This savory zucchini bread with goat cheese and basil pesto is bursting with fresh flavors and will be a perfect addition to your summer picnics, potlucks or garden parties.
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It’s been one of my favorite summer recipes for years. In France, savory quick breads are often served cold as an appetizer with other finger foods, cantaloupe or watermelon, and a glass of rosé. It brings me back to these long summer garden parties that can sometimes last for hours in France, as everyone keep talking to each other, drinking another glass of wine, and grabbing a few bites there and there.
In a couple of weeks, I will actually miss a huge family potluck with dozens of relatives coming from all parts of France (obviously, the US were a bit too far). Family is very important to me and I love that we kept this tradition alive throughout the years from both sides of my family. Last year, my grandmother passed away at age of 97, leaving behind her all of her children, grand-children and grand-grand children. She’s always been the cornerstone of the family and always volunteered to attend every single family gathering. The last one she attended was actually my wedding, and I’m so glad she made it.
Now let’s add that in France, homemade is king. We like to prepare some easy sweet and savory treats whenever we are invited to a party, helping the host to prepare the meal. And this is even more true in summer when you take the party outside and just gather around cheese, wine and various appetizers. We like food, obviously, and we care about the ingredients. So when summer vegetables – and here zucchinis – are in abundance, we try to do the best of them.
How to prepare a quick bread?
Start with the batter, which is more or less the same for all savory bread recipes: eggs, vegetable oil (I prefer olive oil, always), milk.
Add flour together with baking powder (note that we don’t use yeast for quick bread).
Combine all the other ingredients of your choice. Here I went for diced zucchini, goat cheese, and grated cheese (with a hint of basil pesto). But you could imagine any ingredients that come to your mind: any kind of cheese (feta, blue cheese…), any vegetables (red pepper, tomato, eggplant…), and add some charcuterie if you wish.
Pretty simple, right?
This recipe is really basic for every French out there, and many of them have probably already baked a similar version at least once in their life. So then, why sharing it here? Well, simply because sometimes we are overwhelmed with information and tend to forget some basics. So I’m here to remind you that this savory zucchini bread with goat cheese is always welcome for your next summer gathering party.
Other recipes using zucchinis:
- Almond, Zucchini and Blue Cheese Tart
- Vegan Zucchini and Red Onion Frittata
- Fresh Pappardelle with Grilled Vegetables
- Salmon & Zucchini Ricotta Pie
- Also for something sweet, make sure you try these AWESOME Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread and Healthy Chocolate Zucchini Bread
More potluck recipes:
- Whole Wheat Pizza Star Ring
- Eggplant Rolls filled with Hummus
- Goat Cheese and Sun-Dried Tomato Madeleines
- Roasted Red Pepper Hummus
- Baba Ganoush
- Pissaladière
Maybe you will make the recipe exactly as I advise to, maybe you will use it as a base and replace almost all of the ingredients except the batter – and this is ok! Cooking should be fun and I want you to explore, to create your own version of my recipes, making the recipes yours in fine. I don’t believe in one only way of making a recipe; there are many ways and I trust you will master this savory quick bread pretty soon. Spice it up with curry, add some herbs, go beyond the cooking boundaries.
I wish you all a wonderful start to the summer!
Savory Zucchini Bread with Goat Cheese
- Prep Time: 20 mins
- Cook Time: 45 mins
- Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
- Category: Savory
- Cuisine: Plant-Based
This savory zucchini bread with goat cheese and basil pesto is bursting with fresh flavors and will be a perfect addition to your summer picnics.
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We’ll send it straight to your inbox, along with weekly food inspiration!
Ingredients
- 1 medium zucchini, diced
- 150g all-purpose flour
- 3 teaspoons (12g) baking powder
- 3 large eggs
- 1 ounce (3 cl) olive oil + 1 Tablespoon for cooking
- 1 Tablespoon basil pesto
- 4 ounces (12.5 cl) milk, warmed up
- 7 ounces (200g) goat cheese, crumbled
- 3.5 ounces (100g) grated cheese
- Fresh basil leaves (optional)
- Salt and pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C) and grease a loaf pan with oil. Set aside.
- Sauté diced zucchini in a large frying pan with one tablespoon of olive oil, until slightly golden.
- Transfer to a plate lined with paper towel and pat-dry.In a large bowl, mix together all-purpose flour, baking powder, eggs, olive oil, basil pesto and warm milk. Season with salt and pepper.
- Add diced zucchini, goat cheese, grated cheese and stir. If using, add a few basil leaves to the batter and stir.
- Pour the batter into the pan and bake for 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Did you make this recipe?
Lastly, if you make this Savory Zucchini Bread with Goat Cheese, be sure to leave a comment and give this recipe a rating, letting me know how you liked it. And of course, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Thank you and enjoy!
Sabine
Excellent savory cake to bring to a potluck. My friends loved the flavors and fresh taste of it!!!
Thin
can i substitute all purpose flour with almond flour?
Delphine Fortin
Hi! Sorry for my late reply. I wouldn’t swap all-purpose flour with almond flour in a 1:1 proportion. If you want to make this bread gluten-free, I would rather use a gluten-free flour mix. I hope it helps! Del
D.C. Laroche
100 grams of grated cheese. What type of “grated cheese”
Delphine Fortin
It’s up to you, any kind of grated cheese would do in this recipe 🙂 Del
Sydney
What did you use? Parmesan? Please provide some suggestions for this. Thanks!
Delphine Fortin
Hi Sydney! Yes I used grated Parmesan cheese for this recipe. I hope this helps! Del
Leah Saks
This looks really good!! will whole wheat flour work?
Lexie
Thanks for this awesome recipe! I’ve been cooking zucchini bread for years and it’s the best result I’ve ever had. I used feta (forget to buy goat cheese but It was 100% goat milk feta) and chives.