes or until zucchini softens.
- Add a few dashes of salt and black pepper to taste. (Add pepper sauce at this point if you want a little zing.)
- Remove zucchini mixture from the pan and scoop it into a strainer that is over a bowl. This is necessary to let some of the moisture drain out. Allow zucchini to drain and cool for about 15 minutes.
- Add the zucchini mixture to a bowl along with two eggs, pecorino cheese, mozzarella cheese, breadcrumbs, and parsley and mix all together. Form into balls.
- Add some breadcrumbs in a dish and roll the balls in it to coat them.
- Fill a deep skillet with enough oil to cover the zucchini balls using a combination of one-half canola oil and one-half olive oil. Heat the oil over a medium flame.
- Gently add the zucchini balls into the hot oil and fry for a few minutes on each side, until browned. Be sure to turn the balls while frying to cook evenly.
- Remove balls from the skillet and place on a dish covered with a paper towel to soak up the excess oil.
- Best served warm but also good served at room temperature.
5 thoughts on “Goodness Gracious Great Balls Of Zucchini”
These look AMAZE-balls! Your photography is so good, my mouth is watering!
Thanks Karen. Just my iPhone for photo shoots. These balls did not last long at the picnic.
Mmmmmm.
Would baking at high heat offer somewhat the same texture I realize the flavor benefit of the oil but trying to avoid oil- for now.
Well, if you think of these zucchini balls like meatballs, I guess you could. I do bake my meatballs from time-to-time instead of frying with oil. Try it and let me know if baking is a good option. Personally, I think it would work just as well.