Stuffed and Breaded Zucchini Flowers are delightful golden and crispy bites with a soft and rich filling of breadcrumbs, ham, and provolone.
On the blog, I have many recipes for zucchini flowers with various fillings and cooking methods, but this recipe is the tastiest and most inviting. Once breaded, the zucchini flowers are fried in hot oil, and needless to say how good they are, you must try them, at my home, they disappear as soon as they hit the table.
Follow my recipe, and if you want, you can also change the filling; zucchini flowers are excellent appetizers, finger food, and they taste great even cold.
YOU MAY ALSO BE INTERESTED IN THESE RECIPES
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Economical
- Preparation time: 20 Minutes
- Cooking time: 15 Minutes
- Portions: 20 pieces
- Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients for Stuffed and Breaded Zucchini Flowers
- 20 Zucchini flowers
- 3 1/2 cups Stale bread
- 1 3/4 oz Grated Grana Padano
- 1 clove Garlic
- 1 3/4 oz Provolone
- 1 3/4 oz Cooked ham
- 2 tbsp Tomato sauce
- 3 tbsp Olive oil
- as needed Salt
- 1 sprig Fresh basil
- 1 3/4 oz Breadcrumbs
- 1 tbsp Grated Grana Padano
- as needed Salt
- as needed Chopped basil
- 2 medium eggs
- as needed Peanut oil
Tools
- Food Processor
- Bowl
- Pan
- Stovetop
Preparation for Stuffed and Breaded Zucchini Flowers
Start preparing the breadcrumbs mixture to stuff the zucchini flowers, in a food processor blend the stale bread cut into pieces, I used homemade bread, the color is a bit dark, it should be a soft mixture, then add the garlic, basil, tomato sauce, oil, and salt, blend everything well and lastly add the provolone and ham leaving them a bit coarse.
If there’s leftover breadcrumbs mixture, it can be stored in the fridge for 3/4 days.
Clean the zucchini flowers from external growths, remove the pistil and wash well.
Open the flowers and fill them with the soft breadcrumbs mixture prepared, try not to break them, close tightly and squeeze the flower with your hands.
After filling them all, prepare the ingredients for the breading.In a bowl, beat the eggs with a pinch of salt, in another bowl prepare the breadcrumbs with salt, Grana, and chopped basil.
Dip the zucchini flowers in the beaten egg then pass them in the breadcrumbs, make sure the breading adheres well, you can optionally pass them twice for a thicker breading.
When you have completed the operation, you can fry the breaded zucchini flowers in hot oil.
Pour plenty of oil into a pan and bring to medium temperature, immerse the zucchini flowers, turning them on all sides for even cooking, cook them until they are golden brown on all sides.Drain on absorbent paper, then plate and serve.
If you want lighter zucchini flowers, bake them in the oven with a baking tray and drizzle with oil, turning during cooking, remove from oven when they are golden brown.
Tips and Variations
Zucchini flowers can also be stuffed with different ingredients according to your tastes. If you make a good stock, you can always freeze them breaded and then fry them directly in hot oil when needed without defrosting them first.
If you are intolerant to eggs, dip the stuffed zucchini flowers in a batter of water and flour and then in breadcrumbs before cooking them.
For other stuffed zucchini flowers, both fried and baked, click here.
FAQ
Can I cook the flowers in the oven or air fryer?
Yes, of course, they will be lighter. Just place them on an oiled baking tray and bake at 350°F, turning during cooking until golden brown. The same procedure applies in the air fryer basket, perhaps on a sheet of parchment paper, and sprayed with a little oil.
