Healthy Baked Zucchini Bites with Feta Cheese in a muffin tin, a fantastic low-calorie, low carb, and low fat appetizer for the grilling season. Healthy, super yummy, best served cold with a nice dollop of sour cream or Greek yogurt.
Hands up those of you who like zucchini! Or courgettes, what they are called in the UK. Now, they are probably different types of zucchini, the ones we have in Romania are a lot bigger and longer than the ones you find in the UK, similar to what over here it would be marrow squash.
But one thing is sure, everybody all over the world is crazy about zucchini. I get it why, they are so versatile, and go well in so many dishes, from stews, to soups, and all sorts of appetizers, with the zucchini fritters being the big crave.
They are also great roasted with other vegetable for a nice and heathy side dish, or added to a nice roasted vegetable pasta salad.
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How to make zucchini bites
- Firstly, grate the zucchini with their skin on, there is no need whatsoever to remove it.
One first tip here is to make sure you squeeze as much liquid as you can from the grated zucchini.
- Add a bit of salt to them, toss them around, then set aside for about 20 minutes so that they can release as much liquid as possible.
You can then either put everything in a clean cloth, or just use your hands to squeeze very well.
- add the breadcrumbs, feta cheese, parmesan, seasoning, dill, egg, baking powder and spring onion, and mix well
If you don't use feta cheese, you can choose any other hard cheese, but make sure it's not soft, as the texture of the bites will change.
Now, unlike a patty, the texture of a fritter is on the softer side anyway, they hold their shape very well even if you make them in the pan. In the oven, since they go in the muffin tin, it does not matter if they texture is softer anyway.
How long to bake the zucchini bites for
I baked them for about 30 minutes at 200 degrees Celsius (390 Fahrenheit), they get a nice crispy edge, while the rest get a nice light golden colour. Even if the centre is not that golden, they will be baked after that time in the oven, so not to worry about that.
Fill them cups with a dollop of yogurt or sour cream, and top with chopped parsley or dill once they cool down - otherwise the yogurt will become too messy.
A super low-calorie appetizer
Well, these zucchini bites are supposed to be zucchini fritters at first, but then I though I might as well try something I bit different this time. I made the fritters before, and while I love how quickly they are made in the pan, these baked ones don't take too much longer either.
And like my Baked Broccoli Bites, they just taste fabulous, without being drenched in oil. The healthier, the better, isn't it? These baked zucchini bites have only 40 calories per serving!!!
Do you need paper cases for the muffin tin?
The amount of things you can bake in the good old muffin tin!!! From fritters, mini omelettes, all sorts of pies, muffins, cupcakes, and the list is never ending.
One thing I learnt over the years is that with most of the baked goodies, it is best to just oil the tin well and maybe dust a bit of flour, without bothering with paper cases.
Depending what you make, most things end up getting terribly stuck on the paper, but if you just oil it, they can easily come out straight away.
If you’ve liked my HEALTHY BAKED ZUCCHINI BITES or any other recipe on the blog then don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing from you! You can also FOLLOW ME on FACEBOOK, and PINTEREST to see more delicious food and what I’m getting up to.
Healthy Baked Zucchini Bites
Ingredients
- 2 zucchini
- 1 egg
- 2 spring onions, chopped
- ¼ cup breadcrumbs
- ¼ cup feta cheese, crumbled
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- a pinch of black pepper
- 1 teaspoon chopped fresh dill
- 3 tablespoon parmesan cheese, grated
Instructions
- Grate the zucchini with their skin on, then add a pinch of salt, toss well, and set aside for 20 minutes to release as much liquid as possible.
- Squeeze the liquid very well using your hands, then transfer the grated zucchini to a bowl, and add the other ingredients.
- Pre-heat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius (390 Fahrenheit).
- Oil a muffin tin, then shape 10 patties and place them in each muffin hole, making sure the patties cover the tin walls as well.
- Bake for about 30 minutes, until the edges are crisp, and golden. Use a sharp knife to remove them from the muffin tin.
- Serve cold with a dollop of sour cream or Greek yogurt.
Abha
Very yammy and healthy
Daniela Apostol
Thank you!
Lorina
Sounds amazing, I'll try this recipe! Thanks for sharing! Something came to my mind when you mentioned what can be made of zucchini: In Switzerland we love to make sweet cakes with zucchini (and chocolate, as an option). Just tell me if you'd like me to share the recipe with you.
Daniela Apostol
Thank you, that sounds delicious. I actually have these muffins that you might enjoy too: https://www.mygorgeousrecipes.com/zucchini-muffins/
Glenys
Hello Daniela, Can i just pass on one good tip? Never use Olive Oil in your patty or muffin tins.....I have proved that Olive Oil actually is the culprit for making your cakes stick.... I use rice bran oil and my muffins never stick.......There are other oils out there but i havent ever tried them because i love rice bran oil. But not saying that other oils might be good too. Just NOT olive Oil. Hope you have success like i do.....
Daniela Apostol
Hello! Thank you for your tip, it's always good to know!