Crispy Baked Zucchini Tots – The Best Easy Veggie Side Dish Recipe You’ll Crave
Golden, cheesy, and packed with garden zucchini, these oven-baked bites swap in for classic tater tots without a single trip to the deep fryer — crispy on the outside, tender in the middle, and easy enough for a weeknight side dish.
- Category: Side Dish
Ingredients
Scale
- 2 cups shredded zucchini
- 1/2 medium onion, diced
- 1/2 cup dry Italian-seasoned bread crumbs
- 2 large eggs
- 4 ounces extra-sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
- 3 tablespoons panko bread crumbs
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Begin by shredding your zucchini using a box grater or the shredding attachment on a food processor. Once shredded, spread it out in an even layer across a clean, dry kitchen towel. Sprinkle a generous amount of salt evenly over the top of the shredded zucchini. Allow it to sit undisturbed for a full 15 minutes. During this resting time, the salt works to pull the natural moisture out of the zucchini through osmosis, which is a critical step for achieving crispy results later on. Once the resting time is up, gather the edges of the towel together and twist firmly, wringing out the zucchini the way you would wring out a wet washcloth. Continue squeezing and twisting until you’ve removed as much liquid as you possibly can. This step cannot be rushed or skipped, since leftover moisture is the main reason baked zucchini dishes turn out soggy instead of crisp.
- Once your zucchini has been thoroughly drained, transfer it to a medium-sized mixing bowl. Add the diced onion, the dry Italian-seasoned bread crumbs, the two large eggs, and the shredded extra-sharp cheddar cheese directly into the bowl with the zucchini. Season the mixture with salt and pepper according to your taste. Using a spoon or a spatula, stir everything together thoroughly until you have a cohesive mixture where the zucchini, cheese, and breadcrumbs are evenly distributed throughout, with no dry pockets of breadcrumbs or unmixed egg remaining.
- Prepare a 24-cup mini muffin pan by spraying it thoroughly with nonstick cooking spray, making sure to coat the bottom and sides of each individual cup so the tots release easily once baked. Using a spoon or a small cookie scoop, divide the zucchini mixture evenly among all 24 cups of the muffin pan. Once each cup has been filled, use the back of the spoon or your fingers to press down gently on the mixture in each cup, compressing it slightly so it holds together as a compact shape while baking. After pressing each cup down, sprinkle a small pinch of panko bread crumbs over the top of each one. This light panko topping is what creates the extra-crisp, golden crust on top once baked.
- Preheat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit, if you haven’t already done so before starting the mixture. Place the filled muffin pan into the preheated oven and bake for 15 to 18 minutes, keeping an eye on the tots as they approach the end of the baking time. You’ll know they’re ready when the tops have turned slightly golden brown and feel firm to the touch. As soon as you remove the pan from the oven, take a butter knife or small offset spatula and run it carefully around the edge of each tot while they are still hot. This loosens them from the sides of the pan immediately, before they have a chance to cool and stick in place. Allow the tots to cool in the pan for about one minute, which lets them firm up just enough to hold their shape, before carefully removing each one from the pan and transferring them to a serving plate.
Find it online: https://irmacooks.com/crispy-baked-zucchini-tots/
