Zucchini & Mushroom Muffins With Feta Cheese

Extremely tasty, gluten-free, summery Mediterranean zucchini and mushroom muffins with feta. Moist and easy to make, they are a great grab-and-go choice perfect for any lunchbox.

Especially in the summer, I am looking for easy, delicious food that I could take out and about with me, and these savory muffins are exactly that. They are filled with shredded zucchini, mushrooms, sun-dried tomatoes, red pepper, and feta cheese, and can be consumed warm or cold.

What are zucchini's health benefits?

One of the most amazing products of summer is zucchini or courgette. It is a versatile vegetable that you can use for savory and sweet recipes and mix with a lot of different flavors. In the Mediterranean zucchinis are widely cultivated and can be served raw, fried, stewed, stuffed, baked, boiled, etc. Zucchini is rich in antioxidants, vitamins (especially A & C), and minerals.

The vitamins in the zucchini can support the immune system and vision. The antioxidants (high amounts in the skin) protect the body from free radicals. Carotenoids are high and can benefit the heart, eyes, and skin. They are also rich in water and fiber which can promote healthy digestion and gut.

Other potential benefits may include (even though more research is needed), healthy thyroid function, bone health, anticancer effects, and prostate health.

Zucchini Mushroom Muffins with Feta Ingredients

Zucchini: Use about 2 or 3 small-size zucchini. Grate them (using a food processor or a box grater), then squeeze all the water out of them, and finally weigh them.

Mushrooms: Use about 4 to 5 large white button mushrooms and grate them or slice them into very thin slices.

Cheese: I am using feta cheese because everything tastes a little better with some feta. Use a hard or medium/hard feta to add some saltiness and extra flavor to the muffins.

Eggs: Use them as a binding agent and help the mixture to be fluffy. I use organic eggs at room temperature.

Sun-dried tomatoes: Just 4 whole dried tomatoes or 8 halved are perfect to add saltiness and umami flavor to the muffins. They are high in lycopene, antioxidants, and vitamin C. If using sun-dried tomatoes preserved in oil, drain them and pat dry them with kitchen towels. I cut them into small pieces.

Spices: Freshly ground black pepper, onion powder, dried oregano, and paprika powder (sweet or smoked), are added to give extra flavor to these muffins. I do not add extra salt because I find that the saltiness, from feta cheese and sun-dried tomatoes, is enough for me but if you want them saltier add ½ teaspoon of fine sea salt. We can also add fresh or dried herbs like basil, thyme, dill, or spearmint.

Flour: I am using all-purpose gluten-free flour. If you don't have any problem with gluten, simply exchange it with all-purpose flour.

Tips & tricks

Ensure that you squeeze out as much juice as you can from the grated zucchini. Place them in a cheesecloth or a tea towel and squeeze as hard as you can.

If you use dehydrated tomatoes for this recipe, soak them for 5 to 10 minutes, in boiling hot water before slicing.

Let the muffins cool into the muffin tray and then transfer them to a wire rack and let them cool completely. Gluten-free baked goods need to be cool to be stable or else they can crumble.

Grease the muffin pan really well before adding the mixture. I use olive oil and a brush.

Use hard paper muffin liners because savory muffins tend to stick to the paper of the cupcake liners. Alternatively, silicon muffin cases could be used.

Bake 8 large muffins or 12 normal muffins with this amount of batter.

Every oven is different, so keep an eye on the muffins and use a skewer or toothpick to test your muffins. They are ready when the skewer comes out with almost no crumbs on it.

Top them with some extra shredded hard yellow cheese before baking them.

Do not overwork the batter. The mixture should be just combined and look a little lumpy.

How to serve zucchini mushroom muffins with feta

Serve the muffins warm or cold as breakfast, lunch, or snack.

• Alongside a bowl of Greek Salad
• Warm with butter spread on top
• As quick bread with soup

How to store zucchini mushroom muffins with feta

Before storing the muffins it is important to let them cool completely on a wire rack.

Store in the fridge, in an airtight container, for up to 5 days.

Freeze them, for up to 2 months. Wrap them, individually, with plastic wrap (cling wrap) and then place them into zip lock bags or an airtight container and freeze.

Love zucchini?

Check also this recipe:

• Zucchini Bread

Recipe

Nutrition facts

Servings: 1 (100g) | Calories: 168kcal | Carbohydrates: 18g | Protein: 6.19g | Fat: 8.3g | Saturated Fat: 2.8g | Trans Fat: 0g | Cholesterol: 38mg | Sodium: 132mg | Potassium: 399mg | Fiber: 1.5g | Sugar: 1.83g | Vitamin A: 654IU | Vitamin C: 23.5mg | Calcium: 125mg | Iron: 1.09mg