Use it up · Vegetables

Zucchini and summer squash

Have extra zucchini and summer squash? Here’s how to choose, store and prep zucchini and summer squash, plus 6 family recipes to use it all up, best matches first.

🍽 See the recipes 🧺 Pick a few things you have

🛒 Choosing it

Small to medium squash with glossy skin are more tender and less seedy.

Best season: Summer. Timing varies by region.

🧊 Storing it

Fridge: 4 to 5 days
Freezer: 12 months, shredded, for baking

Keep the fridge at 40°F or below and the freezer at 0°F. Freezer times are for best quality; food kept frozen at 0°F stays safe. When in doubt, throw it out. Times from Rutgers Cooperative Extension.

🔪 Prepping it

No need to peel. Slice and sauté, grill, or shred into muffins and breads (squeeze out the water).

🥣 Make it from scratch

Homemade staples that use zucchini and summer squash:

Zucchini bread

🌱 Grow it

You can grow your own: summer squash and zucchini. The Food Garden Planner shows how much to plant for your family and when it comes in.

🌱 Plan a garden with it →

📊 Nutrition per 100 g

Zucchini. 100 g is about 3 1/2 ounces.

Calories	17 kcal	1%
Protein	1.2 g	2%
Total fat	0.3 g	0%
Saturated fat	0.1 g	0%
Total carbohydrate	3.1 g	1%
Dietary fiber	1.0 g	4%
Total sugars	2.5 g
Sodium	8.0 mg	0%
Calcium	16 mg	1%
Iron	0.4 mg	2%
Potassium	261 mg	6%

% Daily Value for adults (FDA). From USDA FoodData Central 169291 (SR Legacy).

🍽 Recipes that use it up

6 recipes, the ones that use the most zucchini and summer squash first.

Plan them into your week in the meal planner, or find recipes for two or three things at once with the “What can I make?” picker.

Storage times and buying tips are general guides from the sources below; follow any date or instructions on the package. Cook meat, poultry, fish and eggs to the USDA safe temperatures in each recipe.