These cheesy little zucchini bites are a great way to put all that zucchini to use. They’re like tater tots, but made with zucchini, in a mini muffin pan. They’re sort of a riff off our broccoli cheddar bites, and like their broccoli cousins, are perfect for breakfast, a quick snack, or a school lunch. A touch of rosemary with some lemon zest with cheddar cheese and Parmesan work great with the zucchini. The lemon and rosemary are just enough to make these bites interesting, but not so much as to overwhelm. The trick to this recipe, as with so many recipes that use shredded zucchini, is to first salt the zucchini and let the excess water drain. That’s the best way to avoid a mushy mess when you bake it. You can make them ahead, freeze them, and just reheat in a toaster oven or microwave. They’re rather addictive, so freezing them is my strategy to keep from eating them all in one go! After at least 30 minutes, use your (clean) hands to press and squeeze the grated zucchini against the colander to release more moisture. Then use double layered sturdy paper towels or a clean tea towel to wrap up the zucchini and squeeze out even more moisture. Then add the bread, green onions, garlic, lemon zest, rosemary, grated cheddar, Parmesan, and black pepper. Let that sit while the zucchini is draining so that the bread breaks down in the mixture. Eat warm or cool to room temp, then chill or freeze to reheat later.
