I was only gone for a few days, but in that time my garden really grew.  Or rather, the zucchini really grew.  I now have a bazillion ginormous zucchini, and as anyone who has ever grown zucchini knows, this is not an exaggeration.

One of my favorite ways to eat zucchini is sliced lengthwise, brushed with olive oil and grilled (with a little garlic salt for seasoning).   I also cannot resist zucchini bread, zucchini brownies, and and baked zucchini.

But with so much zucchini, I wanted to make something new.  So I adapted this recipe and it turned out yummy.   If you’re swimming in zucchini, be sure to give my version of zucchini bites a try.

Zucchini Bites Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 onion, finely shopped
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 3 slices of bacon, chopped
• 1 large carrot, grated
• 1 large zucchini, grated (mine was 22 oz – I wouldn’t go any bigger!)
• 3 large eggs
• 1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, grated (or a cheese of your choice)
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 1/8 tsp pepper
• 1/2 cup self-rising flour (If you don’t have self-rising flour, just mix together 1/2 cup all purpose flour, 1½ tsp of baking powder and a pinch of salt).

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350º F.
2. Heat the olive oil in a large pan and cook the onion and garlic until they are translucent.  Add the bacon and cook it just until it starts to brown.  Add the carrot and zucchini and cook until tender (about 2 to 3 minutes).
3. Drain the vegetable and bacon mixture and transfer it to a large bowl to cool.
4. In a separate bowl, beat the eggs, milk, salt and pepper together.  Stir in the grated cheese.
5. Pour the egg mixture into the bowl with the zucchini mixture and mix together.
6. Add the flour and stir together.
7. Grease and flour two mini muffin pans.   Spoon the mixture into the muffin pans.
8. Bake at 350º F for 15 to 20 minutes or until the zucchini bites are golden brown and completely set up.

Makes 24 zucchini bites.

These yummy mini zucchini bites would make a great addition to a brunch or could make a tasty lunch when paired with fresh fruit.  If you like a little kick, you could try adding chopped jalapeno or using a spicier cheese.   They taste best when they are almost totally cool, which means you can easily make them in advance.

Have you made zucchini bites before?  What are you making with your zucchini?