Why Zucchini Might Be The Most Versatile Breakfast Ingredient In Your Kitchen

Whether you enjoy hot bowls of oatmeal, eggs and bacon, or muffins topped with butter and jam, there's one ingredient you can easily use to upgrade all your favorite morning meals: zucchini. This vibrant green low-carb veggie is versatile and packed with nutrients like vitamin C, fiber, and antioxidants to fuel your body for the day ahead. 

Zucchini has a mellow flavor that complements fatty breakfast meats like bacon or sausage and folds imperceptibly into egg scrambles, muffins, pancakes, or bread. Next to more distinct ingredients you can add to your scrambled eggs, such as sardines and garlic, zucchini's mild taste is simple to dress up or down. 

But it brings more than delicate flavor to the menu. Zucchini is high in water, so you can also use it to add a touch of moisture or improve the texture of certain recipes. When you're looking for an easy, foolproof way to add more vegetables to your morning meals, zucchini can be a workhorse in all sorts of breakfast dishes. 

Incorporate diced or shredded zucchini into a morning frittata, veggie-loaded omelet, or grab-and-go loaded breakfast tacos. You can cut larger zucchinis vertically in half, scrape out the seedy part of the inner flesh, and fill it with ingredients like skillet potatoes, eggs, and shredded cheese. Or keep things simple, and make perfectly cooked zucchini to serve alongside a plate of eggs, sausage, fruit, and toast.

Zucchini can also enhance the texture of your favorite baked goods without altering the primary flavor of your recipes. Zucchini bread and muffins are a no-brainer, but you can also make zucchini-loaded pancakes and donuts. Just note that baked goods often work best with the smallest zucchinis because they contain less water, and even then, you should squeeze out any excess moisture before incorporating them.

You can also add zucchini to more unexpected recipes, like oatmeal or smoothies. For oatmeal, simply replace a quarter cup of the water with half a shredded zucchini. For smoothies, chop and freeze your zucchini to add to the blender later. It adds a creamier texture and nutrients to all your favorite smoothies without adding fat or altering the flavor.