One of the best parts about working (mostly) from home is that it rarely feels like work. So much of the fun of weelicious for me is not only being close to my kids but that I can actually let them participate in helping me create some of the recipes (whether you feel confident making a recipe that a 4 year old helped me to create is entirely up to you)!
I had been working on a recipe for zucchini cakes last week when Kenya came into the kitchen with his grandmother and asked me, “whatcha got” (translation: what are you making for me to eat)? I don’t know why I always feel a little hesitant whenever I offer my kids something I made that contains a green vegetable. Even though I am beyond blessed with two great eaters, I somehow am still guilty of believing that all kids are pre-programmed to not like green veggies. Anyway, Kenya always tends to ask me what’s in whatever it is I am offering him, and so I told him_ parmesan (I always list the cheese first for him, no matter how little is in the recipe!), breadcrumbs, eggs and finally, under my breath I added “zucchini”, to which he literally screamed, “I love zucchini”.
Kenya took a taste and when I asked him what he thought it needed he said most matter of factly, “it needs some cheese on top”. I guess it is worth trusting a 4 year old because just that extra sprinkle of cheese took these Zucchini Cakes from good to great. So great, in fact, that I didn’t even get to serve them as I planned to at dinner that night because Kenya and his dad finished the entire recipe right then and there.
What’s the lesson for me here? Giving your kids input into what you’re making isn’t such a bad idea. On the contrary, allowing them to feel like they contributed something to the dish can be a great way to let them feel some pride of ownership and inspire them to eat things you might have thought they would never be into!
Zucchini Parmesan Cakes
Ingredients
- 2 Medium zucchini, grated
- 2 large eggs, whisked
- 1/4 Tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 Cup breadcrumbs
- 1/4 Cup Parmesan Cheese, plus extra to sprinkle on top
- 1/4 Tsp kosher salt
- olive oil
Instructions
- Grate 2 medium zucchini and place in a towel and blot to remove excess liquid.
- Place the grated zucchini in a bowl along with the whisked eggs, garlic powder, breadcrumbs, parmesan and salt and combine.
- Heat 1-2 tbsp of olive oil in a skillet over medium heat.
- Drop about 2 tbsp of batter into the skillet and flatten with the back of a spoon to form a cake. Cook for 2 minutes on each side.*
- Continue to making the remaining cakes and sprinkle with parmesan cheese on top.
- Serve.
- * You can use a small cookie scooper to portion the batter into the pan
I made these once and they came out awesome! Even my 10 month old could not get enough of them!! If I wanted to make them ahead and freeze them for a later time. How would you recommend doing so?
Yes!
Are these still taste good after freezing them?? These look like a great lunch item to pack!
Holy cow these are good! Not only are you helping me find ways to get my son to eat his veggies, but you’re making me eat mine too!
This recipe is awesome! I just made them and they are delicious! My kids will love them.
Can these be frozen? And if so for how long?
Definitely making these for my 2 year old!
To all of you wondering about how many cups is a medium zucchini,
I had the same question for a different recipe. I’m glad I happened upon this one while looking. It looks good and I have two huge garden zucchinis.
I found two sites that would suggest that 8 oz zucchini would yeild about 1 cup of zucchini. Hope this helps.
I just made these. But, I added some shredded carrots and some Italian chicken sausage. Also, I subbed mozzarella for the Parmesan. Delish! My 12 month old and my husband gobbled them up.
Its been hard to get my 12month old son to eat srambled egg, but with the extra crisp of these cakes, he loved them and so did i. Thanks for the great idea.
Made these for my 11 month old. I halved the recipe, only used egg yolk, and made smaller cakes. Mine never got very crispy and I squeezed the life out of the zuc. She liked them anyways!
I’ve tried several of your recipes but this has to be my son’s & husbands absolute favorite! You’re fabulous!!
Just made these for brunch. I used one large zucchini that ended up being about two cups. Since I didn’t get all the water out, I just added extra bread crumbs. Everyone was raving. Thanks for the recipe!
I made these Zucchini Parmesan Cakes for a potluck lunch at my work place and it was a huge, huge success.
Thank you Catherine
What would you pair this with for dinner?