Healthy Family Recipes

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Ricotta Zucchini Dinner Pancakes

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Ricotta Zucchini Dinner Cakes

Light, fluffy, creamy and healthy-ish are just a few of the reasons you need to make this for dinner STAT. Oh yes – and easy, Too!

Zucchini is one of my all time favorite veggies. It is mild enough to pair with so many things, yet has a flavor of its own.

These savory ricotta pancakes are just astonishingly good. And easy enough for a weeknight – about 15 minutes from grocery bag to table.

The flavor is perfect, but it is the texture of these dinner pancakes that is truly astonishing. How can one dish be at once light, fluffy, creamy and decadent? I can’t answer that question. All I know is that these savory pancakes are all of that and more.

I was going to make a tomato basil sauce to serve drizzled on top of these ricotta cakes, but then I tasted them. They are so flavorful, we gobbled them up just as is. And wished we had made a double batch.

If you just can’t change your dinner plans, put these on your schedule for your next Meatless Monday. You won’t regret it.

Ricotta and Zucchini Dinner Pancakes (Vegetarian) (Gluten Free)
 
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Recipe type: Entree
Cuisine: Easy
Serves: 6 servings
Ingredients
  • ¾ cup diced onion
  • ½ teaspoon each salt and pepper
  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 1 teaspoon minced garlic
  • 1 medium zucchini, coarsely grated
  • 1 teaspoon lemon zest
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 3 large eggs, separated
  • 1 cup ricotta
  • 2 ounces grated Parmesan cheese
  • ½ cup gluten free baking flour (Or, pulverize oats in a food processor until very fine)
  • 3 tablespoons minced parsley
  • ½ teaspoon cream of tartar
Instructions
  1. In a large skillet over medium high heat, add the onion with salt, pepper, oil. Add in garlic, zucchini, lemon zest and juice and saute for about 3 minutes or so, until most of liquid has evaporated and vegetables are softened. Put skillet mixture into a bowl and set aside. Wipe skillet clean with a paper towel and heat to medium heat.
  2. Whisk together the egg yolks, ricotta, Parmesan cheese, flour and parsley and then whisk into skillet mixture.
  3. Whip the egg whites and cream of tartar until stiff peaks. Fold egg whites into the skillet mixture.
  4. Using a ¾ cup measure, scoop the mixture and place in the skillet, spreading slightly to make pancakes that are about 4 inches in diameter. Cook until lightly browned on each side, about 3 to 5 minutes per side. Serve immediately.

Other Ricotta cakes:

Zucchini Ricotta Fritters, Cinnamon Spice and Everything Nice
Zucchini Ricotta Fritters, Love and Olive Oil
Spicy Zucchini Ricotta Fritters, The Merry Gourmet
Summer Squash Fritters, Aggie’s Kitchen

Meatless Monday: Wholegrain Confetti Zucchini Cakes

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I have been trying for about a year now to come up with a vegetarian version of crab cakes, a perfect task for Meatless Mondays. My family members can testify if need be: at least two dozen attempts.

Then my neighbor Joyce,  who owns the on-line business Dr. Grandma’s specializing in healthy and convenient products, decided to host a recipe contest using her products. My favorites are her whole-grain muffin and pancake mixes. ( If you can’t find Dr Grandmas where you live, you can buy Dr G’s online or  just use any multigrain pancake mix that requires the addition of an egg.) I decided to toy with making a veggie pancake using veggies with just a bit of pancake mix as a binder to hold the veggies in a patty while cooking.

Since zucchini season is coming, I went heavy on the zuks, but you can try any grated veggie you like. These are so tasty and make perfect sides for your main course, or three of them make a fine vegetarian entree. They take only about 20 minutes to make – a great healthy weeknight meal! I like them drizzled with a Greek yogurt sauce mixed with a little Frank’s Red Hot Sauce and some cumin. Yum.

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