School is busy!
You and I both know a home cooked meal is NOT happening when you've got three papers and six tests right around the corner. As much as I love taking a moment to myself at the end of each day to relax, wind down, and cook a meal, I don't always have time to carve out an hour to spend in the kitchen.
On busy days when I need something quick but still want something healthy, my go-to is, drumroll, please….. Zucchini tots! I love these things wayyy more than I should, and skinny taste should definitely sponsor me because I have gotten numerous people hooked on these suckers too. Hopefully, Y O U my precious reader, are their next victim.
Put on your cute apron from Target and let's get started!
Ingredients:
- Cooking spray
- 1 packed cup of grated zucchini
- 1 egg
- ¼ cup minced onion
- ¼ cup grated cheddar cheese (optional: more cheese, always)
- ⅓ cup of breadcrumbs (optional: gluten free)
- Salt and pepper to taste
1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit and spray a baking sheet with cooking spray. Let my negative personal experience of scraping these tots off the pan with a butter knife upon forgetting to do so encourage you to complete this step.
2. Now for the hardest part. Grate a zucchini into a paper towel (or dish towel) until you have a cup. I purposefully buy huge zucchinis so I only need one to get a full cup, but if you have average sized zucchini you might need more than one. The reason you need to grate it into a towel is that you have to squeeze/wring all the water out. Kinda slimy-feeling but worth it (there's a lot of water).
3. Once you have your packed cup of water free, grated zucchini, add all the ingredients into a huge bowl and mix it all together until it looks well blended.
4. Make the tots! I always start out using a spoon or ice cream scooper, but by the end, I'm making tots with my bare hands. It's just easier and faster. Sometimes I make them rather large, sometimes I make them small so I can have a ton. It's honestly however you want them!
5. Pop em in the oven for 16-18 minutes. When I make them large, they need the full 18 minutes in the oven, when I make them small they're good after 16. Just keep an eye on them.
This makes 2-3 servings ( or one if you're starving) at only 105-162 calories! I love to eat these with mac and cheese, I just feel like they go really well together. They accompany pasta really well!
Eat your veggies ladies and gents!