Have you ever tried something so delicious you can barely stand it…and something that you’re even more shocked that you actually made. This is one of those recipes.

This tasty zucchini garlic bites recipe combines shredded zucchini with garlic, Parmesan cheese, fresh herbs, and is served with a marinara dipping sauce for an Italian inspired twist.

Ah, zucchini…Its the crop that just keeps on giving throughout the growing season. This recipe is one more way to transform it into a scrumptious bite that can be served as an appetizer, side dish, or even a kid’s meal.

This time of year has the kitchen busy with preserving the harvest. Right now, the counters are filled with tomatoes and zucchini harvested from the garden. Both are in heavy rotation as I turn the ripe tomatoes into sauce or salsa, and the zucchini into zucchini lasagna, zucchini bread, or preserve for later. Once the counter is cleared, I have only a short moment of satisfaction before it begins filling up once again with newly picked fruit.

With football season approaching, I wanted to add something different to our weekly finger food spread. Since weekends spent preserving the harvest usually stretches well into fall, it had to be something tasty but easy to throw together.

Faced with a counter full of newly harvested zucchini, and the aroma of tomato sauce filling the kitchen as it simmered on the stove, it was then that I remembered one of those cooking videos on Facebook. It was some sort of shredded zucchini combination to resemble tater tots. I wanted to try something similar but with an Italian inspired twist.To Make this Recipe You’ Will Need the following ingredients:

Zucchini Garlic Bites

Ingredients

• 1 cup zucchini grated and drained well

• 1 egg

• 1/3 cup breadcrumbs

• 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese grated fine

• 1 clove garlic grated fine

• 2 tablespoons fresh chives chopped

• 1 tablespoon fresh parsley chopped

• 1 teaspoon fresh basil chopped

• 1 teaspoon fresh oregano chopped

• pinch of salt and pepper

• tomato sauce for dipping 

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400˚F. Lightly coat a baking sheet with olive oil or non-stick spray. Set aside.
2. Use a box grater to grate the zucchini into a clean towel. Roll up the towel and twist to wring out the moisture. Grate the garlic using the small holes on the box grater.
3. In a medium bowl, combine all of the ingredients and mix well.
4. Shape a tablespoon of the mixture into your hands, pat into small balls, and place on the baking sheet.
5. Bake for 15-18 minutes in the preheated oven until golden. Serve warm with marinara sauce. Recipe makes about 16 bites.

Enjoy!!