Everything you need to know about your favorite summer squash, zucchini! All about Zucchini history, macros, health benefits, varieties, how to buy it, how to store it, and nutrition information. Plus, our favorite seasonal summer recipes with our local zucchini.
Summer Squash
First of all, what is summer squash? Unlike their winter counterparts, these varieties of summer squash have soft, thin skin that is perfectly edible, with varying degrees of light to dense flesh. They can all be eaten raw or cooked, and have a mild flavor that can range from sweet to nutty, and though the difference in flavor between varieties is subtle, it’s distinct. These are the varieties of summer squash you’re most likely to cross paths with over the next few months.
Heard of zucchini? Of course you have! Zucchini is the most common summer squash and a good example of most summer squash.
Black Beauty (Classic Green Zucchini)
Even though you can find classic green zucchini all year long, now is peak season — when they’re really at their prime. Green zucchini has soft, bitter, and dark thin skin with firm, mild-tasting, white flesh. This variety is really versatile and can be eaten raw or uncooked; it’s ideal for both savory and sweet preparations.
Gourmet Gold
Not to be confused with yellow squash, yellow zucchini, sometimes called golden zucchini, don’t taper at the neck like summer squash. Its shape is similar to that of classic green zucchini, though its taste is a little bit sweeter. Use it in sweet or savory recipes, raw or cooked — just as you would green zucchini. Or better yet, mix the two together.
Costata Romanesco Zucchini
With pale green ridges and darker green valleys, striped romanesco zucchini has soft, thin skin and a rich, nutty flavor. Slice it into a salad, cook it in a quick sauté or gratin, or cut it into spears and pickle it.
Yellow Squash
You’ll find yellow squash in two varieties: straight neck (pictured above) and crookneck, which curves at the neck as its name implies. Both varieties have fatter bottoms and taper towards the neck. They have smooth to slightly bumpy, thin skin, and creamy white flesh with larger seeds than many other varieties of summer squash. When picked young, yellow squash are nice eaten raw, and can also be cooked into both sweet and savory applications.
Cousa Squash
Cousa squash is shorter and squatter than classic zucchini, in a mix of pale and medium green striations. It has thin skin with a light texture and a slightly sweet flavor. Prepare it just as you would any other variety of summer squash.
Zephyr Squash
If there was a squash beauty pageant, zephyr squash would be a strong contender for the crown. Zephyr squash is a hybrid between yellow crookneck, delicata, and yellow acorn squash. It has firm flesh and a long, cylindrical pale yellow body that’s slightly tapered at the neck, with a distinct bottom portion that can vary in hue from pale to deep green. Use this squash just as you would the other varieties.
Eightball Zucchini
Eightball, or round zucchini, have the same mild taste as classic green zucchini, with a different shape. These short, fat veggies are ideal for stuffing, and can be used the same way you’d use classic zucchini.
Health Benefits
1. High in Antioxidants
Zucchini is also rich in antioxidants. Antioxidants are beneficial plant compounds that help protect your body from damage by free radicals. Carotenoids — such as lutein, zeaxanthin, and beta-carotene — are particularly plentiful in zucchini. These may benefit your eyes, skin, and heart, as well as offer some protection against certain types of cancer, such as prostate cancer.
2. May Reduce Blood Sugar Levels
Zucchini may help lower blood sugar levels in people with type 2 diabetes. At 3 grams of carbs per cooked cup (232 grams), zucchini provides a great low-carb alternative to pasta for those looking to reduce carb intake. It can be spiralized or sliced to replace spaghetti, linguini, or lasagna noodles in dishes. Low-carb diets can significantly lower blood sugar and insulin levels, both of which may keep blood sugar levels stable and reduce the need for medication in people with type 2 diabetes.
What’s more, zucchini’s fiber helps stabilize blood sugar, preventing levels from spiking after meals. Diets rich in fiber from fruits and vegetables — including zucchini — are consistently linked to a lower risk of type 2 diabetes. The fiber found in zucchini may also help increase insulin sensitivity, which can help stabilize blood sugar as well.
3. May Strengthen Your Vision
Adding zucchini to your diet may aid your vision. That’s partly because zucchini is rich in vitamin C and beta-carotene — two nutrients important for eye health. Zucchini also contains the antioxidants lutein and zeaxanthin. Research shows that these antioxidants can accumulate in your retina, improving your vision and reducing your risk of age-related eye diseases.
This may include a lower risk of macular degeneration, which is the leading cause of irreversible vision loss in older adults. In addition, diets high in lutein and zeaxanthin may also lower your likelihood of developing cataracts, a clouding of the lens which can lead to poor eyesight.
Nutrition Breakdown
(per 1 large (323g) zucchini, raw, with skin) Note: Leave the skin on the zucchini! It contains a bulk of the nutrients, especially Vitamin A, Vitamin K, and fiber.
- Calories: 52
- Carbohydrates: 11g
- Fiber: 4g, 14% Daily Value (DV)
- Protein: 4g
- Fat: 1g
- 92% DV of Vitamin C: A water-soluble vitamin that acts as an antioxidant to fight against potentially damaging free radicals (molecules with unshared electrons that float around wreaking havoc) and an important cofactor in collagen synthesis.
- 35% DV of Vitamin B6 (Pyridoxine): A water-soluble vitamin that works behind the scenes as a coenzyme in many important reactions within your body, including protein metabolism and red blood cell formation, among countless other functions.
- 28% DV of Manganese: A trace element that plays a role in healthy brain and nervous system function.
- 27% DV of Riboflavin (Vitamin B2): A water-soluble vitamin that acts as a component of FAD to help your body break down macronutrients in the electron transport chain, creating usable energy.
- 24% DV of Potassium: A key mineral and electrolyte involved in countless processes, including healthy nervous system functioning and contraction of the heart and muscles.
- 23% DV of Folate (Vitamin B9): A water-soluble vitamin that helps make DNA & RNA and metabolize amino acids.
- 17% DV of Vitamin K: A fat-soluble vitamin that allows for activation of enzymes in the clotting cascade, which is responsible for blood clotting. Also builds bone by modifying osteocalcin so that it may bind calcium, thus building the bone matrix.
- 13% DV of Vitamin A: Provides the provitamin version of this fat-soluble vitamin, meaning it comes from a plant source and your body converts the plant pigment into active Vitamin A. It is essential in many components of healthy vision, as well as immunity and cell growth/differentiation.
- 10% DV of Thiamin (Vitamin B1): A water-soluble vitamin that turns your food (carbohydrates) into fuel (glucose). People at risk for deficiency include those with Crohn’s Disease, alcoholics, and those undergoing kidney dialysis.
History
And everyone likes themselves some food history, right? Well, all squash plants originate in the Americas. When Europeans discovered these starchy plants, they brought them back home and started growing and cultivating them there. It was in Italy that the modern-day zucchini finally came to be, where it was dubbed zucchino (little squash). The zucchini made its way back to America in the 1920s, where it was ignored by the average consumer for about 50 years. Thankfully, they’re part of the American diet now! And we love them!
How To Buy Good Zucchini
Squash likes it HOT! And with all this hot weather, it’s not a surprise that Zucchini grows best in temperate climates…not too hot, not too cold. While you can get it just about year-round, they’re out in full force during the summer months.
Did you know they can grow to be REALLY BIG? The biggest one recorded was 7 feet 10 inches! If left to its own accord, your average zucchini would grow to be as big as a baseball bat. But it wouldn’t taste so swell. Bigger zucchinis are tough and fibrous, so we pick them when they’re small (about 7 to 9 inches).
Bigger is not always better when it comes to zucchini. Generally, smaller zucchinis are less bitter, have softer seeds, and thinner skins. You’ll want to choose one with smooth skin that’s blemishes-free.
At MacroPlate, we buy fresh zucchini and yellow squash twice weekly from local California farmers who bring it straight to our kitchen from the farm!
Our Favorite Summer Zucchini Recipes
Summer Zucchini Pasta
Not only does this recipe have zucchini, peas and basil tossed with the fresh orecchiette pasta, but the creamy vegan sauce is made from roasted zucchini, garlic, lemon and basil! It’s a light and refreshing recipe available on our Traditional and High Protein plans.
Summer Taco Pasta Bowl
One of our newest seasonal recipes, our chefs have cooked up a fusion for the ages! This taco bowl has all the flavor of your favorite taco tuesday, but with a hearty fusilli pasta base to keep you full and satisfied. Ground turkey, zucchini, roasted tomatoes, cheese and cilantro. Top with sour cream for the perfect bite!
Paleo Shrimp Arrabbiata
Bring out the zoodles! Everyone loves our pesto shrimp and zoodles recipe, but have you tried our shrimp arrabbiata? This new summer recipe is savory, spicy, light and filling with thick zucchini noodles, juicy shrimp and our own housemade arrabbiata sauce.