A former personal chef, Eila Johnson would stock her clients’ freezers with delicious homemade meals. This is one of her favorite make-ahead meals that takes advantage of local CT zucchini, which is so plentiful this time of year. Eila serves these fritters to her family for breakfast (with a sweet topping), dinner (with a savory topping), and has been known to hand a room-temp fritter (without a topping!) to her two young kids in the backseat en route to tennis lessons or tae kwon do!
Simple Baked Zucchini-Carrot Fritters
Makes about 12 – 4” round fritters. Can be made ahead and frozen.
2 medium-large zucchini
4 medium carrots
1 medium onion
zest of 2 lemons
4 eggs
5 oz tub Parmesan cheese, shredded
½ cup flour (your choice: whole wheat, all-purpose, almond, gluten-free, etc)
salt & pepper
olive oil OR parchment paper
To make:
1) Preheat oven to 400.
2) Shred the zucchini, carrots and onion. (I used the shredding attachment of my Cuisinart, but you could also do it by hand, using a grater.)
3) Transfer the veggies to a colander and press down with a paper towel to draw out as much moisture as you can.
4) Combine the shredded veggies, and all remaining ingredients in a large mixing bowl (lemon zest, eggs, flour, Parmesan cheese and a bit of salt & pepper). Blend with your hands until everything is combined.
5) Drizzle 2 Tablespoons of oil on each rimmed baking sheet. Place 4” round fritters on your rimmed baking sheet (the fritters will be about 3/4” inch thick), and bake for 15 minutes, then flip the fritters and bake for another 10 minutes.
To serve: Enjoy the fritters warm. They’re delicious on their own, or here are some sweet and savory topping ideas:
- Sour cream and apple sauce
- Drizzle with maple syrup
- Greek yogurt mixed with sriacha (pictured)
- A dollop of pesto
- Drizzle with hot sauce
- Homemade or store-bought Tzatziki
Make-ahead: You can freeze the fritters to enjoy later. Simply place cool fritters in an airtight container, placing parchment paper in between each fritter so they don’t stick together. When ready to eat, reheat fritters on a baking sheet in a 350 oven until they are warmed through and crispy again.
Busy New Canaan mom, Eila Johnson, writes the full plate blog. The site, which was named to Forbes’ 2012 Top 100 Sites for Women, Forbes’ Top 10 Parenting and Homemaking Sites, and was ranked in the Top 5 “Foodie Mom Blogs” on a major parenting site in both 2012 and 2013, teaches busy parents how to make simple, nourishing recipes for their families and friends.