Vegetarian Zucchini Slice

 

Filled with zucchini, carrots, and cheese this vegetarian zucchini slice is a great way to add more vegetables to your meals, for kids as well as adults. It can be served hot or cold, and is ideal for snacks, picnics, lunch or dinner. It’s super easy to prepare and lends itself to endless variations.

Six pieces of vegetarian zucchini slice on parchment paper. On the bottom right is a plate with a piece of zucchini slice, with a fork next to it.
How to make a vegetarian zucchini slice?
Prepare the vegetables: Start off with prepping your vegetables. Shred the zucchini and carrots and dice up the onions. You can also add other vegetables such as olives, corn, capsicum, baby spinach, broccoli or boiled and shredded chicken if you want to add protein to this slice.
Whisk up the eggs: Crack eggs in a bowl, and whisk for about 30 seconds. The eggs form the base for the zucchini slice.
Add the cheese and spices: I have kept the spices simple in this slice recipe – just herbs, red chili flakes and chopped onion flakes. You can keep it simple with just salt and black pepper, or spice things up by adding the spices of your choice.
Mix it all up: Add the vegetables, flour, cheese, oil and spices to the eggs and mix it altogether. The flour is used to add structure to the zucchini. If you want a gluten free version, you can use a gluten free flour.
Bake: Pour the zucchini slice batter into a prepared rectangle baking pan.  Wrap the slice pieces individually in plastic wrap, then place in an airtight container or in sealed freezer bags. Keep in the freezer for upto 3 months. To defrost, let the slices thaw at room temperature, or place in the fridge to thaw overnight.

A piece of zucchini slice on a white plate with a fork next to it. On the right side are two more pieces of zucchini slice.
Zucchini slice – the variations:
This zucchini slice is super adaptable, and you can change up the ingredients to suit your personal preferences, or what is available to you. Here are some options to change up the recipe.Add other vegetables such as baby spinach, peas, corn, capsicum, olives, sauteed mushrooms, or tomatoes. If using tomatoes, use small tomato slices or halved cherry tomatoes. Add them on top of the batter so that they caramelize in the oven.
Add fresh herbs such as chopped chives, dill, parsley, or coriander.
Use a different type of cheese such as mozzarella, pepper jack, Colby. It’s also possible to use a fresh cheese such as feta cheese, ricotta, or paneer (Indian cottage cheese).
Leftover vegetables in the fridge, from roasting or from an Asian stir-fry can be added to the batter to jazz up the flavor.
It’s also possible to add meat to this zucchini slice, such as ground mince or boiled and shredded chicken. If adding meat, cook it separately and then add to the batter.
You can also saute the vegetables in oil and garlic, then add them to the batter. This adds another flavor dimension and can be preferred by people who are not a fan of raw vegetables.

Vegetarian Zucchini Slice
Filled with zucchini, carrots, and cheese this vegetarian zucchini slice is a great way to add more vegetables to your meals, for kids as well as adults. It can be served hot or cold, and is ideal for snacks, picnics, lunch or dinner. It’s super easy to prepare and lends itself to endless variations. It’s freezer friendly making it ideal for meal prep.

Ingredients
▢1 ¼ cup / 150g flour
▢½ teaspoon baking powder
▢3 zucchini / 400gram shredded
▢1 carrot / 100g shredded
▢6 eggs
▢1 onion / 110g diced
▢1 ¼ cup / 100g cheddar cheese shredded
▢⅓ cup / 60g oil
▢¾ teaspoon salt
▢½ teaspoon Italian herbs
▢¼ teaspoon red chili flakes plus more for garnish
▢½ teaspoon chopped onion flakes optional
Instructions
Pre-heat oven to 180°C / 350°C (160°C fan-forced). .
Grease and line a lamington tray (16 cm x 26 cm). You can also use a half sheet baking tray, a slice pan, or a deep cookie tray.
Mix the flour and baking powder together. Set aside.
Wash and peel the carrot. Shred using a hand shredder or the shredder attachment of a food processor.
Wash and cut off the ends of the zucchini. Shred using a hand shredder or the shredder attachment of a food processor.
Place the eggs in a large bowl and whisk together.
Add the shredded zucchini, shredded carrot, onion, cheddar cheese, salt, herbs, red chili flakes, and chopped onion flakes.
Stir together till all the ingredients are mixed, and a batter is formed.
Pour the batter in the greased and lined tray. Bake in the pre-heated oven for about 35 – 45 minutes till the mixture is set, and the top is light golden brown. The total baking time will vary depending on the baking tray used. If your oven has a grill, you can turn it on for the last few minutes of baking for a crispier top.
Remove the slice from the oven, and let it cool for a few minutes. It will firm up and be easier to cut after it has cooled down a little.
The zucchini slice can be kept for up to 4 days in the fridge in an airtight container in the fridge. The zucchini slice will feed 4 – 6 people if eaten as a main course for lunch or dinner, and 8 people if served as a snack or appetizer.
Freezer Instructions: Wrap the slice pieces individually in plastic wrap, then place in an airtight container or in sealed freezer bags. Keep in the freezer for upto 3 months. To defrost, let the slices thaw at room temperature, or place in the fridge to thaw overnight. If you are adding to kids lunch boxes, frozen zucchini slices can be added to lunchboxes in the morning, and they will thaw by lunch time.