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Stanley Tucci Shared The 4-Ingredient Zucchini Recipe He Makes 'All The Time'

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Stanley Tucci shared his family recipe for Zucchini Fritters, which uses just a few ingredients.

The recipe starts with zucchini, plus Pecorino Romano, flour and egg.

Pantry staples like olive oil, salt and pepper finish off the recipe with lots of flavor.

Even though I'm a dietitian and I love to cook, I must confess that not every vegetable excites me. Zucchini is one of those vegetables. Unlike carrots or broccoli, which have so much texture and flavor, zucchini can get mushy and even flavorless once cooked. But even I, a zucchini skeptic, am starting to fall in love with one of Stanley Tucci's favorite zucchini recipes: his simple zucchini fritters.

This recipe only requires four ingredients (outside of staples like salt, pepper and olive oil), and the hardest thing you'll have to do is grate a few zucchini. I love the method to make them too, which takes advantage of the vegetable's neutral flavor and tenderness to deliver something delicious and nourishing.

Tucci recently shared his grandmother's recipe for Zucchini Fritters on his Instagram account. In the video, he whips up a batch of fritters and shares that it took some convincing to get his kids to try them out. Initially they refused, he says, but then they tasted one and now he has to make them all of the time.

Tucci: Karwai Tang/WireImage/Getty Images. EatingWell design.

I wouldn't mind a batch myself, especially if Tucci was making them for me. I'm not expecting an invite any time soon, but I'm looking forward to giving the recipe a try, especially once I learned that it was one of his grandmother's recipes shared in his book, The Tucci Cookbook. (A fan also pasted the recipe into the comment section on Tucci's post.)

The first step in making the fritters is a bit time-consuming, but not too challenging—assuming you have a box grater. To start, you'll grate 1 pound of fresh zucchini. After grating, it gets tossed with some salt and sits in a colander over a bowl to drain. This important step serves two purposes. The first is to help remove water from the zucchini so that the fritters can crisp up nicely when cooked, and the second is to help season the zucchini.

After sitting for about 30 minutes, toss the zucchini with an egg, some grated Pecorino Romano cheese and flour. Then heat up olive oil in your trustiest pan and drop in spoonfuls of the batter, cooking until golden brown. Tucci recommends opting for tablespoon-size fritters.

I love Tucci's recipe as written, but we have a few suggestions that can help you make these fritters as delicious as possible. First, take a few extra seconds at the grocery to select the zucchini. Choose squash that are dark green, firm and heavy for their size. Avoid any with cracks or mushy spots. A fresh zucchini will not only taste better, but will also be easier to grate.

Once you've grated your veggies, try not to rush the draining process. You'll be tempted to get to the cooking, but for best results, you have to give the zucchini enough time to drain. For more flavor, consider tossing the grated zucchini with a bit of minced garlic and shallot after draining. You can also add spices or dried herbs to the batter—dried oregano, dried parsley and even crushed red pepper would be delicious additions.

Finally, make sure to get your pan and oil hot before adding your fritters. This allows your fritters to cook in the oil rather than just absorb it. And be sure to give them enough room in the pan—overcrowding won't allow them to crisp up or cook evenly.

Zucchini is a nutritious food, providing fiber and other nutrients like vitamin C, potassium and folate. As an added bonus, cooking the fritters in olive oil contributes heart-healthy unsaturated fats to the dish, and is a great swap for butter or other fats that are high in saturated fat.

Once you've cooked up your fritters, enjoy them as a delicious appetizer or starting dish to any meal. Or serve them as a side to your favorite Italian dishes like Chicken Parmesan or Grilled Pork Loin with White Bean Puree & Lemon Herb Vinaigrette. However you choose to enjoy them, just be ready for everyone to ask you to make them again!

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40 Baked Zucchini Recipes From Mouthwatering Main Dishes To Satisfying Sides (and Dessert!) - Yahoo

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With spring being so fickle some days, having us chilled to the bone with cold temps still hanging on, sometimes it's hard to remember sunnier, warmer days are coming. It won't be long before daylight lasts until after 9 p.M. And we are watering our backyard gardens to protect them from the scorching sun.

Fresh produce is something I look forward to most during summer, and while I don't have a garden, I love visiting farmers' markets to shop all of their locally-grown fruits and vegetables. One thing that always seems to be in abundance is zucchini! What to do with all that squash? These 40 best baked zucchini recipes will provide plenty of inspo.

Related: 35 Best Cucumber Recipes

Can I Bake Zucchini?

If you didn't know already, the oven loves zucchini! From roasting it as a simple veggie side, to baking "boats" stuffed with delicious fillings, casseroles and even sweet treats like cookies and brownies, there are so many ways to bake this summer garden favorite.

Baked zucchini also pairs well with other summertime produce like tomatoes, onions, yellow squash and corn, allowing you to use even more of your garden's bounty. The Zucchini and Tomato Bake recipe I've included is a great example of this.

Related: 35 Best Cherry Tomato Recipes

How To Bake Zucchini

The number one complaint when it comes to baked or roasted zucchini is "Why did it get mushy?" Most often this is caused by overcrowding the pan and over-baking. This can be prevented with a few simple steps. First off, when you slice the zucchini, bigger pieces will hold up better in the oven. Spears or larger rounds are best. Next, once sliced, place the pieces between two layers of paper towels and allow them to absorb as much moisture as possible. A higher cooking temp will lead to crispy but tender zucchini, so 400 tends to be the go-to. Finally, elevating the zucchini while baking allows the heat to surround it, with moisture falling away. Using cooling racks on your baking pans will give the zucchini a place to cook perfectly.

Related: Keto-Friendly Zucchini Recipes

Best Baked Zucchini Recipes

When you launch the gallery, you will find a little bit of everything when it comes to baked zucchini squash dishes! The Zucchini, Squash and Corn Casserole and Baked Parmesan Zucchini are fresh side dishes perfect for summer suppers. The Zucchini Pie and Zucchini and Goat Cheese Tart would be perfect for a lazy Sunday brunch.

You can add zucchini to so many baked desserts. This collection has Zucchini Brownies, Cinnamon Frosted Zucchini Bars, Crumb Apple Zucchini Bread and my personal favorite- Zucchini Lemon Cupcakes! Zucchini adds an extra layer of moistness to baked goods your taste buds will love.

Healthy Baked Zucchini Recipes

The Easy Baked Zucchini is so simple, but filled with flavor with only a few ingredients that don't increase the calorie count much.

Baked Zucchini Fries are a terrific alternative to fries. The kids will love the crunch factor, and my recipe comes with a tasty homemade ranch dipping sauce too.

We all know anything stuffed is extra fun for the kids. They are going to love the Taco Stuffed Zucchini Boats and Beef Enchilada Zucchini Boats! Your summer time Mexican nights just got a little bit healthier too!

Related: Best Low-Carb Veggie 'French Fries'

Best Baked Zucchini Recipes

All of these dishes look so fresh and ready for spring you might not want to wait for supper. There are plenty that would look so pretty on your Easter table too; and thankfully zucchini is one of the best bargains in the produce aisle.

Baked zucchini goes way beyond just roasting it, and these 40 recipes are here to prove it! Each one reminds us of the blessing summer time garden produce is and gives us plenty of deliciousness to look forward to.

Ben Fink

Get the recipe: Zucchini Lasagna

Lori Lange

Get the recipe: Chocolate Zucchini Cake

Ditty Isager

Get the recipe: Carrot-Parsnip-Zucchini Bread

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Related: 28 Yellow Squash Recipes That Outshine Green Zucchinis All Summer Long

The Best Zucchini Recipes, According To Eater Staff

Zucchini deserves respect: it's one of summer's most versatile ingredients. With cinnamon and cooking time, it tastes almost like an apple in cakes, sweet loafs, and alongside pork chops. It makes a great salad base when shaved long and served fresh. It's also just as at home on the grill as burgers and chicken wings, and wears a sear beautifully. Whether you prefer zucchini sweet or savory, these are the recipes that Eater staffers will be making this summer.

Sasha Marx, Cook's Illustrated

I'm a big fan of both wet- and dry-brining for meats, so I was intrigued by the idea of brining vegetables for additional flavor like they do in this Cook's Illustrated recipe. And I'm always looking for new things to throw on the grill during the summer. I tried out this recipe for a poolside gathering, and the delicious zucchini managed to upstage the steak we were grilling. The brining technique really does add an additional dimension, making the seasoning pervade the zucchini better, and the salsa verde adds a bright kick to the equation. — Missy Frederick, cities director

Deb Perelman, Smitten Kitchen

I've loved Smitten Kitchen's ultimate zucchini bread recipe since before I had kids, but it's become even more of a go-to recently. With two toddlers, I'm in the sneak-veggies-into-everything phase of my life, and this is truly the ideal vehicle. Deb's zucchini bread is as easy as it gets: It doesn't require a mixer or any zucchini wringing, and comes together in essentially one bowl. It's light and fluffy, and is definitely an appropriate breakfast food, even with its crispy sugar topping. Plus, it means I can offer my kids "cake" and know that they're getting a little serving of greens along the way. — Stephanie Wu, editor-in-chief

Hetty McKinnon's noodles come together lightning quick, with a simple sauce of sliced zucchini, za'atar, mint and cheese — or nutritional yeast if you want to make it vegan. It's the perfect recipe for when you're too hungry to start a big project and just want to make something boxed and instant, but realize you haven't had a vegetable in three days and really need to remedy that. — Jaya Saxena, correspondent

Sarah Jampel, NYT Cooking

This salad has become a reliable way to clear out the almost-overripe zucchini in my crisper every summer and is a total crowd pleaser for dinner parties (while secretly being very easy to pull together). You can even cook and marinate your browned zucchini a few hours before serving, letting them soak up more flavor in the fridge. To liven up the salad, shave some beautiful, fresh pieces of zucchini and Parmesan cheese with a vegetable peeler and don't limit yourself on the fresh herbs; almost everything will work here. To upgrade the salad further, roast your chickpeas with lots of herbes de Provence, paprika, and olive oil in an oven or air fryer for about 15 minutes to create crispy, flavorful chickpeas that add a layer of crunch that is reminiscent of croutons. — Emily Venezky, editorial associate

Dorothy Kern, Crazy for CrustAlthough some people prefer zucchini breads and cakes where you "can't even taste the zucchini!," I actually love the subtle, vegetal bite an entire large zucchini brings to this coffee cake. Other perks of this recipe: the inviting scent of cinnamon wafting through your kitchen as the cake bakes, the plush crumb, and the general ease of pulling this all together in less than an hour. My only note about this recipe is that the crumb on the cake is less of a crumb and more of a brown sugar and butter syrup that seeps into the cake and creates delightful brown sugar swirls throughout. If you want a more traditional crumb, you'll definitely need to incorporate additional flour into the crumb mixture portion and use cold, rather than melted, butter. — Kat Thompson, associate editor, Eater at Home

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