If you grow your own veggies, it's easy to end up with a glut of courgettes. It's a problem I've had most years, so here's a collection of healthy courgette recipes and freezing tips that I've learned for dealing with a courgette glut.
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Healthy courgette side dish recipes
Combining courgettes with other vegetables and flavours is a great way to ring the changes with your courgette glut so that it feels that you've got some variety in your diet!
Courgettes are a Mediterranean vegetable and they combine well with other classic Mediterranean flavours such as tomatoes and basil.
Why not try these courgettes in tomato sauce? It's rather like a simple ratatouille which is very easy to make, and it also freezes exceptionally well. This is one of my staple recipes when I'm dealing with a glut of courgettes.
For something a little more substantial, you could also try this courgette stew. It's got white beans in the recipe to make it more filling, so it's great for lunch or a light dinner.
Courgette pesto is another easy way to incorporate courgettes into meals. It's an easy recipe that is perfect for making courgette pesto pasta, and can be batch-cooked and frozen.
How to cook courgettes
Of course, you can also serve courgettes as a simple vegetable.
Personally I like them sauteed so that the courgette is enhanced by the flavour of the olive oil. You can see how to saute courgettes in the first step of this courgette dip recipe.
Griddled courgettes are also excellent and a great way to add flavour and texture to courgettes. Slice trimmed courgettes into strips about 5mm thick, and brush with olive oil. Place on a hot griddle for 3 to 4 minutes on each side.
You can serve sauteed or griddled courgettes hot or cold in a salad. Add some flaked almonds or parmesan, and you've got a delicious light meal.
Courgettes can also be served raw in a salad. Try this courgette ribbon salad with a lemony herb dressing, or courgette and apple slaw.
Courgette lunch or appetiser recipes
Courgette soup is an excellent way to use up a glut of courgettes. The cooked courgette has a naturally creamy texture which is delicious. And courgette soup freezes well so you'll be able to enjoy it later in the season.
You can also make pea, courgette and basil soup if you want to vary the flavour.
I enjoy this courgette dip for lunch or as a healthy appetiser. It's simple to make and can be made ahead and stored in the fridge for 2 or 3 days. Serve with vegetable crudites or flatbreads.
And you can make courgette fritters or pancakes. They are lovely served with eggs for brunch or a light meal.
Courgette noodles
Another brilliant way to use courgettes is to substitute them as a healthy replacement for pasta. Try this healthy lasagne recipe and replace the lasagne sheets with strips of 5mm thick strips of griddled courgette.
If you've got a spiralizer, you can also make courgette noodles or courgetti. Cook the courgetti in salted water for 1-2 minutes and serve with your favourite sauce. You can also stir-fry courgetti.
You can also serve courgette sauce with other types of pasta. Follow this courgette dip recipe and turn it into a sauce with a little of the starchy pasta water.
Using courgettes in baking
Courgettes can also be used in baking recipes, both sweet and savoury. They add a lovely moistness to cakes and muffins and are barely detectable. They are a great way to smuggle some veggies into your cooking and work your way through the courgette glut;)
Why not try this healthy courgette and apple cake?
Or for something a little more indulgent you can make chocolate courgette muffins.
For a savoury muffin, I love these courgette and cheese muffins. They are perfect with a bowl of soup in late summer and autumn.
Recipes for overgrown courgettes
I often find a courgette that has been hiding under the leaves and ends up resembling more of a marrow!
Technically marrows are a slightly different variety from courgettes. But I use my overgrown courgettes as marrows.
As the growing courgettes swell and get larger, they tend to lose their flavour and become more watery. So it's best to use them in specific recipes.
I'd recommend not using overgrown courgettes or marrow for fritters, baking or sauteing. Too much moisture will come out and spoil the recipe.
But, a glut of overgrown courgettes still makes brilliant soup - use this marrow soup recipe.
And I've developed this marrow curry recipe specifically to add plenty of flavour to an overgrown courgette or marrow.
Courgettes in tomato sauce and courgette stew both work well with large courgettes or marrows. If the skin has become very hard and woody, you might want to peel it off first.
Can you store marrows?
The advantage of overgrown courgettes or marrows is that they store very well as the skin starts to harden.
Make sure you cut the fruit with the stalk intact, and store it in a cool place. I leave them in an unheated conservatory and they usually store well into the winter.
Can you freeze courgettes?
Of course, another way to preserve a glut of courgettes is to freeze them.
Surplus courgettes freeze well, if you follow some simple instructions. They contain a lot of moisture, so if you freeze courgettes uncooked they'll be very mushy and watery when they are defrosted. At a pinch though you could use them for soup.
The ideal way to freeze courgettes is to blanch them first. Cut them up as preferred and drop them into boiling water for 1-2 minutes. Drain and immediately run them under cold water. Remove excess water with a cloth or paper towel.
If you don't want the frozen courgette to stick together into a clump, open-freeze the pieces on a tray. Once frozen you can then place them into freezer-proof containers or bags.
Sauteed or griddled courgettes can also be frozen. They won't be quite as good as freshly cooked, but are still pretty nice.
All of the courgette side dishes and lunch recipes above can also be frozen so you can make the most of your courgette glut!
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