Zucchini and Carrot Slice

Why You'll Love This Recipe

• It's delicious to eat hot or cold.
• Zucchini carrot slice can be frozen, great for meal prepping.
• It's a great summer recipe to make for picnics or pack lunch boxes.
• Eat it as a healthy afternoon snack.
• Serve it with a salad for a light summer dinner or lunch.
• Serve hot bite-sized pieces as a cold-weather appetizer or serve cold as a summer appetizer.
• It's vegetarian-friendly.

Ingredients

Eggs - use large eggs.

Milk - we used dairy milk but, you could also use cream. For a vegetarian option, use plant milk.

Onion - adds flavor to the recipe.

Garlic - use fresh garlic cloves if you can. If you can't get fresh, use about half to 1 teaspoon of garlic paste.

Dried Chives - you could also use dried parsley or freshly chopped chives or parsley in the recipe.

Cheese - we used tasty cheese, but you could also use cheddar cheese or pre-grated pizza cheese.

Capsicum (bell peppers) - for flavor and color.

Zucchini (courgette) - you can peel the zucchini if you like, but we never do. The peel adds a nice color to the slice and is full of nutrition.

Carrots - peel and grate the carrots.

Plain flour and baking powder - you could also use self raising flour in place of the plain flour and baking powder.

Salt and pepper - for seasoning, be careful not to add too much salt because bacon and cheese also contain salt.

Step By Step Instructions

Before mixing the ingredients.

Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F), line the base and sides of a 20 x 30 cm (8 x 12 inch) tin with baking paper.

• Wash and grate the zucchini, then squeeze out as much water as you can from the zucchini - see Tips for Success below for how to do this.
• Wash, peel, and grate the carrot. 
• Grate the cheese and mince the garlic.
• Chop the bacon, onion, and capsicum

Step 1  - Break the eggs into a large mixing bowl, add the eggs, milk, salt, and chives. Use a whisk and mix well to combine.

Step 2 - Add the bacon, onion, carrot, garlic, zucchini, and cheese, mix well to combine.

Step 3 - Sprinkle over the flour and baking powder and stir to combine.

Step 4 - Transfer the mixture to the prepared baking tray, and use a spatula or spoon to smooth the surface flat.

Step 5 - Place in the oven and bake for 40 - 50 minutes or until set and golden brown. Leave to cool for about 10 minutes in the tin before removing and cutting into pieces. This slice can be eaten hot or cold.

Expert Tips

Coarsely grate the zucchini, carrots, and cheese using a manual handheld grater or by machine.

How to remove moisture from zucchini

For best results, remove excess water from zucchini. The excess water will make the slice overly moist, which will make the zucchini and carrot slice go soggy.

You can remove moisture from zucchini either by hand or pressing into a sieve.

By hand - take small handfuls of grated zucchini and firmly squeeze it between clean hands placed over a medium-sized bowl. As you squeeze grated zucchini, the water will come out and drip down into the bowl. 

Give each handful a good squeeze several times. We usually get about ¼ cup of zucchini juice squeezed out by doing this.

Using a sieve - Place the grated zucchini in a sieve placed over a bowl and use the back of a spoon to press down onto the zucchini to squeeze out the moisture.

What to do with the zucchini water?

You can either discard the water, add it to soups or vegetable juices.

Variations

• Use finely chopped leftover ham or roasted or BBQ chicken instead of bacon.
• Make a spicy variation, mix in one teaspoon dried chili flakes or 1-2 finely sliced red chilies.

Make it vegetarian

This recipe can be made into a vegetarian zucchini and carrot slice. Leave out the bacon or replace it with a vegetarian alternative. Use plant-based milk instead of dairy and a vegetarian-friendly cheese.

Serving Size

As a a main meal this would serve about 8, or as bite sized appetizer you would get 32 pieces.

Calories Per Serve

For a main meal serving size, each piece would be about 503 calories, and 126 calories for bite sized appetizers.

Serving Suggestions

• Serve this cheesy zucchini carrot slice for breakfast.
• Make it for your kids or yourself as a healthy afternoon snack.
• Serve with steamed vegetables or a salad for dinner or lunch.
• Cut the slice into small bite-sized pieces and serve as simple toothpick appetizers.

Storage

When completely cold, wrap the slice tightly in food wrap or put it into an air-tight container and store it in the fridge.

The slice keeps well in the fridge for up to five days and three months in the freezer.

You can store the slice in the fridge or freeze it. It can be left as a whole piece or cut into portion sizes ready for lunchboxes or quick individual meals.

Reheating

Frozen zucchini and carrot slice needs to be thawed before reheating.

To reheat, place the slice on a baking tray, loosely covering with foil, and bake in preheated 180°C (350°F) for about 15 - 20 minutes or until warmed through.

For single servings, use the microwave oven to heat up the slice.

More Easy Recipes

• Bruschetta with mozzarella
• Mini bacon quiche
• Slow cooker meatballs