One might argue that tater tots are a close second behind French fries; other than fries, tots are the perfect potato–containing, fried finger food. Tater tots bring back memories of lunch period in my middle school cafeteria (the only memories of my middle school cafeteria I choose to remember). Tater tots are also basically bite–sized hash browns, which are delicious.
Zucchini is especially abundant in the summer and often grated and used in sweet recipes such as muffins or breads (if you haven’t tried this before, it’s kind of like eating carrot cake and nothing like eating a vegetable). While I didn’t have any potatoes in my refrigerator this week, I had two large zucchinis that I was looking to cook with—you know, just the usual. In this tater tot recipe, you substitute zucchini for potatoes—the tots are also therefore made healthier because they’re low in carbs.
This recipe is perfect for anyone who doesn’t like eating vegetables; I promise that although the tots are green you can’t taste the zucchini. These tater tots are baked in the oven, which means you can easily make them at home (and feel good about eating all 30 of them by yourself).
Servings: 30 tots
What you’ll need:
- 2 medium zucchinis
- 2 cups of breadcrumbs
- 2 eggs
- Salt and pepper
- Cooking spray
- Baking sheet and aluminum foil
Procedure:
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
- Wash and grate both of the zucchinis and pat dry with a paper towel. If you don’t have a grater, you can finely chop the zucchini yourself.
- Mix in the breadcrumbs and eggs, and add salt and pepper to your liking.
- Line the baking sheet with aluminum foil and spray with cooking spray. Shape the mixture into short, cylindrical “tot” shapes and spread them out evenly on the tray.
- Bake for 12 minutes until one side is golden. Flip tots over and bake for the same amount of time until they are crispy.
- Remove from the oven and enjoy with ketchup!
Tips and Tricks:
- Make sure to dry the grated zucchini as much as possible; excess water will prevent them from becoming crispy in the oven.
- Try cooking the zucchini mixture in a waffle iron to make a giant hash brown.
