Grilled Zucchini Crostini

Grilled zucchini is an unlikely but welcome addition to goat cheese topped crostini, offering a unique way to enjoy the delicate squash - atop a grilled crostini!

Lock your doors, it’s zucchini season! 

It's that time when those who decided planting zucchini was a good idea a couple months ago are starting to feel overwhelmed with an overabundance of zucchini. Everywhere across Minnesota mental notes are being made of potential recipients upon whom to unload the excess upon. 

Unlocked doors are fair game. If you return to your vehicle to find it filled with zucchini, you have no one to blame but yourself. An unlocked door is an invitation, one you may have unwittingly RSPV’d to.

Imagine your dinner plans have been abruptly changed and zucchini is now on the menu. It’s a surprisingly versatile veggie with a neutral taste that makes it a blank canvas for flavor. My favorite way to prepare zucchini is to grill it until tender-crisp. It’s an easy way to throw together a healthy, last-minute side. 

It’s also easy to take the appetizer route; enter Grilled Zucchini Crostini. Simply arrange your grilled zucchini on top of crostini smeared with goat cheese and you have an impressive-looking snack that took minimal effort. And have slowly started to chip away at your newfound wealth of zucchini.

This is gonna be one of those non-recipe recipes, in that it provides guidelines rather than firm instruction. You don’t need the added stress of a hard-to-follow recipe when dealing with surprise zucchini. 

The amount of French bread, goat cheese, and zucchini listed below provide a solid start, but I leave it up to you how much or how little seasoning you want to use. I kept it simple with garlic salt, black pepper, and smoked paprika, but you can use whatever seasonings you wish to make the Grilled Zucchini Crostini your own. 

How do you make Grilled Zucchini Crostini?

To make these zucchini toasts, you will need the following ingredients:

INGREDIENTS  

• 8 slices French bread
• 2 smallish zucchini
• 3-4 ounces goat cheese
• Canola oil
• Garlic salt
• Black pepper
• Smoked paprika

INSTRUCTIONS 

• Preheat your grill to around 350 degrees Fahrenheit. I set my three-zone Weber grill to medium heat (on all three zones).
• Brush zucchini rounds with canola oil. Sprinkle each with garlic salt, black pepper, and smoked paprika, using as much or as little as you’d like. I only do this on one side but do both sides if you'd like.
• Place zucchini rounds seasoned side down on the heated grill. 
• Brush both sides of each slice of French bread with canola oil.
• Place French bread slices on a heated grill. 
• Close grill and cook for about 5 minutes.
• Flip bread, then flip zucchini rounds.
• Re-cover grill and continue cooking for an additional 5 minutes. Check bread after 2 minutes have passed. Remove from the grill if nice and crusty.
• Spread goat cheese on each slice of crostini immediately after removing it from the grill; it will help it get a little melty. I like to pre-crumble the goat cheese slightly, place a few chunks on each slice, then use a butter knife to spread it out. 
• Remove the zucchini from the grill. Assemble zucchini on the goat cheese-slathered crostini. Slice a few zucchini in half if you like for maximum crostini coverage. 
• Serve. Add additional seasoning, to taste. Hitting it with a pinch of salt isn't a bad idea.

Zucchini Toast Alternatives

Since this is a flexible recipe, you can get created with your seasonings and spread. Here are some alternative suggestions to the above recipe for Grilled Zucchini Crostini.

Seasonings

Try sprinkling these onto your zucchini rounds before grilling:

• Garlic powder
• Onion powder
• Cayenne pepper
• Chili powder
• Lemon pepper
• Cumin

Spreads

You might try using these spreads or a combination thereof to top your grilled crostini:

• Brie
• Burrata
• Flavored goat cheese, like one with herbs added
• A store-bought spreadable cheese like Boursin or Laughing Cow
• Pimiento cheese

If you like Grilled Crostini, you may also like:

• This one-pot wonder, Quick Sauteed Tex-Mex Beef
• This amazing summer side, Tex-Mex Pasta Salad
• This refreshing salsa, Spicy Pico de Gallo
• This vegetarian chickpea quesadilla, Buffalo Chickpea Quesadilla

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