Oven-baked Zucchini and Cheese Tater Tots (with Yoghurt Dip and Salad)

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Oven-baked zucchini rolls or tater tots are the twentieth recipe on “Climate-Friendly Cooking” and I’m celebrating this little anniversary with a premiere - a guest post. It comes from someone very special - my mum. Hi mum! 👋

My mum is a talented cook and I really enjoyed her cooking when I was growing up. Because she works as a teacher, we were both often at home at lunchtime and I have fond memories of her whipping up a delicious meal in no time at all - often with a furious knife technique that was as impressive then as it is now (learning is learning). She taught me to appreciate good food in such a playful and undogmatic way that I only realised it years later. (Thanks, Mum! ❤️ )

In recent years, my mother has discovered oven-baked zucchini rolls. I was allowed to try them on one of my recent visits home and can confirm that they are a great dish. The recipe is based on the Zucchini Tater Tots from Life is Full of Goodies.

Recipe #

Oven-baked Zucchini and cheese rolls (with yoghurt dip and salad)

45 minutes

2 portions

Ingredients #

Zucchini and cheese rolls

• 2 smaller zucchinis (just under 500 g)
• 120 g cheddar (or other cheese that melts well), finely diced or grated
• 25 g Parmesan, grated
• 7 heaped tablespoons of breadcrumbs
• 1 large egg
• pinch of salt
• pepper
• 4 tablespoons chopped parsley
• 1 tablespoon dried herbs of your choice (e.g. Italian herbs)

Yoghurt dip

• 250 g yoghurt (10%)
• 1 clove of garlic
• pinch of salt
• pepper
• 2 tablespoons fresh herbs of your choice

Salad

• 100 g lettuce or other leaf salad
• 2 tablespoons vinegar of your choice
• Salt, pepper
• 2 tablespoons water (or apple or orange juice)
• 1 teaspoon honey or sugar
• 1 teaspoon mustard of your choice
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons chopped herbs

Directions #

1. Preheat the oven to 160°C fan-assisted (or 180°C top/bottom heat).
2. Coarsely grate the zucchinis, season with salt and leave to stand for about 5 minutes, then squeeze out the excess water in a tea towel (or with your hands).
3. Mix the zucchini shavings with all the remaining ingredients, season to taste.
4. Shape the mixture into 15-16 short rolls.
5. Place them on a baking tray lined with greaseproof paper and bake for approximately 20-25 minutes until golden brown.
6. While the zucchinis are in the oven, prepare the dip by mixing all the ingredients together and season to taste.
7. Wash and trim the lettuce. Make a dressing using the vinegar, oil, salt, pepper, sugar, mustard, and herbs. Toss the salad.
8. Serve the rolls with the yoghurt dip and the salad.

Carbon Footprint #

In total, two portions of zucchini and cheese rolls have an estimated carbon footprint of 1943 g.

This ranks it number 40 out of 56 recipes published on the blog so far in terms of estimated carbon footprint.

However, it compares favourably with meat recipes: for example, the carbon footprint of the courgette rolls is around 60% better than that of the schnitzel with potato salad.

Looking at the individual ingredients, the difference between the courgettes and the cheese is particularly striking: There is a factor of 30 difference between the two ingredients, which means that courgettes account for around 40% of the ingredients but only 5% of the estimated carbon footprint. The reverse is true for cheddar - it accounts for 10% of the ingredients but 37% of the estimated carbon footprint. The effect is even more pronounced when considering Parmesan as well as Cheddar.

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