Vintage Zucchini Patties
Anytime I can sneak more veggies on my plate, I’m in. I thought Zucchini patties would be just a basic side dish that would offer a bit more nutrition than potatoes, but I was so shocked by how delicious they were. Packed with cheesy goodness, tons of flavor from herbs and spices, and a delightful cracker crumb crust, they could hold their own as a vegetarian main dish.
They would make an amazing veggie burger, or wrap, and I think kids would absolutely love them! They’re easy to make, and surprisingly attractive. The recipe calls for them to be pan fried in butter, but mine came out beautifully in the air fryer, so another plus for healthy eating. They’re gooey warm straight out of the oven, but just as tasty at room temperature, so they’ll pack well for my upcoming picnic where I plan to enjoy them.
No matter where or how you eat them, they’ll become a family favorite, so I’m so grateful Gladys Lintz shared them in her community’s cookbook so I got the chance to add them to my list of regular favorites.
So let me show you how to make them. They are super simple. All you need to start is grated zucchini. To the zucchini, add shredded cheese. The recipe recommends sharp cheddar, so that’s what I used, but you can substitute with all sorts of cheeses.
Next, add celery flakes. I had never heard of celery flakes before, and they are just what they sound like - flakes of dehydrated celery. I didn’t have any, and couldn’t find it at my local store, but fortunately you can use celery seed instead. Celery seed is much stronger, though, so use about a quarter the amount of seed to sub for flakes. I actually used celery salt, since that’s what I had on hand, and just cut out adding any more salt. Worked great!
Next, add an egg and minced onion, then garlic salt. The recipe calls for salt here, but I held off since I used the celery salt.
Last, it calls for lemon pepper. I have a lemon tree, so I added the zest of one lemon and some black pepper instead. Tasted delicious. Mix that all up thoroughly.
As you can see by all the swaps I made, it’s one of those recipes you can easily adapt and make your own with what you have on hand. The best recipes always are.
Once it thoroughly mixed, crack and whisk an egg in a wide dish. Fill another wide dish with crumbs of some sort. I used ritz cracker crumbs since I had some, but almost any will do. Breadcrumbs would work great, even something as basic as saltines would be tasty - whatever you prefer.
Form the zucchini mix into balls in really any size you like, depending on how you’ll enjoy them. I made mine on the smaller side since they’ll be easier to handle, but feel free to go bigger if you’re going to use them as a burger or a main dish. Squeeze a bit of the moisture out so they stick together, but not too much, just enough that it forms a loose ball.
Drop it in the egg, coating both sides, then into the crumbs. They’ll be a bit loose, but the crumb coating makes them much easier to handle. Shape them into patties, then transfer them to a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Repeat until all the zucchini mix is used.
The recipe calls for them to be pan fried, but I air fried them for 20 minutes at 400° and they came out perfectly. The cheese was so gooey and melty, and the crunchy crust was the perfect texture. You can eat them straight, or I served mine with a lemon dill sauce that added another layer of flavor and dressed them up a bit.
They’ll be absolutely perfect for my upcoming picnic, so I’ll pack them away while I cook the rest of my meal.
If you’d like to see what else I cook for my picnic lunch in the park, check out the recipes below and share with anyone you think will enjoy these tasty veggie treats. I hope it inspires you to save more vintage spiral bound community cookbooks and cook more old recipes.
LOVE THIS RECIPE? GET TO KNOW THE VINTAGE COMMUNITY COOKBOOK ITS FROM.
KITCHENWARE USED IN THIS RECIPE
VINTAGE PYREX
Amish Butterprint from the 1950’s
VINTAGE PYREX
Pink Gooseberry from the 1950’s