In peak zucchini season, zucchini confit is my favorite way to freezer preserve it. Though, zucchini confit is so delicious, sometimes it doesn’t even make it to the freezer…

I love to confit veggies, especially zucchini. It gives them a sweet & caramelized flavor, cooks out water and lowers their overall volume (less storage space!) and in my experience, veggie confits freezer preserve longer than many veggies that are frozen raw or blanched.

To “confit” a food is to cook it slowly in a liquid on low heat. This practice is rooted in pre-refrigerator/freezer preservation, traditionally used for meat (duck confit, anyone?). The result is tender in texture and rich in flavor.

The reason that frozen vegetables lose their texture or get “mushy” is because the water in the veg expands and damages the soft tissue of the vegetable. By slowly removing the water content, not only does it help maintain the integrity of the original fruit, but you’re also transforming it into a smooth & creamy sauce-like dish, which will have stronger staying power in your freezer.

I prefer to squeeze some juice out of my shredded zucchini, but sometimes, I’m lazy and don’t do it. When I squeeze water out of my zucchini, I like to take handfuls and just press between my palms, letting the juices slip between my fingers. If I don’t squeeze juice out, it inevitably sticks to the pan more so than if I did give it a squeeze.

I generally have some zucchini that sticks to the pan no matter how I squeeze the zucchini, or much oil I add. But it’s ok with me, I’m happy to put in some extra pan scrubbing for the delicious end result of this dish.

I’ve been brainstorming on what to do with the pressed juice instead of just tossing it (use as pasta water, or in a smoothie?), but thus far I’ve just tossed it. I have tasted it (I believe in tasting everything in the kitchen, each ingredient on its own). And yep, the verdict is: it tastes like zucchini juice. Maybe some salt would improve its raw drinkability? Hm.

My recipe below is available to subscribers of Garden to Kitchen.

This qualifies as a “no recipe recipe,” and I like to riff based on what I have on hand.

The basic ingredients always include shredded zucchini, olive oil, and salt. I generally add garlic, cause, in this house, garlic is life.

For added flavor: I’ll add in caramelized onions, thyme or oregano towards the end of cooking, especially for freezer preserving.

Ingredients:

4 small/medium zucchini, hand shredded, and excess water pressed out

½ cup olive oil, more as needed

Salt (start with 2 teaspoons, add more as needed)

Recommended addition: 4-6 garlic cloves, minced (I add in 10 minutes before done cooking to retain bright garlic flavor)

Optional additions: herbs such as thyme or oregano (I add in 10 minutes before done cooking), or soft herbs like chives, parsley, tarragon (add in at end, but be sure they’re coated in oil for best freezer preservation)

Heat a large sauté pan on low heat. Add the olive oil and warm until it shimmers. Add the zucchini and half the salt. Cook it for a few minutes before stirring. The goal is to allow the water to cook out of the zucchini. Slowly stir over time and watch the liquid evaporate while the flavors and textures evolve, which takes 30-45 minutes. Add the garlic about half-way through cooking and the rest of the salt, and herbs towards the end as noted above. Zucchini confit is done when it’s about a third of it’s original volume, creamy, and ready to enjoy or freezer preserve!

See the short video below.