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Zucchini pancakes with feta cheese, chopped basil and red chili mixed through the batter. These are perfect on their own, in a veggie burger or on top of a salad!

Zucchini pancakes with feta cheese, chopped basil and red chili mixed through the batter. These are perfect on their own, in a veggie burger or on top of a salad!

Sometimes the simpler recipes are always the best.

Because these are pretttyyy damn easy to make and cheap! Zucchini are almost pennies at my local store, or maybe you grow your own and you can’t find the perfect way to use them. This is it guys, right here.

Pancakes filled with salty feta cheese, fresh basil and spicy red chilies. Kinda like eggy savory pillows but healthier.

I ate two of these for lunch after I finished taking these pics, then I ate another because they’re like 95% zucchini.

Dinner time rolled around and the kids made their own Annie’s Mac and Cheese. They promptly ate the whole box before I could even get close with a fork.

So I ate two more zucchini pancakes, but this time I topped them with some leftover carnitas from the weekend.

Zucchini pancakes with feta cheese, chopped basil and red chili mixed through the batter. These are perfect on their own, in a veggie burger or on top of a salad!

The moral of the story could be that having zucchini pancakes ready to eat in your fridge is a fine example of emergency preparedness.

I even made a basil style pesto with some of the zucchini water, because man these veggies have a ton of water in them.

Once you grate the zucchini you have to squeeze out as much water as you can. But as I squeezed the first few handfuls of water over the sink, I thought there must be something that I could use it for other than drinking it like a wheatgrass shot, which by the way tasted pretty awesome.

These are definitely hitting the make-again list.

Zucchini pancakes with feta cheese, chopped basil and red chili mixed through the batter. These are perfect on their own, in a veggie burger or on top of a salad!

Zucchini Pancakes with Feta and Basil

Course: Appetizer
Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 8 minutes
Total Time: 38 minutes
Servings: 8 people
Calories: 176kcal
Author: foodnessgracious
A tasty vegetarian snack packed with shredded zucchini, feta cheese, basil and red chili. These zucchini pancakes are perfect for a healthy dinner alternative and can be eaten hot or cold.
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Ingredients

  • 3 small-med sized zucchini grated.
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 small onion diced
  • 4 cloves garlic minced
  • 6 tablespoons all purpose flour divided
  • 2 eggs beaten
  • 1 cup crumbled feta cheese
  • 1 cup fresh basil roughly chopped
  • 1 small red chili diced
  • Canola oil

For The Pesto Dip

  • 3 tablespoons zucchini water
  • 3 tablespoons pine nuts
  • 3 cups roughly chopped basil
  • 6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Instructions

  • Make the pesto dip by adding all of the ingredients except the oil to a blender and mixing on high speed.
  • Slowly pour in the olive oil and blend until smooth. Set aside.
  • Take handfuls of the grated zucchini and squeeze it as hard as you can in your hands to extract the water, saving a small amount in a bowl for the dip.
  • Transfer the squeezed zucchini to a bowl.
  • In a large pan, heat the olive oil and add the grated zucchini, diced onion and garlic for about 5 minutes over a medium-high heat.
  • Remove from heat.
  • Add 3 tablespoons of the flour to another large bowl with the eggs and whisk together until a lump free batter forms.
  • Add the zucchini mixture to the batter with the feta, basil and chili.
  • Season with salt and black pepper and add the remaining 3 tablespoons flour and mix.
  • Heat enough canola oil in a pan, about 1/2 inch deep until hot.
  • Using a quarter cup measure as your guide, scoop some of the batter into the hot oil and cook for about 3 minutes or until golden brown.
  • Turn the zucchini pancakes over and repeat until they're firm enough to handle with a spatula.
  • Transfer the pancakes to a sheet of paper towel to drain.
  • Serve with some of the pesto dip on the side and garnish with extra feta cheese and basil.

Nutrition

Calories: 176kcal