Late summer in the garden has its own rules. One day you're checking a tiny courgette, the next it's a green giant the size of your forearm. You've already handed three bags to the neighbours and they're multiplying faster than you can slice them. Here's a plan for turning the surplus into a few good meals and a winter stash, so nothing ends up on the compost heap.
Why Courgettes Overwhelm You
A single plant produces a huge amount over the season and the fruits grow incredibly fast. Leave them unchecked for a few days and they overgrow.
And size matters. Small and medium courgettes up to around 20 cm are firm and have tender seeds, so they're great sliced or on the grill. Large, overgrown ones are watery and full of seeds. Don't throw those out, just treat them differently: scoop them out, grate them, or send them straight into a soup.
Eat a Lot of Courgette at Once
One courgette as a garnish won't solve a surplus. You need recipes that use up more of it.
Courgette Fritters
A classic that gets through half a kilo of courgette and disappears from the table in minutes. The grating is the fiddly part, and that's exactly what the vegetable grater on the Lauben Kitchen Machine 1300SG handles for you. You'll grate kilos of courgette in no time without wearing out your knuckles.
Ingredients:
- 500 g grated courgette (about 2 medium)
- 1 egg
- 4 to 5 tablespoons of plain flour
- 2 cloves of garlic
- salt and pepper
- a handful of grated hard cheese (optional)
- oil for frying
Method:
- Grate the courgette, salt it and let it sit for 10 minutes.
- Squeeze out as much water as you can, by hand or in a tea towel. Don't skip this step, or the fritters won't hold their shape.
- Mix the courgette with the egg, flour, crushed garlic, cheese and pepper.
- Fry the fritters in a hot pan with a little oil for 3 to 4 minutes on each side until golden.
- Transfer the finished fritters onto kitchen paper to drain the excess oil.
Tip: A spoonful of finely chopped mint or dill works well in the batter too. Courgette has a mild flavour of its own and the herbs lift it nicely.
Roasted Courgette and Crispy Crisps
If you don't fancy standing over a pan, an air fryer comes in handy. Roasted courgette is done without turning and without the fried-food smell all over the flat. The Lauben DualZone® Air Fryer 8000BC has two zones, so you can do a bigger batch or two things at once.
For roasted courgette, cut slices about 5 mm thick, toss them with a tablespoon of olive oil, salt, pepper and oregano, and roast at 200 °C for about 12 to 15 minutes. Shake the basket halfway through.
Fancy crispy crisps for a beer or a dip? Cut the courgette into thin rounds 2 to 3 mm thick, brush them lightly with oil and roast at a lower temperature, around 160 °C, until they crisp up. The thinner the slice, the crispier the result.
And if you still have a pile of courgette left, cook up a big pot of vegetable stew or courgette soup. Both use kilos at once and taste even better the next day.
What You Won't Eat, Put in the Freezer. And Do It Right
Here's the catch most guides skip. Courgette is mostly water. Throw it in the freezer raw and whole, and once it thaws you'll be left with a mushy pulp you can't do anything with.
There are two solutions, depending on what you want the courgette for.
For fritters and baking, grate it. Coarsely grate the courgette, salt it, let it release water for a few minutes and then squeeze it out well. Only then divide it into portions and freeze. You can add it straight from frozen to fritter batter or a cake.
For soups and stews, cut it into cubes and blanch briefly. Drop the cubes into boiling water for 1 to 2 minutes, then cool them quickly in iced water and pat dry. Blanching stops the processes that otherwise make courgette go soft and lose its colour in the freezer.
Whichever you choose, packaging makes the biggest difference. An ordinary bag lets air in, the courgette picks up freezer burn and after two months it tastes of the freezer. The Lauben Vacuum Sealer 60SB draws the air out, so portions last considerably longer and take up less space in the freezer. You also seal exactly the portions you'll use, and thaw only what you need.
Vacuum-sealed and properly prepped, courgette will happily last you through the whole winter. Drop cubes straight into soup from frozen, and let grated courgette soften a little, then squeeze out the water the freezing releases.
Quick Tips to Finish
- Halve a giant overgrown courgette, scoop out the seeds, fill it with minced meat or rice and bake it.
- Turn a medium courgette into spaghetti. Just cut it into thin strands for a lighter pasta swap.
- Eat young courgette raw, sliced thinly into a salad with lemon and olive oil.
- Surplus hides in sweet bakes too. Grated courgette goes unnoticed in a cake or muffins and keeps the crumb moist.
FAQ
Do I have to blanch courgette before freezing? Not always. Grated courgette for fritters and baking just needs salting and squeezing out. Blanch cubes for soups and stews briefly, and they'll keep longer in the freezer without going soft.
Why is thawed courgette watery and how do I prevent it? Courgette is mostly water, which is released during freezing. Prevent it by grating, salting and squeezing the courgette before freezing, or by blanching cubes briefly.
Can I freeze grated courgette for fritters? Yes. Divide squeezed grated courgette into portions and freeze. Add it to batter straight from frozen, just squeeze out the released water once it softens.
How long does vacuum-sealed courgette last in the freezer? Vacuum-sealed courgette lasts significantly longer in the freezer than in an ordinary bag, easily through the whole winter. That's because the vacuum removes the air that would otherwise cause freezer burn.
Can courgette be eaten raw? Yes, young courgette is excellent raw. Slice it thinly or into strands for a salad. It tastes mild and is pleasantly crisp.
No Courgette Wasted
A courgette surplus isn't a problem, it's an opportunity. Use some of it right away in fritters or roasted, stash the rest sensibly, and in December you'll make courgette soup as if from fresh. Just don't rush the freezing and prep the courgette so it keeps. Then you won't have to throw away a single piece.
