The Very Best Zucchini Slice
Zucchini slice is one of those ‘hidden secret’ sorts of foods. Is it a quiche? Is it a pancake? It’s neither, but make it once and it’ll become one of your go-tos for lunch boxes, picnics, parties and more.
You can make it in several different ways, some of which make it taste almost the same as a crustless quiche or frittata. But if you make it the way I suggest here, it will be something quite different.
The main difference is that it’s firmer than a typical quiche. You make zucchini slice in a big rectangular baking pan so that you can easily cut it into lots of square or rectangular portions.
Doesn’t it sound delicious?
Zucchini slice is great hot or cold. This makes it absolutely PERFECT for lunch boxes, picnics, parties, even simple dinners – perhaps destined to become a family favourite.
It’s perfect freezer food, too.
Why the BEST zucchini slice
I don’t claim that a recipe is the best very often, but when I truly believe it is I’m not shy about saying so! Here are the reasons why I think this is the best zucchini slice (or courgette slice if you’re in the UK):
It’s a simple egg-based 7-ingredient recipe – plus salt and pepper of course and extra cheeses if you like. NO MILK NECESSARY!
The texture is firm, not watery. But the overall effect is light. Imagine a cross between a pancake and a quiche!
As it holds together well, it’s perfect finger food for children – or anyone, really!
It’s packed full of goodness including 6 eggs, onions, and loads of grated zucchini/courgette.
It’s also packed full of flavour: yummy bacon, sweet onions, plenty of salt and pepper (this is key!) and 3 different tasty cheeses.
It makes a nice big pan of slices with enough for 10 to 20 servings.
What ingredients you need
If you have a medium to large zucchini, you probably have most if not all the other ingredients you need to make this.
Eggs: You need 6. I always use the best quality I can find, since eggs are the basis of the recipe. 6 eggs might sound like a lot, but you get a big pan of slices.
Flour: A whole cup. I use self-raising flour so that the mixture puffs up a little. The flour binds everything together and helps create a kind of thick batter.
Oil: I add a few tablespoons of olive oil to the batter, which helps it to bake into a sort of savoury cake or muffin.
Pan-fried onion and bacon: Some zucchini slice recipes skip the pan-frying. I’ve tried this and don’t recommend it. Yes it’s faster, but the raw onions add too much moisture. The cooking process also adds a lot of flavour!
Zucchini/Courgette: You need just 1 medium to large zucchini – grated. The key is to ‘blot’ it with kitchen paper to take out some of the moisture. If you don’t do this your slice will still be delicious, but it might end up a bit watery.
By the way, feel free to use a food processor to grate the zucchini. I usually just grate it with a hand held grater because I really don’t enjoy cleaning my processor!
Cheeses: I like to add a full cup of tasty cheddar cheese. I also like to sprinkle parmesan cheese over the top for extra seasoning. Dotting some ricotta cheese over too makes the slice extra delicious.
Seasoning: Seasoning the mixture well is key. I grind salt and pepper into it before I spread it into to pan, and again over the top before it goes into the oven.
How to make it
Zucchini slice is so easy to make. The ‘hardest’ (and messiest!) part is grating the zucchini. Once that’s done the process is a breeze.
I’d say it takes around 15 minutes to get the slice in the oven. Bake it for around 30 minutes and you have a delicious slice that goes a really long way.
A series of 8 photos showing how to make zucchini slice
So here’s how you make it:
Make a very simple batter out of 6 eggs, a cup of flour and a bit of olive oil.
Stir grated (and blotted!) zucchini, pan-fried onions and bacon, grated cheese and plenty of salt and pepper through the batter.
Pour the batter into a deep-sided baking tray, baking dish or roasting pan. Spread it out evenly.
Step 4: This part is optional, but I highly recommend it! Dot with ricotta cheese and sprinkle with parmesan. Grind over some more salt and pepper.
Step 5: Bake for about half an hour. Let cool a little then slice into 10 large slices or 20 smaller squares.
Pro tip: Get all the ingredients ready to go before you start. I usually start by grating (and blotting) the zucchini, pan frying the bacon and onions, measuring out the cheeses and whisking together the eggs and flour. Then all you have to do is stir everything together and add the finishing touches!
A baking tray of zucchini slice from above
How to serve
Pack chilled in lunch boxes, take on picnics, serve at parties or freeze for later!
It even makes a great easy meal for the whole family. Make a quick salad or a couple of sides to go with it and dinner is served!
Zucchini slice is perfect finger food for little people and big!
Zucchini slice variations
I’ve made a vegetarian version of this without bacon. I have to admit it isn’t quite as tasty as the zucchini bacon slice, but it’s still very delicious.
I’ve also added a grated carrot as well as the zucchini.
There are other ways to make it your own.
You could add:
sundried tomatoes
sliced olives
lightly fried chorizo instead of bacon
a different kind of grated cheese or chunks of feta instead of ricotta
peas or chopped asparagus (I’d cook them first to avoid making your slice watery)
fresh or dried herbs
Freezing and reheating instructions
Cooked zucchini slice keeps well in the fridge for a few days, but it’s also absolutely perfect for freezing.
I like to wrap individual slices in aluminium foil, then pile them all in a freezer bag for freezing. I usually freeze some larger slices for myself and Mr. Scrummy, and some smaller square slices for our little boy.
They’re perfect for grabbing in the morning for quick breakfasts or lunch boxes.
You can freeze the slices for up to 3 months.
I usually let my slices thaw (if they’ve been frozen), then reheat in my air fryer for about 5 minutes at 170C/340F. If you don’t have an air fryer you can easily reheat in the oven on a low-ish heat (20 minutes at 160C/320F is about right). You can even just microwave for a minute or two if you don’t mind your slice not being crisp on the top.
The Very Best Zucchini Slice
It isn’t a quiche and it isn’t a pancake – it’s something in between. Packed full of grated zucchini and delicious bacon, onion and cheeses, zucchini slice is the perfect healthy picnic or lunch food. Great finger food for kids or adults!
INGREDIENTS
1 large zucchini grated, roughly 375 – 400 grams
3½ ounces bacon chopped into small pieces (I usually use 2 – 3 slices)
6 eggs lightly whisked
1 cup self raising flour (about 120 grams) Or use plain flour and add 1½ teaspoons baking powder.
1 cup cheese grated (I usually use a strong grated cheddar, but use any kind of cheese.)
salt and pepper
3 tablespoons olive oil plus a little extra for cooking the bacon and onions
¼ cup ricotta cheese roughly
¼ cup parmesan cheese grated (I prefer the finely grated kind for this recipe, but it doesn’t really matter)
INSTRUCTIONS
Line a 8″ x 12″ (30cm x 20cm) or similar deep-sided baking tray or baking dish with baking paper.
Grate the zucchini. Place on sheets of kitchen paper and blot with more kitchen paper to remove excess water from the zucchini.
Pan fry the onions and bacon together in a little olive oil for about 10 minutes. At the same time, pre-heat the oven to 180C/355F.
Meanwhile, slowly whisk the flour into the eggs in a large mixing bowl. Don’t overmix – mix just enough for the flour to be all incorporated.
Stir in the olive oil. Then fold in the grated zucchini, grated cheese, and cooked bacon and onions. Grind in plenty of salt and pepper and mix again briefly.
Use a spatula to scrape the mixture into the baking tray/dish. Push it into the corners and smooth it over.
Dot the top with teaspoons of ricotta cheese. Sprinkle over the parmesan cheese. Finally, grind over a bit more salt and pepper.
Bake for around 30 minutes or until set in the middle and nicely golden on the top.
Slice into 10 or 20 slices. Serve, or let cool and refrigerate or freeze.
NOTES
What kind of dish to use: I use a 20cm x 30cm (8″ x 12″) baking tray with fairly high sides. You can also use a baking dish. Don’t worry if your pan/dish isn’t exactly this size. Try to find one that’s approximately the same size and the recipe will still work.
The zucchini: Make sure you don’t skip the step of extracting a bit of the water from the zucchini. Just place the grated zucchini/courgette on kitchen paper, spread it out a bit and then blot it for a few seconds with more kitchen paper. This way you won’t end up with watery zucchini slice!
The flour: If you don’t have self-raising flour (not the same as US self rising flour), just use plain flour and add 1.5 teaspoons of baking powder.
Seasoning: I find one of the keys to success with this dish is making sure it’s well seasoned. The bacon and parmesan helps with this, but I also season twice with salt and pepper – once into the batter and again over the top of the slice just before baking.
Fridge and freezer instructions: You can keep the zucchini slice in an airtight container in the fridge for a good few days. Or you can wrap individual slices tightly in aluminium foil and freeze for up to 3 months.
